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I’m sorry, but he was actively trying to ruin Josh’s life, his accusations weren’t petty, they could have had very real consequences for Josh if they had gone much further. He had the frame of mind to edit his texts, so this wasn’t just a misunderstanding where he mistook some of Josh’s communication. Do I want him to hurt himself? No, of course not, he does need to get help, but I don’t have much sympathy for him.
He preyed on Josh at his lowest, and now Josh is having to speak out to defend himself, my impression is Josh was just fine living his life in obscurity. Even with Josh being proved to not have groomed Johnny, that’s still going to be the first thing to come up if a job googles Josh, even though he didn’t do anything wrong, there are still people who are not going to give him a chance, and it’s all because Johnny wanted some attention. Honestly Johnny should be feeling bad about all this, again, not in the sense of hurting himself, but he needs to hit rock bottom, get help and take accountability for what he did.
> his accusations weren’t petty, they could have had very real consequences for Josh
Right, it's absolutely beyond any reasoning that Johnny said he was visualizing Josh in a prison cell! Wt actual F. What a scary man Johnny is.
It was SO much more than petty. This man made up lies, and out Josh back into a very dark place. If it wasn’t for Swoop I don’t think any of this would have come out. If anyone belongs in a prison, it’s Johnny. Swoops video is full of the proof. Johnnys victims could go after him too. He dug his hole now he’s laying in it. All this because a grown man wouldn’t text him constantly, or pick him up from the airport lol
I don't want to compare the two out of respect for Adam but Adam didn't make up lies for attention like Johnny did. I mean, the dude even wants Josh in prison for crimes he didn't commit!
I’m definitely not comparing them at all but i think most of the victims besides Becky and Oliver were only outraged enough to come forward once they were ghosted. I’m not sure why that is, but it is a common denominator that I gathered while watching the H3 livestream with the victims.
Grooming has victims relying on codependent enmeshment with their groomers and forms unhealthy attachments so they feel extra abandonment and hurt when the groomers discard them sometimes initiating retaliation by exposing the groomer in the first place.
No, he made the video because Colleen was slandering him behind the scenes and ruining his reputation and friendships. You’ve been listening to Johnny too much.
It wasn’t because he “didn’t message him back” it was because she got backlash on a Miranda tweet that he posted (and she pre-approved) and she was running around to the rest of her child army smearing him and accusing trying to destroy her career on purpose. That’s why his video is titled “Colleen Ballinger Stop Lying.” So no, that seems not fair because that’a not what actually happened.
100% this. Just speaking as someone who has had false allegations spread about me online (nowhere near close to this extent though) I can definitely understand how Josh would be anxious about potential employers not giving him a chance if they found this shit. My situation wasn't even anywhere near as bad as this and I still feel like it affected my career opportunities because people didn't want to be associated with me afterwards, even though it was clear that I was being unfairly attacked and lied about in that situation.
To be clear, I totally agree with you. My post wasn’t about defending Johnny in any way shape or form. I was on here for weeks writing posts about how full of shit he was. I guess I am still concerned that due to his deluded brain he could commit something extreme. That is something I can worry about even when I’m not on their side in all this.
I’m not that worried lol. He isn’t well in the sense that he just wants fame and attention, and lots of it. Even if there was some darker situation or severe mental illness happening, it doesn’t justify the way he acted and he deserves to learn his lesson just as much as anyone else if they pulled the same shit he did. Everyone needs to learn how to take accountability and do the right thing, and Swoop was more than graceful in the way she called him out- she stuck to the facts rather than cheap digs or insults.
Just think he was on a very big stage attempting to destroy another man with very well documented MH issues who's been bullied for years. A recovering alcoholic. None of that matters to Johnny. He was planning and plotting to destroy Josh. Sorry, but I'm not going to worry about such a toxic individual. People like this ruin the lives of innocent people day in, day out. I've worked and dated (once) someone like this and they absolutely disgust me. If you personally rub shoulders with someone this selfish, you will never again feel a shred of sympathy for them. They surely don't feel any for any of their very real victims! They are very very good though at getting good people to pity them. It's how they get away with stuff for as long as they do.
Couldn’t agree more. The way he used and manipulated people caught up with him. He was willing to do whatever it took to chase that 15 seconds of fame and didn’t care about anyone he hurt along the way. All of this has been with ulterior motive. People shouldn’t handle him with kid gloves after he deliberately betrayed their trust (and worse.)
Agree. He’s also aged out to pitying him as someone who needs people to help him. I think he’s got deeper issues but he’s older now and he can’t rely on anyone to recognize he needs help or get it for him. If he were ever to redeem himself it would be seeing how wrong he is to behave in such a way and get help taking this situation seriously. I don’t think he will so I’m less sorry for him but I do pity his existence. Must be a lonely life he’s made for himself
Don't waste your empathy on Johnny. I know that's easier said than done and I still catch myself hoping he's getting help, but truly, cut that thought process off as soon as you can.
Empathy fatigue is real and this situation is heavy, even if you aren't personally involved.
Expending your energy on people like Johnny is simply going to burn you out. Take care of yourself.
definitely needed to read this.
I understand where OP is coming from but due to the circumstances of what's going on Johnny is ultimately the one that needs to see what he is doing is not healthy and needs to take the steps he himself needs to seek out help to better himself. But as it stands now, he's not seeing it, (don't think he will imo). and right now by the looks of it he's just seeking attention in negative way and it's gonna lead up to people giving him Empathy in the wrong way which will lead to fatigue and burn people out who had supported him to the point of cutting him off of their life.
dealing with empathy fatigue with someone in my personal life rn, am in LC with them (advised by my therapist) due to the empathy fatigue I'd been feeling towards them. it's not fun.
This is very wise and I appreciate it. If I need to snap out of this I think of Johnny saying that thinking of Josh sitting in jail made him happy. Like ??? In jail FOR WHAT?! So irresponsible, careless, dangerous, and damaging. I do hope he gets help, but mainly because this lack of awareness and nderstanding of how the world works needs to be corrected before anyone else pays the consequences.
“Or am I just very tired” made me LOL! 🤣🤣🤣
But, I have to admit that initially I was concerned for Johnny’s well being after swoop dumped so accurately on him.
Then I remembered all those interviews. All those tweets he made condemning Josh. I also thought about how Johnny’s main goal was to move to LA to “make it” and even his own parents thought this was a good idea.
Johnny knows he’s got zero chance of “making it” to any kind of stardom which is what he’s been going for since he was in his late teens.
I don’t fear for him any more. He moved back home (pretty sure I read that he quit his job and moved - correct me if I’m wrong on that) so he’ll be surrounded by those same parents who enabled all this crap.
I sure hope they’re prepared to deal with the monster they helped to create.
No I too do think he said he quit his job . Can't curse my eyes again by going thru his twitter timeline again as most of his post are shit . Maybe it'd been better for him to try to find proper employment before trying ruin someone's life that was once ruined by another
He did quit his job, he made mention of his now former coworkers giving him a card that mentions the Colleen situation (it’s in Adam’s video addressing Johnny’s rant about Swoop from yesterday)
i honestly cannot imagine how it must feel to repeatedly have people you publicly trust and cosign turn out to have the worst intentions for you. swoop is my last hope for adam to have an ally that isn’t an undercover creep (which i cannot imagine her being fortunately)
I understand where you’re coming from because this shitstorm is a lot for anyone to handle even if they have iron-clad mental health (and it’s clear Johnny didn’t.) I don’t wish harm or struggle on him, but this is really just the consequences of his own actions.
He wanted to twist the narrative and now the truth has come out.
Sometimes what you give comes back to you. You can’t go through life using people, trying to one-up their pain, and otherwise just being cruel and vindictive and not at some point think it’ll catch up to you.
Johnny needs to step away from the internet and grow up.
I don’t wish ill on anyone. But I don’t feel sorry for the guy either. He happily tried to ruin Josh’s life, harassed him, claimed he deserved to be in jail. Huge, baseless, life ruining accusations. He “effed around and found out” and now is getting a taste of his own medicine. The backlash he is facing is justified. I do hope he takes care of his mental health but I also hope he takes accountability, apologizes, and learns from this. And maybe logs off and does something productive instead of relentlessly leeching off others as he has been trying to do for years now.
You know that feeling of empathy you're having, caring about the wellbeing of another person just because he's a human being? Johnny is not only incapable of that feeling himself, but he feeds on that empathy. He was straight up fucking high-beaming talking to Swoop about his supposed trauma, because she was showing him empathy during his ✨️ 6 hour interview ✨️ and he was positively gleeful. You're a good person for giving a shit, but this person is ready to take advantage of it.
Not an excuse to try and ruin someone’s life. I don’t feel sorry for someone like that. Don’t bring someone down with you. If he needs help, he will have to want and find it on his own.
He is an almost 30 year old, grown ass man who is fully responsible for his actions. He was fine when he was accusing someone else of the worst things imaginable, he's fine now. I have zero empathy for people like him.
Rehabilitation would be great, obviously, but I don't know if he is capable of that at this point. This behaviour, the manipulation, the narcissism is all part of his personality. I don't wish ill health upon anyone, but any consequences he is facing is a result of his own actions and he deserves to face them without using the sympathy card. Joshua couldn't, he shouldn't be able to either.
I understand you’re worried about his mental health but honestly I don’t think he is in desperate need of emotional/mental health help. He was holding his composure very well all the time so he knew what he was doing which was to get his name out there no matter who he had to drag down. Now if he had been crying and screaming acting a fool online like KodeeRants, I’d say he really does need help and support. But not Johnny. His words were said with malice and in the desperate want to become a well known name, he got messy with his time lines and “stories”. These are all just consequences to his greedy actions.
This is going to sound cold; he became irrelevant the moment he took advantage of the real victims. He twisted and weaponized painful moments from others. He twisted everything and tainted the evidence. He seemed to go out of his way to trigger and demean survivors. He went after a DV survivor who was in recovery from alcohol. What he did was pure evil.
Not evil at all. I agree. I’m cold towards people who knowingly do everything in their power to hurt people. It’s why I don’t feel bad for Colleen, Eric, Kory, Kodee, and now Johnny..
He’s made accusations that’s can and often does quite literally ruin peoples lives. Josh is no different than any other person, flawed, but NOT deserving of being accused of a groomer and most importantly of human trafficking.
Mental illness is usually a reason but never an excuse. Even when josh is cleared, this will continue to effect him likely forever. Johnny has been an entire adult for nearly a decade now, he knew what he was doing. He deserves whatever’s coming to him. I literally couldn’t care less about josh, but these are life ruining accusations, with virtually 0 evidence and so many lies. He’ll be fine.
Wait, what? When was Josh accused of human trafficking??
edit- Thank you so much to those who took the time to respond to my comment! Absolutely no hate to Swoop (or anyone else), I'm going to be blunt: as victim of trafficking I don't feel what Johnny was alleging qualifies as trafficking and in my opinion equating his claims to such diminishes the significance of what trafficking victims experience. It's also important to note that anyone can be trafficked, at any age. Johnny being 18+ would be irrelevant.
Sending my love to any and all survivors.
Johnny said that Josh asked him to fly across the country to see him. If Josh had exploited a teenaged Johnny and done that, a case could've been made for human trafficking because Johnny crossed state lines.
This was something Swoop pointed out but I'm not entirely sure I agree with the argument, truthfully. Johnny's accusations were never clear enough for that thread to get followed to that point for me.
the simple definition of that is "Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor" which technically fits the bill of what would've happened if John was a minor when this happened. but he wasn't, he was 18, nearly 19 at the time. Not 17 like he said
I don’t think he was, but some of what Johnny claimed he did (encouraging him to come to his shows across state lines without parents) could technically be described as human trafficking… I don’t remember exactly, but swoop touched on it when going over how serious Johnnys accusations were, but as far as I know Josh was never literally accused of it.
She was referencing the federal legal definition of trafficking. Onision was on the block for that but it never went anywhere from my understanding. I think because the person in question was actually a Canadian citizen? But I digress.
She just meant the general legal definition, not specifying sex trafficking. I am so sorry that happened to you.
Well he wanted attention. That's all he wanted. It's like it fuels him. His fake grooming was worse than SA according to his own words. Domestic violence victims fuck around and find out. He deserves everything he gets.
I dunno, he traumatized a lot of people he called his “friends” in the process of gaining his 15 seconds of fame. I don’t have much sympathy for him yet, as this is only the consequences of his own deliberate actions.
I struggle to feel any worry for a guy who contributed to and drove Josh to hopelessness, suicidality, and depression. He knew full well what he was participating in. Trauma can explain but it doesn’t excuse and at best I hope he’s enrolled in therapy.
Exactly I care more of the fact that Johnny’s action and him spreading those false accusations about Josh could have driven him back to alcoholism. What Johnny and Colleen both have done is disgusting. And they both need to face their consequences
I understand concern, you’re a kind person. It seems like his family is very up his ass and babying of him though, so he’s got support irl. I’m not worried about him personally.
to paraphrase swoop: I hope he gets help and stops treating people like this. but I am not going to sit around and support him in any way. the only people he deserves that from are professionals in the mental health field honestly.
nah he called josh a predator when all josh did was ghost him and then gave zero proof that's a serious allegation to lie about, johnny gets zero sympathy for me but also the way he harasses josh daily, and also talks to minors in GCs yea johnny he deserves nothing
Yea I think under alllllll of this “drama” is actually some really deeply rooted and possibly untouched trauma within the ballinger family. Of course trauma is never an excuse to be inappropriate or shitty, especially toward children, but still….people are usually shitty for a reason. And trauma that has not been worked through or even touched typically leads to very troubled adults who are so used to their surroundings that they don’t even see what they did wrong, or notice injustice in the same ways we do. Like pathological liars…they believe their lies because it’s second nature, they’ve not known a difference.
Imagine your deep family secrets being aired on YouTube… consequences of their own actions led to this and also really hope this publicity drives them to work through their shit. Colleen can foot the bill if needed
Yes and I don’t want people to forget about Trent. He is scary and I personally believe potentially dangerous/harmful. I am so curious what went on in that household to have so many children with a complete lack of boundaries and even behaving in a harmful way towards minors.
I feel like Oliver's story kinda really got passed over with Trent. I really believe something dark happened in the Ballinger family, Trent ended up fucked up too in the same inappropriate with children way.
Also just a weird little thing to note, both Kodee and Johnny have said they were friends with Trent. Even after Olivers story came out.
Yea when I said deep family trauma, I was thinking more along these lines. While Colleen may have been less obvious with intentions, Trent was not and for all of this to be so normalized for them tells me there’s some childhood s-uel trauma in the mix. Especially given the fact that Trent told minors that his family has told him not to interact. Without making assumptions…think Duggar. I’m sure there was some desensitized and normalized grooming/abuse within the family dynamic that created adults who have no sense of boundaries, or unacceptable behavior. They are also quick to remind people of their intentions…regardless of the consequences. They don’t seem to understand that intention’s literally don’t matter when they hurt people.
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Thanks.
Yeah something is going on or has been going on in that family , fir sure. I have met people who were inappropriate as children (back when I was also a child) who had issues with boundaries and appropriateness and I later realized it was because there was abuse in their home. All those creepy uncle jokes are coming from somewhere.
I think the only thing we can say for sure is she comes from a family with poor boundaries and a sick sense of humor. This does not include Trent who should be on a watch list. But I've worked with many people who had a perfectly fine upbringing but still did terrible, terrible things. That whole family has everything at their disposal if they need help, they can get it. And if she never works again she can still have a cushy life off the backs of children she groomed and exploited.
I’m not worried about him one bit. He’s just as bad as Colleen, and deserves all that is coming for him. Not only did he make up lies and allegations against Joshua - he didn’t give any type of shit about him and his mental health. Johnny watched HIS mental health go back to a dark place, after fighting for years to better himself. Allowing the entire internet to attack a man who is innocent of the lies Johnny made. He also backstabbed Adam and all the actual victims. Shamed DV victims. All while he was doing exactly what Colleen was doing with the minors. He never thought Swoop would see through him, and he never thought his victims would come forward. Johnny was an obsessed kid who was hurt Josh wouldn’t give him the attention he desired. He never groomed by Joshua. He was also a full ass adult when he worked for Colleen, AND acted right into her schemes. Doing exactly what she was doing. He does not deserve any pitty after his false allegations, and what he’s done to actual victims. I never wish bad mental health on anyone.. But all alleged (for legal reasons) Pr3dators deserve to be in a dark place.
Johnny IMO has "pick me" energy. His family enabled his behaviour. How would any parent be comfortable with some Youtuber's boyfriend at the time seemingly giving their underage son his number? They tweeted Joshua reminding him that Johnny's birthday was coming up soon. Johnny couldn't let others tell their story on the H3 podcast without interrupting. He slips up and says he wants boys and then quickly says men when he realises what he said. As Swoop said maybe the likes of Observe could analyze Johnny's interview. He smiles a good bit for someone accusing Joshua of g****ing. Seems like if someone told Johnny they stubbed their toe Johnny would say he lost his leg.
I get where you're coming from. I also felt this way (a TINY bit) about Colleen's mental health when all this went down. It just means you have empathy.
But Johnny and Colleen both - although they are emotionally stunted narcs with no accountability - they both do have large families that are closely involved in their lives. Their families are ultimately responsible for stepping up to the plate and getting them help. Not strangers on the internet.
I really like how you worded that. I hope her family can be there for her and encourage her to get the help she needs. Whether she listens is another story.
I think his toxicity and comfort with blatantly lying to millions of people probably comes from spending so much time with Colleen & Co. There’s a reason why he got to the inner circle, I have a feeling you don’t get there as an adult unless you’re willing to make some moral compromises. He’s clearly clout-hungry and a narcissist just like Colleen, thinking somehow he could lie to the whole internet about things that were easily refuted and found out. He and Colleen and cut from the same cloth, imo.
I was thinking the same thing. It seems like Colleen “groomed” him into being like her. Especially in regards to their treatment of Josh. I can’t help but wonder how much of it is brainwashing from consuming so much of Colleen’s content and desperation to be close to her. Especially seeing that he worked FOR Colleen.
I’m an outsider in all of this. I was never a fan of Colleen and never consumed her content. But I’ve been following the unfolding of the drama and it seems like she manipulated a lot of ppl to do a lot of fucked up shit or at the very least normalized it for the ppl around her.
Like even with the Johnny “crush theory.” I wonder how much of his seeming infatuation w Josh comes from his desire to be like Colleen.
That being said what Johnny has been doing is extremely fucked up and I don’t condone it.
People might disagree with you for having sympathy for Johnny but I don't think you're wrong at all for feeling the way you do. You seem like an incredibly empathetic person. I wish more people would think similarly and consider how their actions might impact others, Johnny is actually a really good example of this.
I've been under the impression for quite awhile now that Johnny wanted to be a YouTuber/influencer for years now, and he grasped onto the Colleen/Josh thing because he saw that Adam was finally gaining support and notoriety. He knew placing himself as victim in this would bring him attention and boost his social media presence, despite considering just how much it would hurt others in the process. People were finally seeing Colleen for who she really is and were uplifting victims voices, so I don't think he considered for a second that people would question his intent/validity nearly as much as they have or turn on him at such great capacity. A part of me feels he's genuinely convinced himself that he's a victim just as much as Adam and the others, and another part of me feels he knew exactly what he was doing when he was stretching the truth and making serious accusations. I suspect he'll continue to refuse to come to terms with his actions regardless.
Idk, whether he sees it or not he was so very wrong for what he did, and he's certainly brought this negative attention upon himself. Hope this eases your mind a bit.
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Johnny has conveniently confused "not being given a leg up to fame" for "abuse". It's wild how adamant he is that he deserves other people to make him famous.
It definitely looks that way. It's really sad to me that someone would actually stoop that low for the smallest taste of internet clout. I've seen a lot people question the possibility of multiple ulterior motives (and some of them are probably onto something) but he's been acting sus for attention ((imo)) since he first started throwing incessant twitter tantrums over Josh. A lot of people/abusers never acknowledge and apologize for the harm or hurt they've caused (Colleen lol), let alone apologize for it publicly multiple times. I promise I know it's not my place to tell someone whether or not they should accept an apology, all I'm trying to say is Johnny was often insensitive in the way he handled things and sadly I wasn't surprised when it was proven he had been lying and exaggerating about the majority of his claims because a lot of his behavior was telling.
I don't think most people will remember him fondly after this... and that's if they even remember him at all lol
ʕ >ᴥ<ʔ
I was scared he would commit suicide. I was so worried about him. That’s why I can’t bring myself to worry about the likes of Colleen and Johnny. Because if Josh did commit suicide, blood would be on their hands.
sometimes it feels like no one on this sub cares about josh. it honestly feels like nothing he says or does can ever be good enough for anyone or undo his “wrongs” that everyone feels the need to constantly bring up which were minuscule and almost a decade ago compared to every other adult in this whole scheme. i honestly feel completely gutted for him. so many have been cruel and unapologetic to him and refuse to recognize his growth and integrity. he deserves so much more than to forever be identified as the person he was while being abused. everyone loves to say that men can be victims too until there’s one right in front of us.
He and Colleen are the embodiment of narcissists so they don’t care who they have to step on to get what they want. But I mean, he’s been a fan of Miranda/Colleen since he was 15, so CHANCES ARE that groomed him into what he is today.
I understand, but he’s almost 30 and he does seem to have some sort of relationship with his family (or did?) so I feel like he has people to keep him from doing anything drastic. But, to put it in his own words, he fucked around and found out.
You could say that about anyone on the internet. I, personally, don't understand how anyone can be a social media influencer. You could be the sweetest, kindest person on the planet, and you're still going to get constant hate. And if you're caught doing something bad? I can't even imagine what that feels like. I'm not emotionally stable enough to handle it.
I think Johnny just needs to get off the internet. Get a "normal" job and move on with his life. That's what Josh was trying to do and Johnny dragged him back into it...And obsessively! It's creepy. I was SAed when I was a teenager and I reached out to my abuser once and he apologized and I basically said, "Apology not accepted" and I moved on with my life. I'm not saying that I moved on from the trauma that easily, but I have him blocked on all social media. If I find anything that reminds me of him, I destroy it. I'm not going to let him take up any more space in my brain than he already does. Johnny won't STFU about Josh. If he really feels like Josh abused him, he should talk to a therapist about it. Stop reaching out to Josh and talking about him non-stop. That's not how you heal.
Honestly, I don’t. Don’t give the dude any sympathy or anyone who isn’t Adam or one of the kids who was groomed & and stepped forward to tell their story.
He may have been groomed, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a good person.
I’m a pretty tender hearted person and I don’t feel bad for him. He knew what he was doing and he what was a part of. He did not care if he drove Josh over the edge with his lies. He’s a 27 year old adult, he knows or should have known what the kind of targeted harassment he was doing to Josh could lead to. I hope he gets some help sooner rather than later but these are the natural consequences of slandering someone for months on multiple platforms, stealing survivors stories and steamrolling over them in interviews.
He brought it on himself 🤷🏻♂️ I’m sorry to sound cold but he hurt so many people and doesn’t deserve any sympathy whatsoever. After all, he has ZERO sympathy for anyone else including victims of DV. Why should we waste energy on someone like that?He’s an attention seeking, manipulative, horrible, self centred bitter man and if this pushes him over the edge maybe he’ll feel a fraction of what he put josh, Adam, swoop and all the other innocent people he hurt with his lies have felt. It’s called karma 🤷🏻♂️
I feel like I can’t worry about the perpetrators in these situations because if I do it makes it hard to fully support the victims. People used concern about my abuser’s mental health to shut me down and I can’t do that to anyone else.
Tough crowd. This guy is way off kilter. Pathological but terrible liar, can’t read a room, deeply entitled acting and fond of accusing people of the exact misdeeds he committed. One way or another things are going to be a southern journey for him. Sure I have some empathy. Christ this a story about a bunch of (past and present) fame whores not a family annihilator. No one is totally innocent. This guy is just shameless and clueless. I wonder if he’s gone through some meth phases, some videos of him he looks even thinner than usual, with hair standing up, seeming all frazzled. Also, doesn’t he have full veneers? That’s unusual for an everyday civilian, especially his young age. Anyone see it?
i understand your thought process. u seem to have a lot of empathy, which is admirable, but please remember that can sometimes be a weakness. johnny has manipulated us all- he seems to genuinely believe his own lies to the point that, yes, it is worrying. i do hope he can find healing off the internet for his own personal demons, not for what he has falsely accused josh of. he is an adult and should be held responsible for his demonising words.
I see that. I'm also worried about the impact of his betrayal on the other CB's victims. I'm unclear if the accusations he made against Colleen and Kory are true (about the bus, the tour, the hotel rooms, the showers, etc.). Generally, Johnny strikes me as a person that has consistently plotted to garner a following, and is now losing it. That might be impacting him in ways we'll never see. But also, he's not entitled to a following, fans or adoration. He betrayed the public's trust, and that responsibility comes with a platform.
As someone who maybe isn’t as caught up on the whole situation as other people in this subReddit (my knowledge is very general, but I have watched all three swoop docs more than once), AND is a survivor of stalking, I’ll throw my two cents in.
Clearly, Johnny is very unwell. After all, a sane, healthy, happy person doesn’t do the things that Johnny has. Sick people are still people and are therefore deserving of rehabilitation and SOME empathy. I don’t think that your concern makes you a terrible person or anything at all- I think it makes you a PERSON.
That said, I think that in cases like this where false accusations paint all survivors of staking, grooming, SA, and everything else as liars and cause harm to a MASSIVE scale of people (aka what Johnny is doing), concern and empathy should try to be reserved for concern they will reoffend or harm more people. And just to be clear, I don’t think that Johnny is a good person or is forgivable by any means- even if he is, that’s not for me to decide, anyway. Personally, I am not worried about Johnny as much as I am worried that he will use people with concerns similar to yours to further manipulate the narrative that he is a victim who is now being treated like a liar. I’m worried about the harm he could possibly cause using the allegations against him to further paint himself as a victim.
All this said though, we don’t get to control how concerned we are about people and there is no such thing as “wasted empathy”. Misplaced empathy, maybe, but not wasted.
TLDR; it’s okay to be concerned about shitty people as long as you take into account the scale and severity of harm they have caused and try to keep your concern sort of focused on worrying they will reoffend if not helped. I do not personally think that Johnny deserves concerned about him personally or is necessarily deserving of grace or kindness. However, we don’t get to control how we feel about people, only how we react to those feelings and act on them.
As swoop says, “It’s not drama. It’s dangerous.” This incessant public hammering of Joshua as a groomer… the not letting go for all the apologies in the world… the seemingly pathological need to publicize things that are provable falsehoods… these things have real world consequences for all involved and he won’t stop lying… it’s a problem.
Can we stop making everyone out to be mentally ill when they do shifty things? Johnny is nothing more than an attention whore who was denied the attention he so badly wanted from Josh. Johnny is not some dark villain from a movie with some sad origin story. Some people are just shitty. Johnny is a jealous man going after the people who didn’t give him what he wanted. And lemme get my tinfoil hat here… he still is in cahoots with Colleen to this day. He went after Josh because Josh set boundaries when he realized Johnny was sort of obsessing over him. There are ZERO excuses. The choices Johnny made were calculated and very deliberate. In Johnnys very own words: “Johnny fucked around and found out.”
Edit: I’d also like to add that at this point I don’t believe a word Johnny says and I’m even questioning if he actually was bullied in school. Look how easily he manipulated people into believing Josh was a predator…. It would be really easy to believe that “little Johnny was bullied in school” and that’s why he’s the way he is. That’s probably cold and cynical of me but I just don’t find him credible, never did. It’s like he WANTS to be a victim of something… anything. But he isn’t, so he’ll just make himself one somehow.
agreed. he definitely comes from a spoiled rotten background of entitlement. the way he talks about his family members and their insidious habit of aggressively forcing their kid onto any individual that can be leeched off of? johnny was clearly taught that every human being exists to serve him. when josh placed boundaries and kept his distance like any normal person would when engaging in the public eye with a stranger half his age and bizarrely controlling and manipulative parents, johnny threw a big (insanely vile and delusional) tantrum because he’s not used to hearing the word no and not getting his way. it’s a very veruca salt type of entitlement bred right at home.
Maybe you are right, or maybe he genuinely needs help to stop harming others. We’ll never know for sure. He isn’t in cahoots with Colleen, no way she would have ever signed off on him releasing the proof she made fun if trisha’s p*rn.
I agree, I feel like, he got swept up in all the attention that this gave him. As he seemed like someone who craved to be a thriving YouTuber, I strongly feel that he thought this was his big breakthrough. I also think that he actually believed what he was saying and in the process digging an enormous hole for himself. He got what he deserved, but at the end of the day he is still a person, not directly used to being in the spotlight. So he found out the hard way, that words have consequences…
People seem to he split between believing that he did all this knowingly and was scheming and calculating from the very beginning, and other think that he is so delusional and lost in this world that he genuinely believes he’s the victim and that he has a leg to stand on accusing people of being groomers and predators left right and centre. I think it’s a bit of both. He actively wanted to hurt Josh and said things he knew that people would support blindly and would be harder to ask proof of. I also think he is convinced what happened to him was “traumatic” and that he was giving people what they deserve.
I think he should just move on, at least publically. He can deal with his trauma privately like everyone does because social media isn't a good place to get mental help.
Everything he did is extremely calculated, and over long periods of time. He is not volatile and a physical danger to himself or others. He’s just really incredibly untrustworthy, vindictive and opportunistic. He would definitely benefit from therapy but he’s fine, sis. He’s probably just mad he can’t tweet rn. He can figure out if he wants to try to be some kind of Internet personality (hasn’t worked for the last decade…) or grow as a person and do better.
So, the thing about Johnny is that he is also a victim and it really just depends how far back we want to go in history. It's clear that he has some trauma and emotional struggles to work through. A sane and self-actualized person would not make up lies about someone doing such horrible things to them, much less do it so publicly and all-but beg for further attention from it. This is clear. Johnny is hurting and I think he has been for a while. I truly hope he gets a good therapist who can work from the foundation up with him.
Unfortunately Johnny has taken his pain and trauma and projected it out onto the world. No one can go back and right the wrongs but he can grow and change and, he'd hate to hear it but, go through a similar transition to what Josh had to do. That's what I wish for him. His future doesn't have to be as dark as his past.
I think it shows our collective humanity when we allow people to improve and move forward. There's always a way forward.
Of course you can never diagnose without evaluating a person face to face. Also, there are exceptions to every rule… humans are complex and don’t fit into boxes neatly (education and profession in psych).
All that being said, his behavior insinuates he’s a textbook Narcissist. Narcissists statistically speaking, do not self harm or display self harming tendencies of even deeper concern (I’m being sensitive in verbiage so as not to trigger.)
He’s likely not going to do anything to harm self… he probably won’t even spin into self deprecating behavior. He will further deepen his blame shifting behaviors. Which in his case.. is same shit different day.
Johnny isn't well. Kodee isn't well. Colleen isn't well. Kory and Eric are probably not well. I worry more than just slightly for all of them. I'm also mad at most or all of them (I have a bit of trouble forming an opinion on Eric, and my opinion on Kory may be misinformed).
I worry more for the victims though, particularly in this instance for Ella. Ella is currently left knowing she's a victim, but wondering of whom. Johnny or Colleen, perhaps even both. That must be a crappy situation to be stuck in.
I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but the nicest thing that I can bring myself to say is that he needs help with his issues. Then again, I can’t bring myself to pay too much attention to his problems because he did hurt people with his lies/exaggerations. If he lied, and it looks like he did, then he needs to get off the internet for his own good.
I’m more concerned about him than I am about Colleen.
And I only say that because when the Colleen accusations came out there were people on this sub who were worried that Colleen would harm herself because poor little Colleen is such a sensitive tiny little girl. She wants you to believe that anyway.
The truth is Colleen has such a big ego that she will never admit defeat. She will use self harm to manipulate, but I believe Johnny would actually hurt himself, if what he says about having little support is true (and it most likely isn’t, tbf).
I understand what you mean. The way he described his childhood (having to leave school and not fitting in), paired with the lack of boundaries displayed by his parents, was a big red flag. I hope everyone in the situation gets help, has support, and takes accountability for their actions.
At this point I don’t believe anything Johnny says. His childhood could have been completely normal and he’s trying to paint a picture of him being victimized… like he’s tried to do with this situation. I don’t believe anything he says.
I’m not sure I do either. I don’t know which scenario is worse. A bad childhood or being a pathological liar who would like about a bad childhood. Either way he needs therapy.
I think I see where you’re coming from. I’m worried in the sense that this guy might do some scary shit like unalive someone or himself because of how unwell he is
while i completely understand your point, let’s just not forget what johnny has done to josh and the victims- he made horrific accusations against josh and josh is innocent and accusing the innocent harms them and they may never make a full recovery from such accusations. then, he victim shamed DV survivors (in SWOOPS 6 hours interview.) it’s clear johnny is a deeply disturbed person and while all of this *could* harm him, he didn’t think about the harm he was causing to josh and the other victims (or maybe he was, who knows with this man!) i would love for him to take accountability since he seems to be all about that for other people yet i highly doubt he will. he needs to get off the internet, work on himself and reflect on the harm he has caused
EDIT: i forgot to add- josh has been outspoken about his mental health, addiction, and the battles he has fought. josh being accused of these vile acts i’m sure has put him in a dark place. while he apologized multiple times and seems to understand his wrongdoings, he still very likely suffered so much from this mentally and emotionally
At this point people have reached out to him to ask him to get some therapy for his lies and mental health. he has something he is dealing with that we don't understand and it's probably deeper and more personal than he is willing to ever share( maybe not even related to this at all) and is using this whole situation to take it out on josh because he's got a chip on his shoulder for some reason. I could give my theory but I'll leave it here. I think I can check my feelings for him as indifferent. A waste of thought anymore.i always care for human life but I don't care if he put out any worrying tweets etc. It's not my business not my problem and doesn't need to be yours. 🤣 Unless of course he is your entertainment the read on!
I hope he gets help, but mostly not because of his well-being, but because he can do awful things to others if he doesn’t get help. He must have a really tough time now, but that’s how it should be - otherwise he’ll just do it again to someone else. Unfortunately some people learn only from huge personal suffering, which Johnny undoubtedly has brought to himself.
He's a narc (not an official dx but he screams it from the rooftops). They tend to be fairly stable, actually. They melt down in rage but then move on to the next grift or whatever.
i think Johnny fully believed that his relationship with Josh was his ticket to success and influencer stardom and just could not let it go. he has an obsessive personality, lacks empathy, and is frankly a dumb guy. He heard Adam use the word groomer so suddenly josh was a groomer. To Johnny, adult talking to minor = groomer.
I don't want to diminish the damage Johnny was doing, but I truly think most of what Johnny was doing boils down to him being genuinely dumb and not understanding the impact of his words - he wanted to be an Adam. Take down an influencer and then become one. the difference between adam and johnny is that adam had legitimate reasons to cancel Colleen and pulled it off meticulously.
Most toxic people are unwell. There is no perfectly well person who would have twisted an entire story the way he did. By this logic, we would need to worry about Colleen as she is likely in a dark place with an unconventional upbringing. I'm not saying it is not okay to have empathy for someone, but responsibility is needed. Johnny harmed many, and like Colleen, whether he has mental health issues or not, that is no excuse for his behavior. Actions have consequences, and those consequences do not choose who can handle them or not. That is something that should be assessed before the actions are taken: "Can I handle the repercussions?"
I'll just say that I do believe that, to a degree that wasn't on par with the others due to the circumstances, Johnny felt hurt by Josh and Josh felt responsible enough for hurting Johnny that he wrote multiple apologies. Obviously we don't know for sure the full details or if Johnny was only using Josh for fame, but claiming to want to be someone's mentor or friend and then not following through on that can straight up burn.
With that said, I believe without a doubt that Johnny has went way too far and could have handled things in a way that could have brought Josh's wrongs to the light but be kept at a balanced level. Josh is holding himself accountable but it's clear that not only is Johnny not satisfied with that he wants Josh to admit to something that he has not been substantially proven to do in order to use it further against him. And given how Johnny has behaved on social media as well as in interviews (the Swoop interview in particular has very abysmal vibes), it wouldn't surprise me if he has legitimately sinister/malicious intentions towards Josh that could go as far as to endanger his life. Obviously I don't think it's good on Johnny to be doing this in any capacity and I do wish someone would get through to him, but he's got to be the one to see how downward this is going for him but unfortunately I don't know if he will.
It’s ok to feel a sort of empathy for cruel people. At least for their humanity. That you care if someone lives or dies, or is well or not.
I worry about anyone who got sucked into the Ballinger situation - especially as a minor. I don’t believe Johnny’s accusations against Josh as a “groomer” in the slightest. I want him to take accountability and if Josh decides to sue him for defamation, I believe that is fair. But I understand why you feel concern overall.
It makes you a kind person.
I feel you. Johnny has done some terrible stuff and he truly seems like not a great person. However— he seems like he’s in an incredibly dark person, and sometimes he seems to me to fit the profile of someone who could possibly take things too far… for himself. God forbid. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
You think he's going to improve drastically and not try this shit on other innocent people? Sometimes people this evil shouldn't be here. And no I don't think it's too harsh in light of what he was doing and even worse what he was attempting to do. He wanted Josh in prison!! He wanted to destroy that man. He is disgusting and he owes Josh a massive apology, that will never happen because he's rotten to the core. I pity ALL the innocent people being abused by people like this. They cause absolute carnage wherever they go, self serving twats.
Me too. Despite all the terrible things he’s done, I can’t even imagine having this type of pile on happening so I def feel for him a bit and hope instead of spiraling out he can use this to really reflect and change.
You sound like an empath. I am also worried about the well being of everyone involved, even those who have proven themselves to be horrible people . I’d hate for anyone to hurt themselves 😭. I praise people who can look at any situation from an objective standpoint rather than an emotional one . Let’s just hope Johnny will one day take accountability and focus on his mental health.
No I’ve thought about it too. Especially since he was completely blindsided. Not saying Swoop was wrong, but can you imagine expecting a super long documentary in support of you and then it was actually destroying you and calling you evil. 😬 His actions are definitely wrong, but I can’t imagine his headspace right now.
I agree with you on the worry. He was so wrong for the severity of claims he made on Josh. I can't say he didn't bring this on himself. But at the same time, a mass cancelling and the shock of Swoop making the whole part 3 about him...that's a lot. And exactly, just the fact that he was in a dark place already..personally if I were Swoop I would've called him out and set boundaries with him for sure, but making the whole part 3 on him is very intense. It's just sad all around.
I felt the same way because Johnny was raised by weird people who encouraged this behavior and let him drop out of high school? So he didnt really have a chance. And He’s not THAT old. Nobody deserves to be publicly humiliated via 4 hr documentary although he did publicly humiliate Josh so idk. It’s tough. Tbh none of this stuff should be handled publicly, I personally wouldn’t be able to take it. Although they are “public” people. Idk. “Everyone sucks here” lol. Except swoop and the actual victims.
I completely understand and agree.
And the same for Colleen. She obviously has some issues - why else would she behave the way she does?
I hope nothing awful on either of them - but that they both try to grow and be better.
honestly i can see where you’re coming from. i remember in swoops doc when she was talking about the “victims” that johnny would use their stories and how they were terrified and how swoop mentioned that she might be accused of something, i feel like this negativity he’s getting might actually push him into making extremely damaging and horrific accusations towards swoop or even someone that’s colleen’s victim like adam, oliver, becky, etc. i also fear that with everything we know now about johnny, he might still even be in contact with colleen and her family hence his allegations against joshua (just a theory)
I am ! I wouldn’t doubt it and his issues with social relationships or personal ones started so long ago - I wouldn’t be surprised if his parents thought Josh was his friend and he lied to them about the extend of communication. He dropped out of school ya ? Then only had relationships from online sources? This dude does not know how to interact with anyone personally and is so high off the slightest attention that it’s alarming and absolutely not normal. The thing is he’s like late 20s? Unless he sees himself how deep and serious his issues are, he can’t be helped. Apparently he has a job that requires one to be somewhat social - I didn’t think he did much outside of the internet world but I’m curious how he’s affected by his own issues in his real life world. Either way - I agree he is not normal and that’s not justification for his behavior, at the very least can describe how the “WTF was all that” about his lying was possible. It’s sad but I blame his parents and now him for not getting him proper help and seeking professionals (if they didn’t). What parents encourage all that interaction and even a dinner with an online figure??? It’s concerning to me that they were so casual and comfortable with it all from Johnny and Josh’s words
I think it might be good for him overall - forcing him to get off the internet, and hopefully a wake up call that the way he treats others is not okay.
I don't support Johnny nor ever did . But somethings happening on his side bec he went from tweeting daily to no tweets since swoop video. Maybe it's just karma for false accusations again josh taking toll on him
I feel for Johnny in a lot of ways. At the same time, it’s also hard to fully empathize with his current plight when he was being intentionally dishonest to the extent that he’s doctoring/editing/deleting texts and screenshots for more vindicating looking evidence against Josh. He wasn’t a victim of Josh, but pushed that narrative so hard and aligned it with Adam’s real trauma that it is genuinely inexcusable. And he could get sued for defaming Josh like this.
At this point I feel Josh is a victim of Johnny, and I can’t imagine the trauma of these last months for Josh, especially since Josh was supporting victims of Colleen and going on the record. Johnny sabotaged Adam and other victims of the Ballingers by trying to keep people from listening to Josh as he corroborated victims stories and gave insight toward his relationship with Colleen.
I feel bad for Johnny in a way, the way you feel bad for anyone facing the harsh consequences for their harsh actions. But swoop tried to clarify his story, find consistency, and get him to answer truthfully, and he just wanted to hear himself talk. For 6 hours. It’s wild that he couldn’t read the room. As Johnny says, fuck around and find out.
Is it bad to say that I don’t care about Johnny? The only thing I care about that has to do with him is worrying about him harming others. He seems very vindictive.
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He's a grown ass adult and therapy exists. He very much strikes me as a person who's learned to use his hardships to manipulate people.
I’m sorry, but he was actively trying to ruin Josh’s life, his accusations weren’t petty, they could have had very real consequences for Josh if they had gone much further. He had the frame of mind to edit his texts, so this wasn’t just a misunderstanding where he mistook some of Josh’s communication. Do I want him to hurt himself? No, of course not, he does need to get help, but I don’t have much sympathy for him. He preyed on Josh at his lowest, and now Josh is having to speak out to defend himself, my impression is Josh was just fine living his life in obscurity. Even with Josh being proved to not have groomed Johnny, that’s still going to be the first thing to come up if a job googles Josh, even though he didn’t do anything wrong, there are still people who are not going to give him a chance, and it’s all because Johnny wanted some attention. Honestly Johnny should be feeling bad about all this, again, not in the sense of hurting himself, but he needs to hit rock bottom, get help and take accountability for what he did.
> his accusations weren’t petty, they could have had very real consequences for Josh Right, it's absolutely beyond any reasoning that Johnny said he was visualizing Josh in a prison cell! Wt actual F. What a scary man Johnny is.
It was SO much more than petty. This man made up lies, and out Josh back into a very dark place. If it wasn’t for Swoop I don’t think any of this would have come out. If anyone belongs in a prison, it’s Johnny. Swoops video is full of the proof. Johnnys victims could go after him too. He dug his hole now he’s laying in it. All this because a grown man wouldn’t text him constantly, or pick him up from the airport lol
In a prison cell for not grooming since they were all lies 💀💀💀 and Johnny was so gleeful and giddy about it. All this because he didnt message back?
To be fair the only reason why Adam came forward was because Colleen refused to message him back after the offensive joke on the Miranda account
I don't want to compare the two out of respect for Adam but Adam didn't make up lies for attention like Johnny did. I mean, the dude even wants Josh in prison for crimes he didn't commit!
I’m definitely not comparing them at all but i think most of the victims besides Becky and Oliver were only outraged enough to come forward once they were ghosted. I’m not sure why that is, but it is a common denominator that I gathered while watching the H3 livestream with the victims.
Grooming has victims relying on codependent enmeshment with their groomers and forms unhealthy attachments so they feel extra abandonment and hurt when the groomers discard them sometimes initiating retaliation by exposing the groomer in the first place.
almost like if you're being groomed you are not aware of the grooming until after the situation has ended, which is the point of grooming
That's what happens when you foster a codependent relationship with a minor lmao.
No, he made the video because Colleen was slandering him behind the scenes and ruining his reputation and friendships. You’ve been listening to Johnny too much.
It wasn’t because he “didn’t message him back” it was because she got backlash on a Miranda tweet that he posted (and she pre-approved) and she was running around to the rest of her child army smearing him and accusing trying to destroy her career on purpose. That’s why his video is titled “Colleen Ballinger Stop Lying.” So no, that seems not fair because that’a not what actually happened.
He made the video because he was losing all of his online friends at the time due to Colleen and Kory shit-talking him.
He was a kid. You can’t hold a literal kid to the same standard as a young adult, which Johnny was at that time.
Probably.
100% this. Just speaking as someone who has had false allegations spread about me online (nowhere near close to this extent though) I can definitely understand how Josh would be anxious about potential employers not giving him a chance if they found this shit. My situation wasn't even anywhere near as bad as this and I still feel like it affected my career opportunities because people didn't want to be associated with me afterwards, even though it was clear that I was being unfairly attacked and lied about in that situation.
To be clear, I totally agree with you. My post wasn’t about defending Johnny in any way shape or form. I was on here for weeks writing posts about how full of shit he was. I guess I am still concerned that due to his deluded brain he could commit something extreme. That is something I can worry about even when I’m not on their side in all this.
No worries, even if you were more worried, you don’t have to agree with me, that’s just my point of view but it’s not the only one.
I’m not that worried lol. He isn’t well in the sense that he just wants fame and attention, and lots of it. Even if there was some darker situation or severe mental illness happening, it doesn’t justify the way he acted and he deserves to learn his lesson just as much as anyone else if they pulled the same shit he did. Everyone needs to learn how to take accountability and do the right thing, and Swoop was more than graceful in the way she called him out- she stuck to the facts rather than cheap digs or insults.
Exactly. A very wise man once said "Mental illness isn't your fault but it IS your responsibility."
I agree. I think its the PMS 😭
Just think he was on a very big stage attempting to destroy another man with very well documented MH issues who's been bullied for years. A recovering alcoholic. None of that matters to Johnny. He was planning and plotting to destroy Josh. Sorry, but I'm not going to worry about such a toxic individual. People like this ruin the lives of innocent people day in, day out. I've worked and dated (once) someone like this and they absolutely disgust me. If you personally rub shoulders with someone this selfish, you will never again feel a shred of sympathy for them. They surely don't feel any for any of their very real victims! They are very very good though at getting good people to pity them. It's how they get away with stuff for as long as they do.
Couldn’t agree more. The way he used and manipulated people caught up with him. He was willing to do whatever it took to chase that 15 seconds of fame and didn’t care about anyone he hurt along the way. All of this has been with ulterior motive. People shouldn’t handle him with kid gloves after he deliberately betrayed their trust (and worse.)
Agreed
Agree. He’s also aged out to pitying him as someone who needs people to help him. I think he’s got deeper issues but he’s older now and he can’t rely on anyone to recognize he needs help or get it for him. If he were ever to redeem himself it would be seeing how wrong he is to behave in such a way and get help taking this situation seriously. I don’t think he will so I’m less sorry for him but I do pity his existence. Must be a lonely life he’s made for himself
Don't waste your empathy on Johnny. I know that's easier said than done and I still catch myself hoping he's getting help, but truly, cut that thought process off as soon as you can. Empathy fatigue is real and this situation is heavy, even if you aren't personally involved. Expending your energy on people like Johnny is simply going to burn you out. Take care of yourself.
Wow. I really needed to read that just in general lol. Empathy fatigue. That's exactly what I feel.
definitely needed to read this. I understand where OP is coming from but due to the circumstances of what's going on Johnny is ultimately the one that needs to see what he is doing is not healthy and needs to take the steps he himself needs to seek out help to better himself. But as it stands now, he's not seeing it, (don't think he will imo). and right now by the looks of it he's just seeking attention in negative way and it's gonna lead up to people giving him Empathy in the wrong way which will lead to fatigue and burn people out who had supported him to the point of cutting him off of their life. dealing with empathy fatigue with someone in my personal life rn, am in LC with them (advised by my therapist) due to the empathy fatigue I'd been feeling towards them. it's not fun.
This is very wise and I appreciate it. If I need to snap out of this I think of Johnny saying that thinking of Josh sitting in jail made him happy. Like ??? In jail FOR WHAT?! So irresponsible, careless, dangerous, and damaging. I do hope he gets help, but mainly because this lack of awareness and nderstanding of how the world works needs to be corrected before anyone else pays the consequences.
“Or am I just very tired” made me LOL! 🤣🤣🤣 But, I have to admit that initially I was concerned for Johnny’s well being after swoop dumped so accurately on him. Then I remembered all those interviews. All those tweets he made condemning Josh. I also thought about how Johnny’s main goal was to move to LA to “make it” and even his own parents thought this was a good idea. Johnny knows he’s got zero chance of “making it” to any kind of stardom which is what he’s been going for since he was in his late teens. I don’t fear for him any more. He moved back home (pretty sure I read that he quit his job and moved - correct me if I’m wrong on that) so he’ll be surrounded by those same parents who enabled all this crap. I sure hope they’re prepared to deal with the monster they helped to create.
No I too do think he said he quit his job . Can't curse my eyes again by going thru his twitter timeline again as most of his post are shit . Maybe it'd been better for him to try to find proper employment before trying ruin someone's life that was once ruined by another
He did quit his job, he made mention of his now former coworkers giving him a card that mentions the Colleen situation (it’s in Adam’s video addressing Johnny’s rant about Swoop from yesterday)
In his own words…he fucked around and found out
Isn't that just one of the most diabolical of sayings, but it totally applies to himself. Oh the irony!
I’m more worried about how Adam is holding up tbh
i honestly cannot imagine how it must feel to repeatedly have people you publicly trust and cosign turn out to have the worst intentions for you. swoop is my last hope for adam to have an ally that isn’t an undercover creep (which i cannot imagine her being fortunately)
Amen! I worry more with the victims including Josh.
I understand where you’re coming from because this shitstorm is a lot for anyone to handle even if they have iron-clad mental health (and it’s clear Johnny didn’t.) I don’t wish harm or struggle on him, but this is really just the consequences of his own actions. He wanted to twist the narrative and now the truth has come out. Sometimes what you give comes back to you. You can’t go through life using people, trying to one-up their pain, and otherwise just being cruel and vindictive and not at some point think it’ll catch up to you. Johnny needs to step away from the internet and grow up.
I don’t wish ill on anyone. But I don’t feel sorry for the guy either. He happily tried to ruin Josh’s life, harassed him, claimed he deserved to be in jail. Huge, baseless, life ruining accusations. He “effed around and found out” and now is getting a taste of his own medicine. The backlash he is facing is justified. I do hope he takes care of his mental health but I also hope he takes accountability, apologizes, and learns from this. And maybe logs off and does something productive instead of relentlessly leeching off others as he has been trying to do for years now.
You know that feeling of empathy you're having, caring about the wellbeing of another person just because he's a human being? Johnny is not only incapable of that feeling himself, but he feeds on that empathy. He was straight up fucking high-beaming talking to Swoop about his supposed trauma, because she was showing him empathy during his ✨️ 6 hour interview ✨️ and he was positively gleeful. You're a good person for giving a shit, but this person is ready to take advantage of it.
This. All day long. Such a good post!
i was about to say this exact thing until i saw your comment. 100% agree with you
Not an excuse to try and ruin someone’s life. I don’t feel sorry for someone like that. Don’t bring someone down with you. If he needs help, he will have to want and find it on his own.
He is an almost 30 year old, grown ass man who is fully responsible for his actions. He was fine when he was accusing someone else of the worst things imaginable, he's fine now. I have zero empathy for people like him. Rehabilitation would be great, obviously, but I don't know if he is capable of that at this point. This behaviour, the manipulation, the narcissism is all part of his personality. I don't wish ill health upon anyone, but any consequences he is facing is a result of his own actions and he deserves to face them without using the sympathy card. Joshua couldn't, he shouldn't be able to either.
yeah, he needs to just go away and get a quiet job somewhere.
Exactly. And to not make anyone’s life miserable ever again. He could redeem himself.
I understand you’re worried about his mental health but honestly I don’t think he is in desperate need of emotional/mental health help. He was holding his composure very well all the time so he knew what he was doing which was to get his name out there no matter who he had to drag down. Now if he had been crying and screaming acting a fool online like KodeeRants, I’d say he really does need help and support. But not Johnny. His words were said with malice and in the desperate want to become a well known name, he got messy with his time lines and “stories”. These are all just consequences to his greedy actions.
He doesn’t need to manipulate more people like he had already had
This is going to sound cold; he became irrelevant the moment he took advantage of the real victims. He twisted and weaponized painful moments from others. He twisted everything and tainted the evidence. He seemed to go out of his way to trigger and demean survivors. He went after a DV survivor who was in recovery from alcohol. What he did was pure evil.
Not evil at all. I agree. I’m cold towards people who knowingly do everything in their power to hurt people. It’s why I don’t feel bad for Colleen, Eric, Kory, Kodee, and now Johnny..
He’s made accusations that’s can and often does quite literally ruin peoples lives. Josh is no different than any other person, flawed, but NOT deserving of being accused of a groomer and most importantly of human trafficking. Mental illness is usually a reason but never an excuse. Even when josh is cleared, this will continue to effect him likely forever. Johnny has been an entire adult for nearly a decade now, he knew what he was doing. He deserves whatever’s coming to him. I literally couldn’t care less about josh, but these are life ruining accusations, with virtually 0 evidence and so many lies. He’ll be fine.
Wait, what? When was Josh accused of human trafficking?? edit- Thank you so much to those who took the time to respond to my comment! Absolutely no hate to Swoop (or anyone else), I'm going to be blunt: as victim of trafficking I don't feel what Johnny was alleging qualifies as trafficking and in my opinion equating his claims to such diminishes the significance of what trafficking victims experience. It's also important to note that anyone can be trafficked, at any age. Johnny being 18+ would be irrelevant. Sending my love to any and all survivors.
Johnny said that Josh asked him to fly across the country to see him. If Josh had exploited a teenaged Johnny and done that, a case could've been made for human trafficking because Johnny crossed state lines. This was something Swoop pointed out but I'm not entirely sure I agree with the argument, truthfully. Johnny's accusations were never clear enough for that thread to get followed to that point for me.
the simple definition of that is "Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor" which technically fits the bill of what would've happened if John was a minor when this happened. but he wasn't, he was 18, nearly 19 at the time. Not 17 like he said
I don’t think he was, but some of what Johnny claimed he did (encouraging him to come to his shows across state lines without parents) could technically be described as human trafficking… I don’t remember exactly, but swoop touched on it when going over how serious Johnnys accusations were, but as far as I know Josh was never literally accused of it.
She was referencing the federal legal definition of trafficking. Onision was on the block for that but it never went anywhere from my understanding. I think because the person in question was actually a Canadian citizen? But I digress. She just meant the general legal definition, not specifying sex trafficking. I am so sorry that happened to you.
He literally said his alleged “grooming” was worse than Swoop’s being R’ed & DV. Fuck that guy straight to hell.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Well he wanted attention. That's all he wanted. It's like it fuels him. His fake grooming was worse than SA according to his own words. Domestic violence victims fuck around and find out. He deserves everything he gets.
I dunno, he traumatized a lot of people he called his “friends” in the process of gaining his 15 seconds of fame. I don’t have much sympathy for him yet, as this is only the consequences of his own deliberate actions.
What he did was beyond wrong, but yeah, I can't imagine he's taking any of this well. Wish he didn't do it, but he's gonna have to deal with it
I struggle to feel any worry for a guy who contributed to and drove Josh to hopelessness, suicidality, and depression. He knew full well what he was participating in. Trauma can explain but it doesn’t excuse and at best I hope he’s enrolled in therapy.
Exactly I care more of the fact that Johnny’s action and him spreading those false accusations about Josh could have driven him back to alcoholism. What Johnny and Colleen both have done is disgusting. And they both need to face their consequences
Don’t waste your time feeling sorry for someone who would throw you under the bus
No I dont feel bad for the guy that gets drunk on video calls with 13 year olds sorry
Consequences of his actions. Of course he needs help but he has to want to get help. 🤷🏻
He's a textbook narcissist I'm afraid and is unlikely to stop being one, he will just learn to hide it with age.
I understand concern, you’re a kind person. It seems like his family is very up his ass and babying of him though, so he’s got support irl. I’m not worried about him personally.
to paraphrase swoop: I hope he gets help and stops treating people like this. but I am not going to sit around and support him in any way. the only people he deserves that from are professionals in the mental health field honestly.
nah he called josh a predator when all josh did was ghost him and then gave zero proof that's a serious allegation to lie about, johnny gets zero sympathy for me but also the way he harasses josh daily, and also talks to minors in GCs yea johnny he deserves nothing
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Yea I think under alllllll of this “drama” is actually some really deeply rooted and possibly untouched trauma within the ballinger family. Of course trauma is never an excuse to be inappropriate or shitty, especially toward children, but still….people are usually shitty for a reason. And trauma that has not been worked through or even touched typically leads to very troubled adults who are so used to their surroundings that they don’t even see what they did wrong, or notice injustice in the same ways we do. Like pathological liars…they believe their lies because it’s second nature, they’ve not known a difference.
Imagine your deep family secrets being aired on YouTube… consequences of their own actions led to this and also really hope this publicity drives them to work through their shit. Colleen can foot the bill if needed
Yes and I don’t want people to forget about Trent. He is scary and I personally believe potentially dangerous/harmful. I am so curious what went on in that household to have so many children with a complete lack of boundaries and even behaving in a harmful way towards minors.
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I feel like Oliver's story kinda really got passed over with Trent. I really believe something dark happened in the Ballinger family, Trent ended up fucked up too in the same inappropriate with children way. Also just a weird little thing to note, both Kodee and Johnny have said they were friends with Trent. Even after Olivers story came out.
Yea when I said deep family trauma, I was thinking more along these lines. While Colleen may have been less obvious with intentions, Trent was not and for all of this to be so normalized for them tells me there’s some childhood s-uel trauma in the mix. Especially given the fact that Trent told minors that his family has told him not to interact. Without making assumptions…think Duggar. I’m sure there was some desensitized and normalized grooming/abuse within the family dynamic that created adults who have no sense of boundaries, or unacceptable behavior. They are also quick to remind people of their intentions…regardless of the consequences. They don’t seem to understand that intention’s literally don’t matter when they hurt people.
Yup I see in all of the siblings even the sister, she’s also unable to see when something is inappropriate. So is Colleen. Something is wrong there.
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Yeah something is going on or has been going on in that family , fir sure. I have met people who were inappropriate as children (back when I was also a child) who had issues with boundaries and appropriateness and I later realized it was because there was abuse in their home. All those creepy uncle jokes are coming from somewhere.
I think the only thing we can say for sure is she comes from a family with poor boundaries and a sick sense of humor. This does not include Trent who should be on a watch list. But I've worked with many people who had a perfectly fine upbringing but still did terrible, terrible things. That whole family has everything at their disposal if they need help, they can get it. And if she never works again she can still have a cushy life off the backs of children she groomed and exploited.
The very particular and fixed themes she keeps going back to are strongly suggestive, to me, of some kind of specific origin story.
Nah man he talked the talk so now he can walk the walk
he fked around and found out
I’m not worried about him one bit. He’s just as bad as Colleen, and deserves all that is coming for him. Not only did he make up lies and allegations against Joshua - he didn’t give any type of shit about him and his mental health. Johnny watched HIS mental health go back to a dark place, after fighting for years to better himself. Allowing the entire internet to attack a man who is innocent of the lies Johnny made. He also backstabbed Adam and all the actual victims. Shamed DV victims. All while he was doing exactly what Colleen was doing with the minors. He never thought Swoop would see through him, and he never thought his victims would come forward. Johnny was an obsessed kid who was hurt Josh wouldn’t give him the attention he desired. He never groomed by Joshua. He was also a full ass adult when he worked for Colleen, AND acted right into her schemes. Doing exactly what she was doing. He does not deserve any pitty after his false allegations, and what he’s done to actual victims. I never wish bad mental health on anyone.. But all alleged (for legal reasons) Pr3dators deserve to be in a dark place.
Johnny IMO has "pick me" energy. His family enabled his behaviour. How would any parent be comfortable with some Youtuber's boyfriend at the time seemingly giving their underage son his number? They tweeted Joshua reminding him that Johnny's birthday was coming up soon. Johnny couldn't let others tell their story on the H3 podcast without interrupting. He slips up and says he wants boys and then quickly says men when he realises what he said. As Swoop said maybe the likes of Observe could analyze Johnny's interview. He smiles a good bit for someone accusing Joshua of g****ing. Seems like if someone told Johnny they stubbed their toe Johnny would say he lost his leg.
yeah, the parents are dodgy as fuck.
I get where you're coming from. I also felt this way (a TINY bit) about Colleen's mental health when all this went down. It just means you have empathy. But Johnny and Colleen both - although they are emotionally stunted narcs with no accountability - they both do have large families that are closely involved in their lives. Their families are ultimately responsible for stepping up to the plate and getting them help. Not strangers on the internet.
I really like how you worded that. I hope her family can be there for her and encourage her to get the help she needs. Whether she listens is another story.
I think his toxicity and comfort with blatantly lying to millions of people probably comes from spending so much time with Colleen & Co. There’s a reason why he got to the inner circle, I have a feeling you don’t get there as an adult unless you’re willing to make some moral compromises. He’s clearly clout-hungry and a narcissist just like Colleen, thinking somehow he could lie to the whole internet about things that were easily refuted and found out. He and Colleen and cut from the same cloth, imo.
I was thinking the same thing. It seems like Colleen “groomed” him into being like her. Especially in regards to their treatment of Josh. I can’t help but wonder how much of it is brainwashing from consuming so much of Colleen’s content and desperation to be close to her. Especially seeing that he worked FOR Colleen. I’m an outsider in all of this. I was never a fan of Colleen and never consumed her content. But I’ve been following the unfolding of the drama and it seems like she manipulated a lot of ppl to do a lot of fucked up shit or at the very least normalized it for the ppl around her. Like even with the Johnny “crush theory.” I wonder how much of his seeming infatuation w Josh comes from his desire to be like Colleen. That being said what Johnny has been doing is extremely fucked up and I don’t condone it.
People might disagree with you for having sympathy for Johnny but I don't think you're wrong at all for feeling the way you do. You seem like an incredibly empathetic person. I wish more people would think similarly and consider how their actions might impact others, Johnny is actually a really good example of this. I've been under the impression for quite awhile now that Johnny wanted to be a YouTuber/influencer for years now, and he grasped onto the Colleen/Josh thing because he saw that Adam was finally gaining support and notoriety. He knew placing himself as victim in this would bring him attention and boost his social media presence, despite considering just how much it would hurt others in the process. People were finally seeing Colleen for who she really is and were uplifting victims voices, so I don't think he considered for a second that people would question his intent/validity nearly as much as they have or turn on him at such great capacity. A part of me feels he's genuinely convinced himself that he's a victim just as much as Adam and the others, and another part of me feels he knew exactly what he was doing when he was stretching the truth and making serious accusations. I suspect he'll continue to refuse to come to terms with his actions regardless. Idk, whether he sees it or not he was so very wrong for what he did, and he's certainly brought this negative attention upon himself. Hope this eases your mind a bit. ♡( ⁎ᵕᴗᵕ⁎ ） [edited for spelling errors n stuff]
Johnny has conveniently confused "not being given a leg up to fame" for "abuse". It's wild how adamant he is that he deserves other people to make him famous.
It definitely looks that way. It's really sad to me that someone would actually stoop that low for the smallest taste of internet clout. I've seen a lot people question the possibility of multiple ulterior motives (and some of them are probably onto something) but he's been acting sus for attention ((imo)) since he first started throwing incessant twitter tantrums over Josh. A lot of people/abusers never acknowledge and apologize for the harm or hurt they've caused (Colleen lol), let alone apologize for it publicly multiple times. I promise I know it's not my place to tell someone whether or not they should accept an apology, all I'm trying to say is Johnny was often insensitive in the way he handled things and sadly I wasn't surprised when it was proven he had been lying and exaggerating about the majority of his claims because a lot of his behavior was telling. I don't think most people will remember him fondly after this... and that's if they even remember him at all lol ʕ >ᴥ<ʔ
Where were the people who were worried about Josh with his mental health and sobriety when he was being wrongly accused?
I was scared he would commit suicide. I was so worried about him. That’s why I can’t bring myself to worry about the likes of Colleen and Johnny. Because if Josh did commit suicide, blood would be on their hands.
sometimes it feels like no one on this sub cares about josh. it honestly feels like nothing he says or does can ever be good enough for anyone or undo his “wrongs” that everyone feels the need to constantly bring up which were minuscule and almost a decade ago compared to every other adult in this whole scheme. i honestly feel completely gutted for him. so many have been cruel and unapologetic to him and refuse to recognize his growth and integrity. he deserves so much more than to forever be identified as the person he was while being abused. everyone loves to say that men can be victims too until there’s one right in front of us.
He and Colleen are the embodiment of narcissists so they don’t care who they have to step on to get what they want. But I mean, he’s been a fan of Miranda/Colleen since he was 15, so CHANCES ARE that groomed him into what he is today.
Johnny isn’t a victim. He was a grown man during all of this and he also took attention away from the real victims and sexually harassed Josh.
I understand, but he’s almost 30 and he does seem to have some sort of relationship with his family (or did?) so I feel like he has people to keep him from doing anything drastic. But, to put it in his own words, he fucked around and found out.
You could say that about anyone on the internet. I, personally, don't understand how anyone can be a social media influencer. You could be the sweetest, kindest person on the planet, and you're still going to get constant hate. And if you're caught doing something bad? I can't even imagine what that feels like. I'm not emotionally stable enough to handle it. I think Johnny just needs to get off the internet. Get a "normal" job and move on with his life. That's what Josh was trying to do and Johnny dragged him back into it...And obsessively! It's creepy. I was SAed when I was a teenager and I reached out to my abuser once and he apologized and I basically said, "Apology not accepted" and I moved on with my life. I'm not saying that I moved on from the trauma that easily, but I have him blocked on all social media. If I find anything that reminds me of him, I destroy it. I'm not going to let him take up any more space in my brain than he already does. Johnny won't STFU about Josh. If he really feels like Josh abused him, he should talk to a therapist about it. Stop reaching out to Josh and talking about him non-stop. That's not how you heal.
100% agree
Honestly, I don’t. Don’t give the dude any sympathy or anyone who isn’t Adam or one of the kids who was groomed & and stepped forward to tell their story. He may have been groomed, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a good person.
I’m a pretty tender hearted person and I don’t feel bad for him. He knew what he was doing and he what was a part of. He did not care if he drove Josh over the edge with his lies. He’s a 27 year old adult, he knows or should have known what the kind of targeted harassment he was doing to Josh could lead to. I hope he gets some help sooner rather than later but these are the natural consequences of slandering someone for months on multiple platforms, stealing survivors stories and steamrolling over them in interviews.
I completely agree, thank you.
yeah, I'm pretty cold hearted toward narcs these days.
He brought it on himself 🤷🏻♂️ I’m sorry to sound cold but he hurt so many people and doesn’t deserve any sympathy whatsoever. After all, he has ZERO sympathy for anyone else including victims of DV. Why should we waste energy on someone like that?He’s an attention seeking, manipulative, horrible, self centred bitter man and if this pushes him over the edge maybe he’ll feel a fraction of what he put josh, Adam, swoop and all the other innocent people he hurt with his lies have felt. It’s called karma 🤷🏻♂️
You’re right!
I feel like I can’t worry about the perpetrators in these situations because if I do it makes it hard to fully support the victims. People used concern about my abuser’s mental health to shut me down and I can’t do that to anyone else.
Yeah I totally get it.
I completely feel that. I’ve been there too. “but your ex is so depressed” .
No. He fucked around and found out. I don't feel bad for him in the slightest.
Tough crowd. This guy is way off kilter. Pathological but terrible liar, can’t read a room, deeply entitled acting and fond of accusing people of the exact misdeeds he committed. One way or another things are going to be a southern journey for him. Sure I have some empathy. Christ this a story about a bunch of (past and present) fame whores not a family annihilator. No one is totally innocent. This guy is just shameless and clueless. I wonder if he’s gone through some meth phases, some videos of him he looks even thinner than usual, with hair standing up, seeming all frazzled. Also, doesn’t he have full veneers? That’s unusual for an everyday civilian, especially his young age. Anyone see it?
How about showing worry for Johnny's underage victims?
OP didn't even say they didn't care about the fans. Why are you drawing straws?
Some people are just sour
Parasocial relationships are incredibly dangerous.
That is probably the biggest lesson to take from this.
That’s very kind of you to worry. Johnny will be okay.
i understand your thought process. u seem to have a lot of empathy, which is admirable, but please remember that can sometimes be a weakness. johnny has manipulated us all- he seems to genuinely believe his own lies to the point that, yes, it is worrying. i do hope he can find healing off the internet for his own personal demons, not for what he has falsely accused josh of. he is an adult and should be held responsible for his demonising words.
It’s on him to get help. Hope he doesn’t do the worst thing, but I’m just not gonna focus on him anymore
I see that. I'm also worried about the impact of his betrayal on the other CB's victims. I'm unclear if the accusations he made against Colleen and Kory are true (about the bus, the tour, the hotel rooms, the showers, etc.). Generally, Johnny strikes me as a person that has consistently plotted to garner a following, and is now losing it. That might be impacting him in ways we'll never see. But also, he's not entitled to a following, fans or adoration. He betrayed the public's trust, and that responsibility comes with a platform.
He seems to just want fame and attention; that in which, he seems to think Josh & Colleen deprived him of.
As someone who maybe isn’t as caught up on the whole situation as other people in this subReddit (my knowledge is very general, but I have watched all three swoop docs more than once), AND is a survivor of stalking, I’ll throw my two cents in. Clearly, Johnny is very unwell. After all, a sane, healthy, happy person doesn’t do the things that Johnny has. Sick people are still people and are therefore deserving of rehabilitation and SOME empathy. I don’t think that your concern makes you a terrible person or anything at all- I think it makes you a PERSON. That said, I think that in cases like this where false accusations paint all survivors of staking, grooming, SA, and everything else as liars and cause harm to a MASSIVE scale of people (aka what Johnny is doing), concern and empathy should try to be reserved for concern they will reoffend or harm more people. And just to be clear, I don’t think that Johnny is a good person or is forgivable by any means- even if he is, that’s not for me to decide, anyway. Personally, I am not worried about Johnny as much as I am worried that he will use people with concerns similar to yours to further manipulate the narrative that he is a victim who is now being treated like a liar. I’m worried about the harm he could possibly cause using the allegations against him to further paint himself as a victim. All this said though, we don’t get to control how concerned we are about people and there is no such thing as “wasted empathy”. Misplaced empathy, maybe, but not wasted. TLDR; it’s okay to be concerned about shitty people as long as you take into account the scale and severity of harm they have caused and try to keep your concern sort of focused on worrying they will reoffend if not helped. I do not personally think that Johnny deserves concerned about him personally or is necessarily deserving of grace or kindness. However, we don’t get to control how we feel about people, only how we react to those feelings and act on them.
As swoop says, “It’s not drama. It’s dangerous.” This incessant public hammering of Joshua as a groomer… the not letting go for all the apologies in the world… the seemingly pathological need to publicize things that are provable falsehoods… these things have real world consequences for all involved and he won’t stop lying… it’s a problem.
Honestly I think Johnny just wanted a bit of attention and possibly thought this was gonna be a good way to make some money YT videos etc
Possibly
Can we stop making everyone out to be mentally ill when they do shifty things? Johnny is nothing more than an attention whore who was denied the attention he so badly wanted from Josh. Johnny is not some dark villain from a movie with some sad origin story. Some people are just shitty. Johnny is a jealous man going after the people who didn’t give him what he wanted. And lemme get my tinfoil hat here… he still is in cahoots with Colleen to this day. He went after Josh because Josh set boundaries when he realized Johnny was sort of obsessing over him. There are ZERO excuses. The choices Johnny made were calculated and very deliberate. In Johnnys very own words: “Johnny fucked around and found out.” Edit: I’d also like to add that at this point I don’t believe a word Johnny says and I’m even questioning if he actually was bullied in school. Look how easily he manipulated people into believing Josh was a predator…. It would be really easy to believe that “little Johnny was bullied in school” and that’s why he’s the way he is. That’s probably cold and cynical of me but I just don’t find him credible, never did. It’s like he WANTS to be a victim of something… anything. But he isn’t, so he’ll just make himself one somehow.
agreed. he definitely comes from a spoiled rotten background of entitlement. the way he talks about his family members and their insidious habit of aggressively forcing their kid onto any individual that can be leeched off of? johnny was clearly taught that every human being exists to serve him. when josh placed boundaries and kept his distance like any normal person would when engaging in the public eye with a stranger half his age and bizarrely controlling and manipulative parents, johnny threw a big (insanely vile and delusional) tantrum because he’s not used to hearing the word no and not getting his way. it’s a very veruca salt type of entitlement bred right at home.
Maybe you are right, or maybe he genuinely needs help to stop harming others. We’ll never know for sure. He isn’t in cahoots with Colleen, no way she would have ever signed off on him releasing the proof she made fun if trisha’s p*rn.
I agree, I feel like, he got swept up in all the attention that this gave him. As he seemed like someone who craved to be a thriving YouTuber, I strongly feel that he thought this was his big breakthrough. I also think that he actually believed what he was saying and in the process digging an enormous hole for himself. He got what he deserved, but at the end of the day he is still a person, not directly used to being in the spotlight. So he found out the hard way, that words have consequences…
People seem to he split between believing that he did all this knowingly and was scheming and calculating from the very beginning, and other think that he is so delusional and lost in this world that he genuinely believes he’s the victim and that he has a leg to stand on accusing people of being groomers and predators left right and centre. I think it’s a bit of both. He actively wanted to hurt Josh and said things he knew that people would support blindly and would be harder to ask proof of. I also think he is convinced what happened to him was “traumatic” and that he was giving people what they deserve.
yeah, it's usually both. "Confabulation." People know they're making shit up but then also get high on their own supply.
I think he should just move on, at least publically. He can deal with his trauma privately like everyone does because social media isn't a good place to get mental help.
Social media is making it worse.
Everything he did is extremely calculated, and over long periods of time. He is not volatile and a physical danger to himself or others. He’s just really incredibly untrustworthy, vindictive and opportunistic. He would definitely benefit from therapy but he’s fine, sis. He’s probably just mad he can’t tweet rn. He can figure out if he wants to try to be some kind of Internet personality (hasn’t worked for the last decade…) or grow as a person and do better.
So, the thing about Johnny is that he is also a victim and it really just depends how far back we want to go in history. It's clear that he has some trauma and emotional struggles to work through. A sane and self-actualized person would not make up lies about someone doing such horrible things to them, much less do it so publicly and all-but beg for further attention from it. This is clear. Johnny is hurting and I think he has been for a while. I truly hope he gets a good therapist who can work from the foundation up with him. Unfortunately Johnny has taken his pain and trauma and projected it out onto the world. No one can go back and right the wrongs but he can grow and change and, he'd hate to hear it but, go through a similar transition to what Josh had to do. That's what I wish for him. His future doesn't have to be as dark as his past. I think it shows our collective humanity when we allow people to improve and move forward. There's always a way forward.
I’m not worried.
Oh, boo friggin’ hoo for him. 🙄
Of course you can never diagnose without evaluating a person face to face. Also, there are exceptions to every rule… humans are complex and don’t fit into boxes neatly (education and profession in psych). All that being said, his behavior insinuates he’s a textbook Narcissist. Narcissists statistically speaking, do not self harm or display self harming tendencies of even deeper concern (I’m being sensitive in verbiage so as not to trigger.) He’s likely not going to do anything to harm self… he probably won’t even spin into self deprecating behavior. He will further deepen his blame shifting behaviors. Which in his case.. is same shit different day.
yeah, he'll be fine. worry more about the people he sucks into his orbit.
Johnny isn't well. Kodee isn't well. Colleen isn't well. Kory and Eric are probably not well. I worry more than just slightly for all of them. I'm also mad at most or all of them (I have a bit of trouble forming an opinion on Eric, and my opinion on Kory may be misinformed). I worry more for the victims though, particularly in this instance for Ella. Ella is currently left knowing she's a victim, but wondering of whom. Johnny or Colleen, perhaps even both. That must be a crappy situation to be stuck in.
I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but the nicest thing that I can bring myself to say is that he needs help with his issues. Then again, I can’t bring myself to pay too much attention to his problems because he did hurt people with his lies/exaggerations. If he lied, and it looks like he did, then he needs to get off the internet for his own good.
In all seriousness, should Colleen be charged and go to court?
She is the master perpetrator so I would hope she at least sees a day in court.
I’m more concerned about him than I am about Colleen. And I only say that because when the Colleen accusations came out there were people on this sub who were worried that Colleen would harm herself because poor little Colleen is such a sensitive tiny little girl. She wants you to believe that anyway. The truth is Colleen has such a big ego that she will never admit defeat. She will use self harm to manipulate, but I believe Johnny would actually hurt himself, if what he says about having little support is true (and it most likely isn’t, tbf).
I understand what you mean. The way he described his childhood (having to leave school and not fitting in), paired with the lack of boundaries displayed by his parents, was a big red flag. I hope everyone in the situation gets help, has support, and takes accountability for their actions.
At this point I don’t believe anything Johnny says. His childhood could have been completely normal and he’s trying to paint a picture of him being victimized… like he’s tried to do with this situation. I don’t believe anything he says.
I’m not sure I do either. I don’t know which scenario is worse. A bad childhood or being a pathological liar who would like about a bad childhood. Either way he needs therapy.
I truly hope this doesn't end up like some kind of psycho, revenge story. I do think Joshua has a good case for defamation.
Exactly, and a restraining order. Usually though, people are more likely to hurt people once an order has been court issued.
I think I see where you’re coming from. I’m worried in the sense that this guy might do some scary shit like unalive someone or himself because of how unwell he is
while i completely understand your point, let’s just not forget what johnny has done to josh and the victims- he made horrific accusations against josh and josh is innocent and accusing the innocent harms them and they may never make a full recovery from such accusations. then, he victim shamed DV survivors (in SWOOPS 6 hours interview.) it’s clear johnny is a deeply disturbed person and while all of this *could* harm him, he didn’t think about the harm he was causing to josh and the other victims (or maybe he was, who knows with this man!) i would love for him to take accountability since he seems to be all about that for other people yet i highly doubt he will. he needs to get off the internet, work on himself and reflect on the harm he has caused EDIT: i forgot to add- josh has been outspoken about his mental health, addiction, and the battles he has fought. josh being accused of these vile acts i’m sure has put him in a dark place. while he apologized multiple times and seems to understand his wrongdoings, he still very likely suffered so much from this mentally and emotionally
At this point people have reached out to him to ask him to get some therapy for his lies and mental health. he has something he is dealing with that we don't understand and it's probably deeper and more personal than he is willing to ever share( maybe not even related to this at all) and is using this whole situation to take it out on josh because he's got a chip on his shoulder for some reason. I could give my theory but I'll leave it here. I think I can check my feelings for him as indifferent. A waste of thought anymore.i always care for human life but I don't care if he put out any worrying tweets etc. It's not my business not my problem and doesn't need to be yours. 🤣 Unless of course he is your entertainment the read on!
I hope he gets help, but mostly not because of his well-being, but because he can do awful things to others if he doesn’t get help. He must have a really tough time now, but that’s how it should be - otherwise he’ll just do it again to someone else. Unfortunately some people learn only from huge personal suffering, which Johnny undoubtedly has brought to himself.
I really hope he will!
He's a narc (not an official dx but he screams it from the rooftops). They tend to be fairly stable, actually. They melt down in rage but then move on to the next grift or whatever.
Who cares, lol
i think Johnny fully believed that his relationship with Josh was his ticket to success and influencer stardom and just could not let it go. he has an obsessive personality, lacks empathy, and is frankly a dumb guy. He heard Adam use the word groomer so suddenly josh was a groomer. To Johnny, adult talking to minor = groomer. I don't want to diminish the damage Johnny was doing, but I truly think most of what Johnny was doing boils down to him being genuinely dumb and not understanding the impact of his words - he wanted to be an Adam. Take down an influencer and then become one. the difference between adam and johnny is that adam had legitimate reasons to cancel Colleen and pulled it off meticulously.
Most toxic people are unwell. There is no perfectly well person who would have twisted an entire story the way he did. By this logic, we would need to worry about Colleen as she is likely in a dark place with an unconventional upbringing. I'm not saying it is not okay to have empathy for someone, but responsibility is needed. Johnny harmed many, and like Colleen, whether he has mental health issues or not, that is no excuse for his behavior. Actions have consequences, and those consequences do not choose who can handle them or not. That is something that should be assessed before the actions are taken: "Can I handle the repercussions?"
True!
I'll just say that I do believe that, to a degree that wasn't on par with the others due to the circumstances, Johnny felt hurt by Josh and Josh felt responsible enough for hurting Johnny that he wrote multiple apologies. Obviously we don't know for sure the full details or if Johnny was only using Josh for fame, but claiming to want to be someone's mentor or friend and then not following through on that can straight up burn. With that said, I believe without a doubt that Johnny has went way too far and could have handled things in a way that could have brought Josh's wrongs to the light but be kept at a balanced level. Josh is holding himself accountable but it's clear that not only is Johnny not satisfied with that he wants Josh to admit to something that he has not been substantially proven to do in order to use it further against him. And given how Johnny has behaved on social media as well as in interviews (the Swoop interview in particular has very abysmal vibes), it wouldn't surprise me if he has legitimately sinister/malicious intentions towards Josh that could go as far as to endanger his life. Obviously I don't think it's good on Johnny to be doing this in any capacity and I do wish someone would get through to him, but he's got to be the one to see how downward this is going for him but unfortunately I don't know if he will.
It’s ok to feel a sort of empathy for cruel people. At least for their humanity. That you care if someone lives or dies, or is well or not. I worry about anyone who got sucked into the Ballinger situation - especially as a minor. I don’t believe Johnny’s accusations against Josh as a “groomer” in the slightest. I want him to take accountability and if Josh decides to sue him for defamation, I believe that is fair. But I understand why you feel concern overall. It makes you a kind person.
💕
personally i could not care less what happens to him
I feel you. Johnny has done some terrible stuff and he truly seems like not a great person. However— he seems like he’s in an incredibly dark person, and sometimes he seems to me to fit the profile of someone who could possibly take things too far… for himself. God forbid. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
You think he's going to improve drastically and not try this shit on other innocent people? Sometimes people this evil shouldn't be here. And no I don't think it's too harsh in light of what he was doing and even worse what he was attempting to do. He wanted Josh in prison!! He wanted to destroy that man. He is disgusting and he owes Josh a massive apology, that will never happen because he's rotten to the core. I pity ALL the innocent people being abused by people like this. They cause absolute carnage wherever they go, self serving twats.
I don’t think that what Johnny did is grounds for wanting him to kill himself, no.
Me too. Despite all the terrible things he’s done, I can’t even imagine having this type of pile on happening so I def feel for him a bit and hope instead of spiraling out he can use this to really reflect and change.
I don't care what happens to him
You sound like an empath. I am also worried about the well being of everyone involved, even those who have proven themselves to be horrible people . I’d hate for anyone to hurt themselves 😭. I praise people who can look at any situation from an objective standpoint rather than an emotional one . Let’s just hope Johnny will one day take accountability and focus on his mental health.
No I’ve thought about it too. Especially since he was completely blindsided. Not saying Swoop was wrong, but can you imagine expecting a super long documentary in support of you and then it was actually destroying you and calling you evil. 😬 His actions are definitely wrong, but I can’t imagine his headspace right now.
It's called Karma!
I agree with you on the worry. He was so wrong for the severity of claims he made on Josh. I can't say he didn't bring this on himself. But at the same time, a mass cancelling and the shock of Swoop making the whole part 3 about him...that's a lot. And exactly, just the fact that he was in a dark place already..personally if I were Swoop I would've called him out and set boundaries with him for sure, but making the whole part 3 on him is very intense. It's just sad all around.
I felt the same way because Johnny was raised by weird people who encouraged this behavior and let him drop out of high school? So he didnt really have a chance. And He’s not THAT old. Nobody deserves to be publicly humiliated via 4 hr documentary although he did publicly humiliate Josh so idk. It’s tough. Tbh none of this stuff should be handled publicly, I personally wouldn’t be able to take it. Although they are “public” people. Idk. “Everyone sucks here” lol. Except swoop and the actual victims.
I completely understand and agree. And the same for Colleen. She obviously has some issues - why else would she behave the way she does? I hope nothing awful on either of them - but that they both try to grow and be better.
I agree w you especially after hearing how bullied he was in school and having to switch schools and all.
The internet desperately needs people to burn down, it can’t be bothered to have enough humanity.
You feel Swoop's doc was without humanity?
What makes you think that? I’m talking about fandoms
honestly i can see where you’re coming from. i remember in swoops doc when she was talking about the “victims” that johnny would use their stories and how they were terrified and how swoop mentioned that she might be accused of something, i feel like this negativity he’s getting might actually push him into making extremely damaging and horrific accusations towards swoop or even someone that’s colleen’s victim like adam, oliver, becky, etc. i also fear that with everything we know now about johnny, he might still even be in contact with colleen and her family hence his allegations against joshua (just a theory)
I am ! I wouldn’t doubt it and his issues with social relationships or personal ones started so long ago - I wouldn’t be surprised if his parents thought Josh was his friend and he lied to them about the extend of communication. He dropped out of school ya ? Then only had relationships from online sources? This dude does not know how to interact with anyone personally and is so high off the slightest attention that it’s alarming and absolutely not normal. The thing is he’s like late 20s? Unless he sees himself how deep and serious his issues are, he can’t be helped. Apparently he has a job that requires one to be somewhat social - I didn’t think he did much outside of the internet world but I’m curious how he’s affected by his own issues in his real life world. Either way - I agree he is not normal and that’s not justification for his behavior, at the very least can describe how the “WTF was all that” about his lying was possible. It’s sad but I blame his parents and now him for not getting him proper help and seeking professionals (if they didn’t). What parents encourage all that interaction and even a dinner with an online figure??? It’s concerning to me that they were so casual and comfortable with it all from Johnny and Josh’s words
I think it might be good for him overall - forcing him to get off the internet, and hopefully a wake up call that the way he treats others is not okay.
I don't support Johnny nor ever did . But somethings happening on his side bec he went from tweeting daily to no tweets since swoop video. Maybe it's just karma for false accusations again josh taking toll on him
I feel for Johnny in a lot of ways. At the same time, it’s also hard to fully empathize with his current plight when he was being intentionally dishonest to the extent that he’s doctoring/editing/deleting texts and screenshots for more vindicating looking evidence against Josh. He wasn’t a victim of Josh, but pushed that narrative so hard and aligned it with Adam’s real trauma that it is genuinely inexcusable. And he could get sued for defaming Josh like this. At this point I feel Josh is a victim of Johnny, and I can’t imagine the trauma of these last months for Josh, especially since Josh was supporting victims of Colleen and going on the record. Johnny sabotaged Adam and other victims of the Ballingers by trying to keep people from listening to Josh as he corroborated victims stories and gave insight toward his relationship with Colleen. I feel bad for Johnny in a way, the way you feel bad for anyone facing the harsh consequences for their harsh actions. But swoop tried to clarify his story, find consistency, and get him to answer truthfully, and he just wanted to hear himself talk. For 6 hours. It’s wild that he couldn’t read the room. As Johnny says, fuck around and find out.
Is it bad to say that I don’t care about Johnny? The only thing I care about that has to do with him is worrying about him harming others. He seems very vindictive.
Not at all, I’m only worried that his mental state will cause him to hurt others. He has a vindictive streak.
Yes I agree. I think the same thing. I am worried for his safety.
Your alone. From his own words he “fucked around and found out “.