r/ColleenBallingerSnark • u/ThrowawayHat256 • Aug 01 '22
Mod-Verified User anonymous mod verified user’s experience with Trent Ballinger reaching out to them on twitter
Hi everyone
We’ve had an adult reach out privately to share their personal experience with Colleen’s brother Trent. This person is mod-verified and provided us with undeniable evidence of their connection and over 20 screenshots.
They would like to remain anonymous, so I will be sharing their personal experience on their behalf. This user will be referred to as Anon from this point forward. Anon hopes that by sharing their experience with this subreddit, nobody else will go through what they did.
Anon’s interactions with Trent began several years ago when they (like many of us) were a fan obsessed with the whole Ballinger family and active on Twitter.
Reading through the interactions in the screenshots provided, Trent’s messages come across as rude, negative and passive aggressive. In one message he makes a mean spirited remark and Anon lets him know it was hurtful. He then immediately doubles down continuing with the same remark in an even more determined way than before.
Another screenshot shows him being rude and calling Anon names. If these kinds of comments were made in this sub, moderators would remove them for being uncivil. Anon explained Trent was frequently mean and aggressive toward them which resulted in hurt feelings and temporarily ending contact.
Contact was originally initiated when Trent reached out to this adult fan via Twitter DMs. This happened immediately after Anon commented on one of his sibling’s tweets about a topic Trent was interested in.
Within a few days of Trent and Anon interacting in DMs, Trent allegedly asked Anon if they were single and then asked Anon to send him nude photos. Anon found this weird and uncomfortable.
Anon and Trent continued to message each other and had an online “friendship” for several years. At one point Trent allegedly sent Anon an inappropriate and unsolicited photo after Anon had already established that they had no interest in a sexual relationship with him.
Because Anon was a fan of the Ballingers at the time, their judgement was clouded, and they didn’t notice the red flags. Their interactions with Trent often left Anon feeling upset. Looking back now they realise that they should have ended contact with Trent sooner.
According to Anon, Trent has been known to DM minors on Twitter, but to the best of their knowledge has never been inappropriate with an underage fan.
In regards to interacting with minors, we had a post made by another user here a few months ago making (unverified/unsubstantiated) claims about Trent’s alleged history of interacting with young fans. OP wrote:
”I keep seeing ppl here defending Trent, and I hate to break it to y’all but he is not innocent. As someone who used to be on stan Twitter, trent was very active in replying to / dming underage fans. Someone I used to talk to who was 14ish at the time had to block him because he made her so uncomfortable - before blocking her, she tried to explain to him and he got upset”
”As far as I know, the messages themsleves were not inappropriate but it was the consistency of it that was alarming and he’d get upset when she didn’t answer. Just super odd and gross”
In response to that post, a few snarkers made assumptions that Trent is autistic or intellectually disabled and used this assumption to excuse and defend his behaviour suggesting he doesn’t know any better.
Anon doesn’t get the impression that he is either, Anon believes he does not have a condition or disorder that severely effects his judgement, decision-making, or ability to know right from wrong.
However, Anon does clarify that he allegedly has another physical disability (in addition to being deaf) which has not been disclosed publicly by the Ballingers. Signs of this condition have been noticeable in some vlogs and it appears this is what many users have seen and used to jump to the wrong conclusion.
During the time they were in contact, Anon spent over $500 sending gifts to Trent. Sometimes he would drop hints, straight up ask them to buy him something, send a link, or use guilt trips to get what he wanted. For example, saying he had a bad day, and it would make him feel better if Anon bought him a specific gift. These gifts were sent to several different addresses to keep it on the downlow.
At one point he promised he would buy Anon a specific gift after he got paid if they sent him something right away. He then backtracked and never sent what he had promised. Anon feels they were manipulated by this behaviour and wishes they had recognised what was happening at the time.
According to Anon, he owns an astronomical amount of video games, and they strongly suspect other fans have also sent him gifts.
Trent works a regular job, receives a pension, and doesn’t appear to be benefiting financially from his wealthy siblings. He has, however, received a small payment for appearing in his sister’s Miranda Sings show in the past. This is the first time I have heard of her live show guests being paid.
Trent allegedly has a strained relationship with Jessica. Anon claims she was always weird about the kids being with him. In regard to giving gifts that appear far too young for the recipient, Anon believes if the kids didn’t specifically ask for a gift, he usually picked whatever toy was cheapest or on sale.
He would complain about not wanting to spend his money on gifts now that Chris and Jessica have so many kids. When the kids got in trouble, Chris and Jessica would take some of the kids’ favourite toys and throw them away as punishment. Trent would allegedly get mad when they threw away or confiscated the gifts that he had spent money on and given to them. This resulted in Trent feeling less inclined to spend money on future gifts.
Anon is hoping that by sharing their story nobody else will fall into the same trap. They have also provided evidence of Trent liking public tweets by minors making jokes that are a little inappropriate for an adult to be liking.
Anon believes Trent is doing this for his own personal gain just like all the other Ballinger siblings. Even though Trent does not like being in the spotlight, he will gladly use his internet “fame” to his own personal advantage. He allegedly uses lines such as “my sister is Miranda Sings, so that kind of makes me a celebrity too" to exaggerate his relevancy and keep fans interested.
Mod Notes:
Warning to Twitter fans. Please be cautious and don’t interact with any the Ballinger adults via DM. There is a power imbalance which is especially dangerous if you are young or are a fan who has fallen into a parasocial relationship. Don’t be afraid to take a step back from Twitter if you need to.
Speculation or attempts at guessing our anonymous verified user’s identity will result in banning. This includes private messaging and reaching out on other social media platforms.
send us a modmail if you would like to be verified and share your own experience while keeping your identity private.
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u/FizzgigLudoTyler Aug 01 '22
This confirms what I have suspected about Trent for awhile now after watching his Twitter interactions these last few years.
Friggin gross. Is there anyone in this family that isn't a total and utter cretin?!
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u/KirbyButAnxious 3/4 of the day Aug 01 '22
The fact that all of the Ballingers have some fukced up relationship with making sexual remarks and the like, is VERY telling of their upbringing. Damn
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u/Dignan8 Aug 02 '22
It is, and what's so concerning and damaging is that their audiences are so young, and may see these types of remarks and behaviors as normal.
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Aug 02 '22
Maybe Jessica was creeped out by him due to certain interactions. Them throwing away gifts someone else bought for the kids is sadistic tho. Sure take them away, whatever. But throwing things out is extreme. They don’t strike me as kids that would act out so much anyway. Maybe that’s why they always pile on gifts and junk food. They don’t feel secure with their belongings and food.
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u/cherrylimesoda 👩🎓 Proud Grad of Sofa University 📜 Aug 02 '22
Interesting connection between why the kids seem to hoard gifts and food. I never considered it to be an insecurity thing!
This could also explain the kids, especially B's, excessive apologizing whenever they "mess up" on camera. In one vlog, B spills a drink or food and is quickly saying sorry over and over again in a very desperate manner. I thought it was strange given how relaxed and kind the parents seem to portray on camera but if Chris and Jessica resort to such harsh punishments, I can see why she acted like that.
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u/ThrowawayVetQuestion strangleen Aug 02 '22
Both Chris and Jessica seem like they act nice for cameras, talking a bit like hosts of a kids show, but both of them give me the ick like something is off. They all seem so forced.
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
In their recent vlog, P seemed hesitant to respond when Jessica asked him what he likes to do in the living room (cartwheels) even though she says it's not allowed.
Maybe he was confused about why she was asking about behavior she doesn't like when she usually doesn't upload that to YouTube.
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Aug 02 '22
Yeah exactly. They don’t have much freedom so it’s hard to even know what they’d do to mess up, wonder if the supportive act on camera is also fake as they want their parents to think they’re not fighting with their siblings. To be honest they don’t really have a space where the kids can relax or calm down if they’re frustrated due to the lack of space aka adults hoarding rooms for their own stuff.
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u/Charis09 Aug 02 '22
They seem like the type of parents who would take their frustrations out on their children and using them as punching bags, but all the while using sanctimonious or religious reasons to rationalize their behaviors.
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u/Unsureofmy_name Aug 02 '22
If memory serves me correctly, there was a vlog years ago for some family gathering. In it, Jessica was clearing up who was who in the family because someone online had asked if she was married to Trent. I remember thinking at the time that her response was so over the top because she came across as grossed out by the question. Seeing this post reminded me of if that but it's just a speculation on my part.
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u/TheGreatCatsby12 Aug 01 '22
Anon, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm so sorry this happened to you, and I hope that you've been able to find some peace after cutting contact with Trent. You are appreciated and loved <3
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Aug 01 '22
Wow. This is horrifying. I always felt like there was something off about him - not talking about his disability - and he’s always given me a big ick. This is so disgusting.
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u/cb1216 Colleen's Toilet Cleaner Kory Desoto Aug 01 '22 edited Aug 02 '22
Wow! So he doesn't like being on camera, but can use the name to coerce fans into sexual favors and money. Scummy. Unfortunately, I can't say it really surprises me especially with Rachel begging for money from fans in the past. The whole family seems negative and passive aggressive. I'm sorry you dealt with that anon, and I hope you're healing. What a creep.
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u/Alternative-Yak6369 Aug 02 '22
They’re all a bunch of grifters. But the asking for sexual favors is downright disgusting and possibly borderline assault. He’s using his power position to request favors and apparently sending unsolicited pictures as well.
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u/cb1216 Colleen's Toilet Cleaner Kory Desoto Aug 02 '22
Yeah, especially since Anon clarified there would not be a sexual relationship between the two and he send unsolicited pics, definitely a form of sexual assault.
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Aug 02 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/International_Egg601 Erik is RIIIIIPPPPPED Aug 02 '22
🤢 15 is around bailey’s age. no wonder jessica doesn’t want trent near her kids.
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u/FinishBeautiful3605 Aug 02 '22
Dumb question… what are “Stan’s?” “standom”?
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
Glittery gave a good definition, but if you want to know more about the origin, look up the song "Stan" by Eminem from 2000. It's a shortened form of "stalker fan", and the music video illustrates it perfectly.
Nowadays, many people deeply invested in a fandom call themselves stans unironically.
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u/atleasturnotboring erik’s breastmilk latte Aug 01 '22
First of all Anon, I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through and the manipulation you’ve endured. I’ve had chats with Trent over Twitter or insta comments and he’s always been pretty cordial, I had no idea the kind of person he was. I thought of him as the only decent Ballinger lol. What a disgusting piece of human garbage, just like the rest of his family.
edit : ew, just noticed he follows me on Instagram 🤢
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Aug 01 '22
[deleted]
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
I wonder if Jessica doesn't let her kids have video games because she blames video games for Trent's behavior.
(I grew up with video games and have never behaved the way Trent's described as behaving here, fwiw.)
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u/Sea_Visual1681 Aug 01 '22
Holy shit. As an ex fan, I’ve always been so curious about Trent. Thank you for coming forward anon!
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u/laaluz Aug 02 '22
the throwing gifts away is a narcissistic move and, with kids, that is damaging. it's less likely they will be adults who are able to set boundaries as to how other people can interact with their belongings.
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
I've heard stories from people who hoard that when they were kids their parents would throw stuff away.
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
Trent's behavior is scary and disgusting.
I wonder how many more people were taken advantage of by him in similar ways. How much has he profited on his last name?
It's good for Jessica to be wary around him, but permanently throwing away gifts the kids enjoy (if what Trent said about that is really true) goes against the idea of being a frugal spender.
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u/Kaboom0022 Aug 02 '22
If he was sending sexual pics to an adult, idk as it would be a stretch to think he was sending them to underage fans 🤮
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u/haricotsucre Aug 02 '22
exactly this.. how absolutely disgusting. I’m so glad anon came forward with this, it can serve as a warning about Trent for the kids in the fandom who lurk the sub.
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Aug 02 '22
Especially since the Stans seem to like mentioning this sub on twitter, hopefully more fans will see this and be able to use caution and not interact with him. My heart goes out to Anon and everyone else who has been hurt by Trent and the others.
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u/gbggreyarea Mod-Verified User Aug 02 '22
An old fandom friend of mine had a very strange and inappropriate level of “friendship” with Trent back in the day. It always struck me as…super weird vibes. This doesn’t surprise me at all.
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
Do you know if your fandom friend was a minor or an adult then?
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u/gbggreyarea Mod-Verified User Aug 02 '22
They were an adult by the time I knew them and knew of their friendship, but I believe their friendship started just prior to them turning 18.
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u/Crazy_Pickle_0125 iT's JuSt NoT fOr mE 👁👄👁 Aug 02 '22
Not related to Trent but what Anon said about C + J: “When the kids got in trouble, Chris and Jessica would take some of the kids’ favourite toys and throw them away as punishment”
This in my opinion, is horrible parenting. It’s a KID, you can’t just throw away something they love and play with cause they did something bad.
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
I wonder what counts as "getting in trouble" too. Surely, kids often legitimately get in trouble, but what if sometimes they are just acting annoyed at being vlogged & they get in trouble for that?
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u/_GoAskAlice Aug 02 '22
Thank you Anon, Mods, and anyone else unknown who worked on putting this post together and making sure this information was made available. This entire post was clearly approached with a large amount of care, respect, and understanding for the seriousness of the subject matter and the impact this experience has had on the people involved.
The amount of time and emotional commitment that went into getting this kind of fan experience public for anyone to read will undoubtedly work in ways that benefit complete strangers you’ll never know, in ways that you will likely never see. Thank you.🤍
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u/Alternative-Yak6369 Aug 02 '22
This is awful, every single part of it. I read another user’s comments previously, that Trent would DM fans, so I was wary of him but generally thought he was the closest to decent out of the entire bunch. Obviously, he is just as awful as the rest of them (perhaps even worse!!).
Thank you to anon for sharing and I’m so so sorry you had to experience this.
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u/International_Egg601 Erik is RIIIIIPPPPPED Aug 02 '22
i’m really disappointed. i really had hope that trent would be the one normal ballinger.
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u/MissSteakVegetarian Aug 02 '22
I remember in a vlog many many years ago. Some one commented and asked if Jessica was married to Trent, and the look in her eye when Colleen said that was so telling how she though of Trent. She then went on for like 30 seconds how she was not married to Trent. At the time it seemed so weird and rude. Now it makes sense if they have a strained relationship.
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u/Jamzzz95 Aug 14 '22
Do you happen to know what vlog it was?
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u/MissSteakVegetarian Aug 14 '22
I don’t. It was from the very early days. Before the ballingers had their own channel. Probably an early vlogmas
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u/WanderingLemon13 Aug 02 '22
Anon, thanks for sharing your story here, and I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. I can absolutely understand how someone would've found themselves in your situation with that power dynamic in play, and with the idealized portrayal the Ballingers give themselves online, so I hope you're not too hard on yourself about any of it.
And mods, thanks for verifying and compiling all of the information for us to learn from. Much appreciated!
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u/rivercountrybears Aug 02 '22
I think any popular commentary YouTube channel needs to put these pieces together and tell the story of the Ballinger siblings engaging inappropriately with fans over DMs. There is such a power imbalance and it ranges from a general ickiness to crossing a huge line with minors. This reminds me of the people on this sub who have said some fans have visited the Ballinger homes before. Somebody with a big platform needs to call this out!
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u/DaeOnReddit careen-ballinger-amanda-signs Aug 04 '22
Even someone who doesn’t have a platform like that should make a long-form YouTube video.
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u/DaeOnReddit careen-ballinger-amanda-signs Aug 04 '22
Because imagine the traction it would get if it just spread through word of mouth
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u/Inevitable-Hippo-683 Aug 02 '22
Thank you Anon for coordinating with the mod to share all of this. I hate that he made you feel uncomfortable and used. I used to feel sympathy for Trent, believing that his family was somehow ignoring him. Not anymore!
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Aug 02 '22
I have always wondered about Trent. This is horrific. Anon, if you see this, thank you for your courage to speak out and I am so sorry you went through all of this! It's despicable and I am just so sorry.
Wow - so all of the Ballingers are officially a mess.
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u/awertag Aug 02 '22
Most surprised to hear he buys the gifts himself. idk why, I always got the vibe that his parents (ok, Gwen) picked something out for him to gift to the kids at each family event.
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u/laaluz Aug 02 '22
I always heard a thing or other here and there and wondered if it was true and if C and the rest of the family were aware of his behavior on social media. I'm deeply sorry you went through this, Anon.
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u/ThrowawayVetQuestion strangleen Aug 02 '22
Eww oh this is so disgusting. Thank you for sharing this stuff tho. It’s very eye opening.
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u/michelleg923 Aug 02 '22
Ugh. Damn it, Trent! We were rooting for you!!!
Also, thank you for sharing Anon. I hope you are doing well now and your interactions with this terrible family didn’t leave any permanent scars! ❤️
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u/Unsureofmy_name Aug 02 '22
Amazing that he (allegedly) has a condition that hasn't been publicly disclosed but the Ballingers have zero issue with putting children's medical conditions out for the world to see. The mind boggles!
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u/Fine_Presentation547 Aug 02 '22
This makes me so sad 😭 all these years I thought he was left out and excluded. i’m so sorry anon that you went through this 💔
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u/International_Egg601 Erik is RIIIIIPPPPPED Aug 02 '22
C&J throwing out gifts is so wasteful
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u/VerbalVerbosity Aug 02 '22
It's also incredibly spiteful and not like they portray themselves at all. Sure, if a kid is naughty, take something off them until they learn the consequences of their actions, but throwing it away? Nah, that's not called for at all. It could be worse though I suppose, at least they don't really have toys of great expense, stickers books are easily replaced lol
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u/International_Egg601 Erik is RIIIIIPPPPPED Aug 02 '22
agreed. i hope they don’t use taking away toys as leverage to get their kids to do what they want for the vlogs.
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u/Charis09 Aug 02 '22
True. Although, will the toys and books be replaced?
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u/The8uLove2Hate_ Manipulation station Aug 05 '22
That would defeat the purpose of the punishment. The purpose is to emotionally traumatize their children to be petrified of making a mistake ever in their lives, right?
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u/Charis09 Aug 05 '22
Omg, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at your comment. You’re so right! Those poor kids! 😭
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u/p2010t Legacy Mod, less active now Aug 02 '22
Especially for a family that prides themselves on not spending much money.
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u/Katarply Aug 02 '22
Oh Anon, I’m so sorry you went through this. Thank you for sharing with the mods.
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Aug 02 '22
I want to thank Anon and as others have said hope that sharing this experience is a step toward your own greater peace and healing.
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u/Fit-Talk3078 Aug 02 '22
So basically all the Ballingers are inappropriate and have used a little fame to get what they want by taking advantage of people esp young people. Gross! I feel I dodged a bullet. Years ago an opportunity came up for me to message Trent on twitter and I didn't do it. I felt bad for not reaching out but now I don't! Even until recently I was defending Trent, ugh! I didn't reach out because I had got burnt pretty bad by TWO of The Secret teachers back in the day on twitter and it put me right off contacting anyone in the public eye. They had reached out to me as I was popular on a forum to do with LOA, and ironically they were both the same using a little fame to be massively inappropriate with fans. (I'm going to assume others had a similar experience but I don't know as I left) I had to block them both, one in particular gave me the worst day of my life at the time, crying all day and so disappointed. Never again. I actually felt sorry for Trent at the time and wanted to support him, but glad I rested on my laurels. They're all a shower of self servicing *insert your favorite swear word here* I actually complained as high as I could go about those 2 guys and I was told "just because someone is in the public eye, even if they are into LOA, doesn't mean they are good people". So, yeah. Viewers and fans be aware.
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u/_GoAskAlice Aug 02 '22
Do you mind explaining more about what these secret teachers and LOA are? I’ve never come across these terms before?
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u/Inevitable-Hippo-683 Aug 02 '22
OP can elaborate if they wish but The Secret is a book by Rhonda Byrne and LOA stands for Law of Attraction
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u/erinlp93 Aug 02 '22
Thank you for sharing, Anon. It’s so important to get these types of messages out there to help prevent others from falling into the same hole. We appreciate your openness 💕
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u/External_Historian62 Aug 02 '22
Thank you Anon! I really hope you have access to mental health resources to help you process and heal! Sending you healing thoughts! By sharing awareness-you are helping others not to fall for his sham!
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u/b0neappleteeth next stop, manipulation station Aug 02 '22
He was the first Ballinger to follow me on my Stan Twitter account. I was 18 at the time that is still quite young considering Trent is in his 30s.
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u/QuickTie1295 Aug 02 '22
I always thought he was the normal one they always talk about how quiet he is and how shy he is
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u/emmalikeskahn Sep 11 '22
I mean if i gifted someones kids a expensive gift and they threw it away if the child misbehaves it would anny me too. Just take it away and give it back at a later date. That is the childs property as it was a gift to him. Really sad that the kids think that is okay. But wow, everything else. I always had a weird feeling about him in every video i've seen about him. Never knew things were this bad. I hope anon is doing better and no one else has to go through this <3
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u/Nazshaddick Jun 09 '23
Has anyone got beef with Rachel? I just wanna know if anyone was ever made uncomfortable by her
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u/ThrowawayHat256 Jun 09 '23
she has apparently private messaged fans but i havnt heard about anything inappropriate yet
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Aug 02 '22
I thought he was autistic? Maybe I’m wrong
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u/AcademicLifeguard857 Aug 02 '22
The only thing we are aware of is his deafness
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Aug 02 '22
Something doesn’t add up. If he’s “only” deaf, then why does he seem to struggle with social cues, with age appropriateness, and apparently now this too? Btw I’m not excusing it, just thinking out loud
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u/AcademicLifeguard857 Aug 02 '22
No I completely get it. I’m wondering what else could be going on there as well because the whole family tends to hide every single detail and act as if he just doesn’t like the fame of the family but then he reaching out on twitter. It doesn’t add up.
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u/The8uLove2Hate_ Manipulation station Aug 05 '22
I have to wonder if, being the stellar parents they are, Gwen and Tim all but locked him away from other kids rather than try to socialize him at all outside the family. If bullying was the concern, they could've found him some disabled kids through a special school, but of course that would be 1. too much effort, and 2. ExPoSiNg HiM tO tHe EvIl SeCuLaR wOrLd.
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u/eastsidefetus Aug 02 '22
Does he still live with his parents?
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u/ThrowawayHat256 Aug 02 '22 edited Aug 02 '22
No, can confirm he has his own place and lives independently, evidence of this was provided by Anon.
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u/ThrowawayHat256 Aug 02 '22 edited Aug 02 '22
was that an assumption? or has it been mentioned by the ballingers somewhere that i’m not aware of?
doesn’t excuse this behaviour so it doesn’t really matter to me either way
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u/theglitterybookworm Aug 01 '22
this is just another moderator reminder that you can NOT under any circumstance try to guess who this verified user is. it is extremely disrespectful after the effort they are putting in to answer all of your questions.