Lawyers for Colleen Ballinger (aka Miranda Sings) are denying that the YouTuber is copyright striking reaction videos using her viral apology song, “Toxic Gossip Train.”
Colleen Ballinger is an OG YouTuber who first started her channel back in 2008. Over the years, she became a staple on the platform and was best known for her comedic character named ‘Miranda Sings.’
In 2020, Ballinger was accused of “grooming” her young fans after a former fan named Adam McIntyre uploaded a video exposing his conversations with the YouTuber.
Although Ballinger responded to the situation and the allegations died down, they returned in 2023, when McIntyre uploaded a second video discussing her treatment of himself and other fans.
After a few weeks of silence, Ballinger returned to YouTube with a video explaining her side of the situation. Notably, Ballinger said that her legal team advised her against saying anything about the ordeal — “but realized they never said that I couldn’t sing.”
Ballinger then sang a ten-minute song using a ukulele, comparing the allegations against her to a “toxic gossip train” pulling into “manipulation station.”
Largely hailed as one of the “worst YouTuber apologies ever,” other creators were quick to upload their own reaction videos to Ballinger’s response… but it wasn’t long before they started noticing that their videos were being hit with copyright claims from CD Baby, where her song had been seemingly uploaded.
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Other fans claimed to have seen Ballinger’s song on Apple Music, sparking even more backlash against the YouTuber for monetizing her ‘apology’ video.
Miranda Sings’ legal team responds to claims of copyright striking reaction videos
However, Ballinger’s lawyers are saying otherwise. In a statement given to news YouTuber Philip DeFranco and other news outlets, her legal reps claim that she did not monetize the song nor upload it to Apple Music.
“Ms. Ballinger did not upload the video/song to Apple Music, or to any other streaming platform, for sale, or for any other purpose,” the statement reads. “Ms. Ballinger has not monetized the song in any way.”
Colleen Ballinger's legal reps tell Pop Crave that Ballinger did not upload her 10-minute ukelele song “Toxic Gossip Train” to iTunes and Apple Music. The song, which was attached to her official profile, has now been removed. pic.twitter.com/OJcy4CBmGW
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 11, 2023
The reps went on to say they weren’t sure who had allegedly uploaded the songs to those platforms nor who was responsible for issuing the content strikes, saying it was done “without Ms. Ballinger’s knowledge or authorization.”
This latest news is leaving viewers even more confused, wondering who on earth could be responsible for taking action on Ballinger’s behalf.
For more information about the ongoing scandal surrounding YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, be sure to check out our report right here on Dexerto.