Colleen Ballinger

Colleen Mae Ballinger is an American YouTuber, comedian, actress, singer, and writer born on November 21, 1986. She first gained widespread international attention on digital platforms through her creation and portrayal of Miranda Sings, a satire character known for her overconfident persona, intentionally off-key singing, and signature red lipstick. Over more than fifteen years in entertainment, Ballinger has expanded her reach across multiple digital mediums, theatrical tours, television series, and podcasting projects.

About

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Ballinger attended Azusa Pacific University, where she earned a degree in vocal performance in 2008. During her university years and early career, she performed in local musical theater productions, voiceover assignments, and regional stage shows. Her interest in character work and parody led her to launch online video comedy routines, where she developed comedic sketches that poked fun at overly narcissistic performance artists attempting to launch careers on social media.

Career Highlights

Ballinger created the character Miranda Sings in 2008, initially sharing comedic clips on YouTube that quickly went viral. The character's popularity grew into live stage performances worldwide and television appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In 2016, Netflix released the scripted comedy series Haters Back Off, which Ballinger co-created, executive produced, and starred in for two seasons. In addition to her character work, Ballinger performed on Broadway as Dawn in the hit musical Waitress in 2019 and won awards including a Teen Choice Award and a Streamy Award for her online work.

Content and Online Presence

Beyond her character channel, Ballinger maintains popular personal channels including Colleen Vlogs and her self-titled main channel, where she shares lifestyle content, family vlogs, and artistic projects. She co-hosts the weekly podcast RELAX! with her husband, actor Erik Stocklin, and produces additional audio and video shows with family members. Ballinger has amassed billions of lifetime views across her YouTube channels and maintains millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok, and other major social media platforms.

Personal Life

Ballinger married actor Erik Stocklin in 2018 after meeting on the set of Haters Back Off. The couple has three children together: a son born in 2018 and twin children born in 2021. Ballinger resides in California and actively supports charitable fundraising initiatives, including annual holiday charity drives for children's health organizations and pediatric cancer research foundations.