Trisha Paytas is finally speaking on the Colleen Ballinger scandal. Paytas and Ballinger share a podcast, “Oversharing with Colleen Ballinger & Trisha Paytas,” which began only a few months ago. In the lengthy YouTube video, the digital creator calmly discussed the shock that she felt learning of the explicit insults Ballinger would send the minors in her “Weenies” group chat. Ballinger rose to popularity on YouTube for her Miranda Sings character.
Ballinger recently came under fire after fellow digital creator Adam McIntyre came forward with receipts of Ballinger making sexual jokes towards himself and other minors in the group chat, who were all pre-teen and early teenaged fans of the comedian. McIntyre, who met Ballinger when he was 14 years old and maintained contact with her for several years, more recently alleged that Ballinger texted nude images of Paytas to the group chat to make fun of her appearance.
Today, McIntyre tweeted at Trisha Paytas in an attempt to address the controversy with her in private.
while i tried to warn u about colleen years ago @trishapaytas if u unblock me i’m willing to tell u everything privately she said / did in regards about u to me.
— adam mcintyre (@theadammcintyre) July 3, 2023
Paytas and McIntyre are yet to speak directly, but Paytas went on to post her own video explaining her side of the story.
The Background
Longtime YouTuber and digital creator Trisha Paytas is controversial in her own right. Paytas first joined the video sharing giant as a creator in 2007, after a brief career as a stripper and model. She appeared in music videos for Eminem, All American Rejects, and more before starting a Quentin Tarantino fan account on YouTube, which quickly grew into something much more.
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Paytas is known for her “mukbang” videos, in which she tries different types of food, and her past of trolling the internet with false beliefs (including her support for former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney). Paytas has been accused of cultural appropriation and transphobia for falsely claiming that she planned to transition, and that she practiced Hinduism.
In recent years, Paytas began regaining the respect of the online community she built. She continues to speak on managing her borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis, new motherhood, and marriage. In today’s video, Paytas said that she always got along well with Ballinger, who is also a mother. Their shared background in comedy within the digital space and young motherhood are what inspired them to make a podcast together.
Details Of The Video
In the video, Paytas says “I would understand that she could say ‘it was a while ago I was a hater’. I don’t understand the making fun of bodies, that’s weird.” She went on to say that she gave Ballinger “outs”, and even forgave her for the negative messages previously. Paytas then claimed that Ballinger blamed the young fan for the messages, alleging that he had sent them. According to screenshots from McIntyre and several other members of the “Weenies” group chat, the messages had been sent from Ballinger, contrary to her claims.
McIntyre responded to this allegation via Twitter. Paytas confirmed that Ballinger sending the explicit images of her to minors was considered a crime.
colleen just confirmed by trying to blame me, that she would send pornographic content to a 14 year old adam. she tried to shift blame but in process didn’t realise she was admitting to the CRIME she committed. https://t.co/y9a1M1Kp8a
— adam mcintyre (@theadammcintyre) July 3, 2023
“That was the worst I’ve seen from someone I considered a friend. It’s pretty barbaric and misogynistic. It’s downright cruel, it’s a low level of a person to say that stuff,” said Paytas on the text messages. While she was disturbed by the nature of the messages, she was even more disturbed that they were shared with minors. The digital creator went on to explain that due to her own traumatic relationships she had with adults as a minor, she always holds strong boundaries surrounding engaging with young fans.
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A formal announcement on the podcast that Ballinger and Paytas share is yet to be made. However, Paytas did state that she “does not stand with Colleen whatsoever.”
