Did Colleen Ballinger mock Beyonce in blackface? YouTuber's legal team denies allegations amid video clip scandal
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, aka Miranda Sings, came under fire once again after a clip of her singing Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)', donning what many social media users claimed to be blackface, resurfaced online. However, some netizens quickly pointed out that the YouTuber did not use blackface but wore green paint instead. Meanwhile, Ballinger's legal team also came to her defense and denied the blackface allegations. The latest controversy comes amid a string of piling accusations against the comedian and actress.
Ballinger recently made news after being accused of allegedly grooming minor fans. She also faced major backlash after responding to the allegations with an "apology song," saying "I'm not a groomer, just a loser, who didn't understand I shouldn't respond to fans." In the wake of the grooming allegations, Ballinger was also accused of being allegedly racist on the set of her Netflix show, 'Haters Back Off'. Korto Quioh, an assistant writer at the show, claimed that the former allegedly used the N-word, called "POC background actors," "distracting," and asked "Asian s**t" be removed from the set.
A look at Colleen Ballinger's blackface controversy
Amid a series of separate controversial allegations, Ballinger was also accused of being racially inappropriate and insensitive for allegedly performing Beyonce's smash hit 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' with a blackface back in 2009, a claim the YouTuber's legal team has now denied. The 45-second video, shared by social media influencer Paige Christie on Twitter, shows Ballinger performing as her alter ego Miranda Sings, wearing grease-like dark paint on her face.
"I'm gonna need someone to explain the black on her face," Christie wrote alongside the clip. In response, activist Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said, "Colleen Ballinger tells the world she's a racist with her full chest. Imagine doing a Beyonce song in Blackface and the audience are laughing & being entertained. These White people know what they are doing. Racists be racizisming."
However, a few social media users then pointed out that Ballinger had green paint on her face and that she did not make blackface. Ballinger's legal team also denied the accusations and confirmed that the YouTuber was wearing green face paint.
I’m gonna need someone to explain the black on her face… 👀 https://t.co/nkflIZfr04 pic.twitter.com/mGabbvzWRJ
— Paigey🥢 (@PaigeChristieUK) July 5, 2023
Colleen Ballinger tells the world she’s a racist with her full chest. Imagine doing a Beyoncé song in Blackface and the audience are laughing & being entertained. These White people know what they are doing.
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) July 5, 2023
Racists be racizisming. https://t.co/EFLwdSsFlZ
Miranda Sings / Colleen Ballinger did not do blackface, she was wearing GREEN face paint for a song from wicked that she performed earlier in the show. Please stop spreading these lies! pic.twitter.com/7i8H3nDssW
— Cypher (@Billcyp55860861) July 5, 2023
What did Colleen Ballinger's legal team say?
In the wake of the blackface allegations, Berk Brettler, a law firm representing Ballinger said that the actress wore green face paint during the performance and did not do blackface. They claimed that Ballinger had green paint on her face from her previous cover performance of Wicked's 'As Long As You're Mine' and explained that she wore green face paint to look like Elphaba the witch from the musical.
"She painted her face green like the witch" the firm told NBC News. "After that number, she went right into 'Single Ladies' (while still wearing the green makeup). At that time, she closed all her shows with that Beyonce number—it was one of her most popular bits," the law firm added. Berk Brettler also provided an extended version of the 2009 performance, which showed Ballinger performing with Wicked star Oliver Tompsett.
