JOJO Siwa has finally spoken out about grooming allegations against YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, who befriended the child star when she was 12 years old.
Siwa, 20, appeared on Howie Mandel's podcast, Howie Does Stuff, where she was asked if she was still friends with Ballinger, 36, who was accused of grooming by former fan Adam McIntyre earlier this year.
McIntyre accused Ballinger, who gained popularity on YouTube with her beloved character Miranda Sings, of using him for content when he was a minor.
This echoed claims McIntyre made in 2020 that Ballinger used him for free labor and video ideas while also messaging several other underaged fans in a group chat.
While speaking with Mandel, Siwa explained that she has been friends with Ballinger since she was 12 years old.
"She has always been nothing but kind to me. Her family nothing but kind to me," she told Mandel.
COLLEEN BALLINGER ALLEGATIONS
Siwa said that it was the first time that she spoke publicly about the allegations against Ballinger and wanted to choose her words wisely.
"The internet can take a lie and run so far with it, so far, that it's to the point where you just can't do anything about it," she said.
"I've had that happen to me and I know Colleen very, very, very very well and I think that the work Colleen has done for the internet is incredible. I think her creativity is incredible."
Siwa also defended Ballinger's character, Miranda Sings, who has come under fire for making several comments that fans later deemed inappropriate.
Most read in The US Sun
Ballinger - as Miranda - has collaborated with Siwa for several videos, which resurfaced after the grooming allegations.
"Miranda Sings is a character, is a comedian. And I think that it's very hard to be a character where people are also looking at you as you're a real human behind that character," said Siwa.
"And I think being a comedian is very hard because you were able to do things years ago that were OK. And now that we've grown and we've matured, we've realized that they're not OK."
Madel then asked Siwa why she chose to continue her friendship with Ballinger after learning about the allegations, which Siwa called "a sensitive subject."
"There have been a lot of people on the internet who have gotten hit with this cancelation, and a lot of them I know. Some of them I don't know," she said.
"And I look at it, and I see that this is a sensitive subject. Somebody who is affected by any sort of anything having to do with adults. And I mean, for real grooming, it's a very sensitive thing."
She added that she looked up to Ballinger, who became someone she "idolized."
"Throughout our friendship, we've probably filmed 100 videos together, and she's cool. You know?" Siwa said.
"I think the problem is the internet was able to capitalize off of her cancelation, and they still are, and they still are continuing to, and it's not OK because a lot of it is based off of lies."
'VICTIM' SPEAKS OUT
McIntyre, who has been one of the main accusers to call out Ballinger for her alleged actions, responded to Siwa's comments in a video titled, jojo siwa defends colleen and calls me a liar.
"Me and JoJo both became 'friends' with Colleen at the same age," McIntyre, 20, said after realizing that he and Siwa were only a few months apart in age.
"Colleen befriended JoJo when JoJo was 12. Colleen befriended me when I was 13/14 and we're both now 20. So, I feel that I can speak directly to JoJo."
McIntyre called Siwa "irresponsible" for defending Ballinger while having a young audience.
He reacted to the clip of Siwa on Mandel's podcast and made comments along the way, zeroing in on Siwa calling the allegations against Ballinger a lie.
"'Sometimes a lie gets so big that you can't do anything about it' but [Ballinger] did do something about it, she made the ukelele video," said McIntyre, referring to Ballinger's bizarre video titled hi, where she responded to the claims against her while strumming a ukelele.
"In which she said she was in group chats with minors and she was the 'creepy aunt' and she overshared," he said.
McIntyre continued: "So, what is the lie that is being spun and is now so big that it cannot be addressed? Because it was addressed by her, by the way, in the ukelele video.
Read More on The US Sun
"She acknowledged all of it, JoJo."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Siwa, Ballinger, and McIntyre for comment.
