It’s been pretty quiet in the YouTube controversy land for a couple of weeks now, but it’s back on and this time JoJo Siwa is in the firing line.
The 'Dance Moms' star is being called out with accusations she was part of the controversial group chats Colleen Ballinger had with young fans. Several of those fans have recently alleged Colleen shared inappropriate content in those chats and exhibited 'grooming' behaviours to the underage followers she had formed online relationships with.
The claims about JoJo's involvement come after she defended Colleen on a recent episode of Howie Mandel's podcast, insisting all the controversy surrounding her friend was entirely "based off lies".
ICYMI - Famed YouTuber Trisha Paytas posted a 20-minute YouTube video titled 'colleen', speaking out against her former friend's alleged inappropriate behaviour with underage fans. Trisha also accused Colleen of sharing sexually explicit images and hosting viewing parties of Trisha's explicit pictures and videos with underage fans in group chats.
To make matters worse, the only word we’ve heard from Colleen on her allegations is her seemingly unapologetic apology video, where she sang a song now titled ‘Toxic Gossip Train’ along to a ukelele. Yep, it’s as strange as it sounds.
Now, the internet is a wild place, and JoJo knows it. She defended her friendship with Colleen by saying: “The internet can take a lie and run so far with it, so far it's to the point where you just can't do anything about it."
She added: "There have been a lot of people on the internet who have gotten hit with this cancellation, and a lot of them I know. Some of them I don't know. 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."
"I think the problem is the internet was able to capitalise off of her cancelation, and they still are, and they still are continuing to, and it's not okay because a lot of it is based off of lies.”
But since JoJo spoke out, the internet has gone into yet another frenzy.
Many fans and some alleged victims of Colleen's behaviour have flooded X (formerly known as Twitter) with a wave of backlash about her defending the controversial YouTuber.
Alleged victim Becky (@noitsbecks) has thrown JoJo under the bus claiming she had "first-hand" involvement in the supposed group chats.
Comments started pouring in, with some people accusing JoJo of victim-shaming.
Even Adam Mcintyre, one of the most outspoken alleged victims told JoJo to "sit down".
However, others are concerned about JoJo, calling her a “victim” herself and pointing out how she has surrounded herself with many controversial figures from such a young age.
So, as a whole new can of worms has been cracked open on this scandal, I’m sure there will be many updates to come and we will make sure to keep you updated along the way.
