Colleen Ballinger

Colleen Mae Ballinger, born on November 21, 1986, in Santa Barbara, California, developed an early interest in performance. Homeschooled during middle school, she later attended San Marcos High School and graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2008 with a degree in vocal performance. Her career began with performances at Disneyland and local theatre productions, including playing Kelsi Nielsen in “High School Musical” at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre in 2009. Ballinger transitioned her talents to the digital realm, becoming a prominent YouTuber. In 2008, she created and began portraying the character Miranda Sings, a comically talentless and egotistical singer, as a satire of aspiring internet performers. This character brought her widespread recognition, accumulating over 10 million subscribers on her Miranda Sings YouTube channel and surpassing 2.3 billion views.

Ballinger expanded her career beyond YouTube by performing Miranda Sings in live one-woman comedy acts across the US, UK, Australia, and Europe. Her live shows uniquely blended singing, comedy, and audience interaction, often featuring satirical “voice lessons” with various celebrities. This character’s popularity led to other major projects, including creating, writing, and starring in the Netflix Original Series “Haters Back Off” (2016–2017), where she further developed Miranda’s backstory. Ballinger also showcased her versatility with appearances in projects like “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (2014) and voiced characters in animated films like “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018) and “The Angry Birds Movie 2” (2019). Her stage career culminated in her Broadway debut as Dawn in “Waitress” from August to September 2019, where her presence significantly boosted box office performance.

Beyond her comedic character work, Ballinger maintains personal and vlog YouTube channels, which together have amassed over 5 billion total views. She actively leverages social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter to engage with her substantial fanbase. Ballinger has authored two best-selling books in Miranda’s voice, “Selp-Helf” (2015) and “My Diarrhe” (2018), both appearing on The New York Times Best Seller list. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades including a Teen Choice Award for “Web Star: Comedy” (2015) and a Streamy Award for Best Actress (2015), recognizing her influence and talent in digital and traditional entertainment.