Raven-Symoné and her wife, Miranda Maday, interviewed disgraced YouTuber Colleen Ballinger for an episode of Tea Time with Raven & Miranda. Fans of the actress and her podcast are not happy about it.
The episode dropped without much context, yet many viewers instantly reacted. Although Raven framed the taping as an opportunity for "reflection and learning," longtime critics felt uneasy about seeing Ballinger return to a major platform.
At the beginning of the episode, the hosts noted that they expected strong reactions. Nevertheless, they moved ahead with the conversation, describing it as an attempt to "understand the human side" of Ballinger’s story.
Colleen Ballinger’s past allegations
Colleen Ballinger, who rose to fame through her "Miranda Sings" persona, faced a series of allegations in 2023. At the time, former fan Adam McIntyre said she sent him her underwear when he was 13 and allegedly asked inappropriate personal questions in a group chat called "Colleeny’s Weenies."
Colleen admitted to sending the underwear, calling the act "completely stupid." She did not, however, directly address the questions Adam described.
Another former fan, Brey, told HuffPost that she also participated in the same group chat. According to the "weenies," Colleen would trauma dump in their private chat about her 2016 divorce from Joshua Evans, which left Brey feeling "like a bodyguard."
Colleen has also been accused by a former Haters Back Off writer’s assistant of making inappropriate storyline pitches and allegedly racist remarks about background actors on the show. Colleen did not respond directly to these claims.
Soon after these claims circulated, Colleen released a video responding to criticism while playing a ukulele, which was widely condemned.
Fans respond to the interview
Given this long-standing history, many fans were upset that Raven chose to interview her.
For instance, @ryan_marthaller wrote, "Tea Time with Raven and Miranda platforming Colleen Ballinger?! Shame on Raven and her wife… I’m so sorry to all of the victims that have to endure this again."
Other users expressed similar frustration. One person tweeted, "Colleen Ballinger on raven lame arse podcast."
Another viewer added, "Thought Ned Fulmer would win most performative/tone deaf podcast of the year… then Raven-Symoné had Colleen Ballinger on to talk about how sad she is that she got cancelled for being a predator."
Several users questioned why Colleen appeared on the show at all. @SioraiDragon asked, "Also, why does Raven-Symoné have Colleen Ballenger coming on her podcast? Like girl, that’s not a cancelled person, that’s a child predator."
Others criticized Raven for handling the interview too softly. @_norfnorf wrote, "Why does Raven-Symoné have a podcast in the year of our lord 2025 where she’s kikiing with Colleen Ukulele Ballinger and lobbing softball questions?"
As reactions continued, some commenters criticized the tone of the interview itself. @mantisology said, "genuinely [expletive] raven symoné and her wife for platforming a literal predator. Asking Colleen Ballinger if she’ll ever 'forgive herself' when her victims didn’t forgive because she didn’t [expletive] apologize to them."
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, harassment, or violence or want more resources on sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center by going to nsvrc.org.
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