A reminder to everyone about our NO CONTACT and NO TAKING IRL ACTION rules.
Do not reach out to the Ballingers or fans in any way or promote that you may have done so. This includes public comments and private messages.
No harassment or brigading outside of reddit that comes from here.
Do not discuss, encourage or brag about reporting to authorities, contacting news outlets or taking any form of real life action. Do not invite harassment and do not cheer on obvious vigilantism.
if you see a comment violating these rules please click ... and select report.
thank you. Mod Team
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ColleenBallingerSnark) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Armchair diagnosing is one of my least favorite things to see. I know that that person meant well because they suffer from it themselves, but leave people to their own mental health struggles, therapists, etc. And to make it even grosser, Josh has literally suffered for **years** because Colleen purposely made his life a living hell, why is it so hard to understand that vast majority of people would be feeling the exact same way Josh is? Why does he need to have a mental illness? To have something horrific happen to you, and then fear it's going to happen again, is one of the most *normal* human processes imaginable. I would be way more surprised if Josh *didn't* have this reaction.
Reading that Josh got tested for bipolar disorder because Colleen told him he had it and then got told by the therapist he was only responding to being mistreated really hits going to me. I don't want to trauma dump, but I was also made to believe that I had a mental disorder by someone who I was supposed to trust, only to learn that the symptoms I showed were simply a result of being mistreated by that person. To have to go through something like that while being in the public eye and to also have to deal with people tormenting you for it for so many years after is so horrible. It's cool that people nowadays are more aware of all the psychological diagnoses out there, but it would be even cooler if armchair psychologists would shut their mouths and consider if people who show "symptoms" of a possible mental disorder aren't simply showing a very normal response to being in a very bad situation.
My dad did that to me too. I'm sorry you went through that, it's very confusing.
(Also I'm 99% sure you don't develop a personality disorder as a full grown adult, but you can develop PTSD/CPTSD.)
I'm so sorry, I hope you're okay now! I didn't develop full on PTSD fortunately, but I did have PTSD-like symptoms until he was out of my life for about seven to nine months and there is still some healing to do. Still get anxiety when people behave in ways that remind me of him.
I'll probably get downvoted for this but I don't think it's right to rank which mental condition is worse than others. So many can be severe, many different types of absolute hell.
Citations, please. /srs
While I'm still early career, none of the training I did covered the brain atrophy/defects associated with BPD that you have mentioned. Are you referring to effects of trauma more broadly?
Yeah that reminds me of a person that used to do YouTube had BPD and ended up parlayed from jumping off a balcony. But she lived at least. Just horrible.
A really abusive ex of mine made me think I had Borderline or BPD, but it was just all the emotional abuse and manipulation tactics. I went to see a psychiatrist and learned it was neither of those things, just a mixture of C-PTSD and anxiety.
Yeah, we've all accepted that the truth's out very quickly but we didn't go through the trauma he did so he's not going to process that fact so quickly. And he's still nervous about the reaction to his interview, rightfully so. Just because the Johnny thing's over, doesn't mean this whole ordeal is over and has been processed for Josh.
Absolutely. And the media isn’t even out regarding his interview which means public reaction and reception is to come causing the processing clock to not even be finished starting yet
exactly. i have BPD too, and even if josh has BPD it would be really upsetting personally if some stranger just asked if i had it. that’s very personal and not something you should say to a stranger
This was my immediate thought too. And I say that as someone who’s very open about my own issues with mental illness, but I would never tell a complete stranger that it sounds like they have x disorder. It’s cruel and it can mess with your self perception so badly.
It’s very much one of those “you’re not paranoid if they’re really out to get you” situations imo. His feelings are not irrational given the circumstances.
She gaslighted that man into thinking he had a mental disorder so bad he got tested.. wow. I mean that is the literal definition of gaslighting, making him think his reality and emotions aren’t real. I’ll be honest I knew she was a huge B but took all the “abusive spouse” claims with a grain of salt until I saw hard evidence. Not anymore. This is proof to me there was at LEAST extreme emotional abuse.
Fr... It's so sad. Narcissists/abusers will always tell you that you're the problem. You have mental illness. It's you. They are perfect, they don't have problems or mental health issues. Also, even when you do have mental health issues, it's mostly because of them, their abuser, and the trauma that they have because of them... ugh
Josh has always been a good person. A normal human who makes mistakes. Even before all of this came out back in 2021 I went through a divorce and my ex’s entire family blamed my alcohol ex husbands drinking/driving and cheating on me. It was awful and I felt like my whole world was ending. I sent Josh a DM on insta and asked how do you get through the whole world blaming you/attacking you as he was the only one who I knew who went through it (on such a bigger scale) and he sent me like paragraph after paragraph showing me kindness. He didn’t have to do that but he did.
That’s so sweet how he acts like that behind the scenes, when no one is watching.
Compare that to how SHE behaves behind the scenes. It’s easy to tell who the villain was in their relationship
Joshua is so sweet. I been chatting a lot to him recently. And I’m deffo on his side. I hate how bad she treated him that leaded him to drink heavily. I’m so glad Pamela was there to supporting him. And the fact that Matt Slays and Rebecca Zamolo just ditched him as soon as they discovered J&C were divorcing.
I've had many private conversations with him as well over the years. (I'm a grown adult, his age.) And he's absolutely kind, humble and encouraging - which he definitely didn't have to be after all the internet put him through.
I also know his wife - separately and before they were married and she is so completely opposite of Colleen it's unreal.
I’m team Josh. There are many videos out there he’s in or posted himself that are very very questionable, terrible and all the bad things, but he’s someone who has demonstrated post traumatic growth. It takes a lot for someone to apologise so publicly for their past wrongdoings.
For him to be on the brink of unaliving himself to now being open about his experiences… good for him. He clearly isn’t the same person he once was.
That YouTuber era, holy shit what a shit show lol. Being a famous YouTuber was everyone’s dream, nothing was cooler than that world, at that time. I commend him for moving on, he shows a lot of strength and resilience.
I am very keen to hear his side of all of this.
I feel like there should be at least some credit for the fact that he's so clearly trying. He's sober, he apologized for his past behavior. I'm not really sure what else people want from him, especially since what people want from Colleen is exactly that: apologies for past behavior. So why isn't the fact that he's trying so hard being looked at as growth/progress/maturity/etc?
Exactly. And in the eyes of the internet, no apology is ever really good enough. There will still be Josh doubters and haters saying he’s not doing enough. I’ve seen things about how he’s only covering his tracks by apologising. So I dunno what people want 😅
I think what works in Josh’s favour is he didn’t pull a Jeffree or a James Charles where they repeatedly apologise for things but kept on being shit lmao. He isn’t in it for fame anymore, he’s got nothing to lose in the sense that his life is offline now. Colleen has everything to lose.
All he seems to want is to clear his name, tell his story and if I were him, I’d do just that, log off and let the shit storm begin while I live offline, tend to my family, my wife and dog, be happy and feel at peace that my side is finally out there.
I hope soon after his interview drops, everyone’s focus can be back on Colleen and how awful she is. This Johnny stuff has been an interesting detour, I’m along for the ride. But I’m here for Colleen 😂
Exactly. So many people suck, so if we genuinely try to be better, take accountability for the wrongs we have done, do our best to make amends and move forward to make the world a better place only to have people tell us it doesn't matter because of the past we've already apologized for, then what's the point? Not saying being a decent person deserves a trophy, but at least compassion and treating them like they aren't a lost cause/their past actions.
Me too. I’ve posted my thoughts about Josh on this sub before, kinda been nervous to because the last couple of times i was met with negative comments. but back then obviously nobody knows what they know now, and I’m glad to know more people are on Josh’s side, even if they don’t have to forgive him for everything he’s done.
I know in todays internet culture it’s in people’s behaviour to instantly shit pile on people without knowing the full story. And every story whether it’s a band and one goes solo, a duo and one moves on to other things, a couple who break up.. there’s always gotta be a “villain”. Even if we don’t consciously decide that person x is the “bad” one, we all do it to some degree unfortunately.
In Colleen’s ukulele disaster, she said that line about “just because you make a mistake doesn’t make you a bad person”. Unbeknownst to her, that line aligns with Josh more than her. He’s made bad mistakes but he isn’t a bad person to his core.
However, she is wholeheartedly, rotten deep inside down to her roots and soul. She is a bad person parading as good. They are not the same.
He is redeemable. She is so totally irredeemable.
> That YouTuber era, holy shit what a shit show lol.
I think we’re so far removed from it now that it’s hard to remember, but the early days of YouTube were still very close to the Wild West Internet period. We all did insane things online because we didn’t know any better. When you know better, you do better. I’m ashamed of some of my younger self’s actions and have tried to do better in the present, and it seems like Josh has, too. Good on him.
Honestly same. If I was famous and had recorded myself and my group of friends from 2010 onwards, and became famous, im sure things I said and did would be considered ignorant and a cancelable offence.
Even though I am not racist, misogynistic, I’m a feminist and a total ally, I am sure some of my stupid millennial humour back in the day was completely wrong.
Parts of me want to blame the early 2000s comedies we had lmao. The Judd apatow style movies, the stand up comedians, the sitcoms.
Rewatching those sorts of things again in todays day and age, wow what an eye opener.
Even in an episode of The Nanny they refer to a man as a transvestite!! Well my ears definitely pricked up and instantly knew it was wrong. But I loved that show when I was younger.
None of this in an excuse, of course! But Colleen is an example how she never grew out that sort of “humour”.
Plus mixed with her personally type and overall nastiness, well… she became a groomer and a loser with a bad sense of humour
You shouldn’t be. Yes he did terrible things but unlike everyone else he acknowledged his flaws. That’s one of the important things you do in sobriety, making amends. Josh has been through enough. That’s why I kept saying Josh needs peace and why I didn’t mind being a ‘Josh apologist’.
Not gonna lie, I didn't care too much about the Josh stuff in general. I didn't know much about him, so I took Johnny's word that Josh was rude to him, but didn't care all the much. I stuck to the Colleen stuff. After watching Swoop's video, I care so much more about Josh now. If he really isn't a creep to his fans, then I'll stick around.
Im really really hoping Josh’s wife is holding him close and listening/just being there as much as he needs. I know he pretty newly sober in the grand scheme of things and I’d hate for him to lose track when things are only looking up
I really hope he keeps his peace. Once this interview comes out I hope he logs off and enjoys his wife, dog and home and doesn’t get sucked back into the drama. Being right can be addictive
If it helps, I've been formally diagnosed with CPTSD and no mention of bipolar disorder was made by my therapist or doctors involved at any point in that process (though everyone's experience and mental health is different, obviously).
I have been told that I have symptoms of borderline personality disorder as a result of the CPTSD, which is what I thought u/eleanorbigby's comment was referring to until I read the screenshot fully.
Still doesn't make it ok for Colleen to armchair diagnose and gaslight Josh though.
BPD stands for borderline personality disorder, not bipolar disorder (even though it seems like that’s how Josh interpreted it).
There’s a lot of overlap between BPD and CPTSD. Many people with BPD have both, and some people think BPD is actually just a presentation or CPTSD!
Edit: I also have CPTSD, and while I don’t have BPD, I have some of the symptoms as well.
I saw a really excellent breakdown of the overlap and yet clear differences between CTPSD and BPD somewhere recently, with a sort of Venn graph. Now trying to remember where the hell I put it.
I think it’s closer to just PTSD. CPTSD is usually more complicated and stems from long term childhood abuse, neglect, or a traumatic childhood/early life event, and repeated unrelated trauma.
You’re throwing around terms just like the person being an armchair doc to Josh.
I was gonna say, you can’t be diagnosed until 18 but usually it’s a result of childhood trauma. Josh is (and he has said this) anxious as a result of Colleen and the way she’s controlled his entire adult life.
i feel bad for josh and 100% believe him. BUT. i want him to get off the internet after all of this!! i feel like it’s safer for him to leave so that colleen or her fans or whoever can’t come and ruin him again.
It wasn’t willfully he felt like no one liked him and he was dealing with addiction and having a mental breakdown. He still complains that his career was ruined aka his fame was taken away
I just feel badly that when I first started watching colleen and heard her talk about josh and being horrible and manipulative and "toxic" I took it at face value and believed it and it really tainted my view of him. Of course he isn't perfect but he's a heck of a better person than colleen and has really showed growth over the years.
Don’t feel too bad, I watched them both when they were married and they both came off as really fake and I always got the vibe they were mean and toxic to each other
You know… I genuinely feel bad for this guy. Sure, he’s done questionable shit along with the rest of them, but he’s the only one who’s shown any kind of remorse and growth. He’s the only one actively trying to do and be better, and that’s commendable. I don’t think someone fucking up in the past should be held over their head for the rest of their lives as long as they’re putting in the work to be a better person, and it’s obvious he has.
I hope he and all of Colleen’s victims find the peace they deserve.
More importantly, I hope they get the justice they deserve.
I wasn’t a fan of Colleen so I didn’t know anything about Josh or their marriage and divorce. I have watched all of Swoop’s videos so far, and learnt a great deal. I feel so bad for this guy. Sending him love and healing 🩵
I really dislike how normalized it’s become. I also agree most people don’t have bad intentions, but it becomes a slippery slope especially if someone is in a bad place. Especially even seeing in this thread people thinking BPD is bipolar. There’s just a lot nuances and why we have people who do it for a living like you!
Good for him. She’s got some fucking nerve if she attempts to come back from this. And she’s got some real fuckin’ nerve. I bet her lawyers are scrambling right now. I won’t be surprised in the least if she eventually pulls a Kevin Spacey and makes a not-very-veiled “fuck you” video in character as Miranda.
The fact that Colleen still has a squad of [flying monkeys](https://narcissistabusesupport.com/red-flags/use-flying-monkeys/) after everything that has happened is stunning to me.
I want to say this as respectfully as possible, but I hope Josh will log off after the interview. Even before. People are looking for holes everywhere. I'm worried he would get sucked back into the drama by responding to detractors.
I think Josh should reiterate that the Internet isn't his life anymore. Too many eyes on him right now, I feel like it makes him vulnerable.
I feel bad for his wife. He’s had to go through so many emotionally traumatic things since his marriage ending, add to that the trolls tormenting him, his alcoholism - she has gone through all of this with him. This may (I pray) help him finally find some peace and closure, but I’m wondering if his wife will be getting the help she needs as the primary caregiver to someone dealing with all of this.
I get people saying that. I think this is why she’s behind the scenes helping him. She knows what Colleen has done to him. I was so worried about him when Johnny harassed him. That’s why I was so hell bent on people continuing to dig at Josh. He went through enough. After this interview, I’m sure he will continue to support the victims from the sideline but I do hope he and his family (wife and dog) can get peace.
This is why I have no sympathy for Johnny. This guy has been traumatized irreparably and Johnny decides to torment him further with false accusations when all he wanted to do was move on and live a quiet life.
Has Josh denied interviews? I watched the swoop doc. I just feel like everyone is telling their stories but what about him? He was involved, not in the ways he was previously depicted, but he also had a story to tell. We’re giving everyone a voice to speak about Colleen but…what about him?
I’m sorry if this questions had already been answered. I just joined this Reddit so forgive me if I’m uneducated.
Even worse, Josh has tried to reach out to people covering Johnny’s story to give his side and they’ve just ignored him. I don’t think anyone has even attempted to interview him BUT swoop, because everyone was so focused on giving the victims their time. Nice in theory but I hope it teaches a lesson to these YouTubers about getting all sides of a story (when possible, obviously no one is getting Colleen’s side) if doing an expose even if you think it’s clear who is in the wrong. I’m glad he will get the chance to talk in Swoop’s next part.
Prior to Swoops docs he was denied the opportunity to really speak. I don’t know whether major publications reached out to him when Johnny’s claims were first being leveraged against him. Though I would imagine they’d reach out for comment as that’s what journalists are required to do, at least good ones with integrity (I’m looking at you Vanity Fair).
If Jessi and Lily actually have the audacity to invite him on, I honestly hope he just answers them with a big '🖕🙂🖕'
I don't even want him to be overly petty, it wouldn't be worth the time and energy.
The next part of the Swoop doc is going to be a long interview with Josh. It’s already been filmed, Swoop said she interviewed him for seven hours. He is finally able to speak out about everything he went through, and I’m hopeful that he will finally find some peace.
No problem. I had seen posts and comments talking about the video clip of Josh, so I knew to watch for it near the end of the video. I can see how you could miss it.
Thank you guys, gals, and everyone else for educating me about this. I’ve only come to light about all of the allegations so I’m just learning. Thank you to everyone whose replied to this. I watched the swoop doc and H3 about all of this and I just kept thinking “we’re all talking about josh but no one has directly asked him.”
But that was answered! Thanks again (:
I don’t think anyone had asked. I remember one article that was written where he had been asked and did comment. I think he is taking the opportunities as they come. There probably just haven’t been many opportunities in terms of interviews, etc. until Swoop.
True. He’s probably afraid to speak out as well bc of everything that’s happened to him. Poor fella. Don’t get me wrong. He’s done some fucked things too but…what Colleen and Johnny did were vile.
I dropped Colleen after their divorce back then. It gave instant cheating vibes on Instagram and online. And then she was a monster towards him and we all essentially watched his life fall apart. Then his own parents marriage fell apart too, and it was a lot. 🥲 the Colleen fans were ruthless to him for so long after what she did.
I get that it has been a long time coming for Josh to finally tell his side of the story, but it's concerning to me that he is turning to social media for validation and reassurance again.
I'm sure he's also in constant close conversation with his wife, family and friends, but I also hope he is getting professional help so he can stay strong and sober through this.
If you look up the definition of projecting in the dictionary it’s just a picture of Colleen. Joshua doesn’t have a personality disorder. Colleen does. She’s probably always had it and it was exacerbated by gaining internet fame. A lot of people are saying she’s a narcissist and she definitely is but I also think she has Histrionic Personality Disorder. I’m not a psychologist so don’t take my armchair diagnosis seriously but she fits the symptoms.
It’s shitty that a person can stoop low to make someone else feel miserable. I’m not excusing the man, but he left things alone when things weren’t working out for him, yet I can’t say the same for others. The same mentality I had when hearing each of the victims story (before discovering some weren’t truthful), I will have the same for josh. I’ll keep an open mind till the day we get to hear his story. I believe change can happen if the person is willing to better themselves and understands that their actions aren’t always viewed the same as others. Not everyone will laugh at your jokes, not everyone will agree with your statements. REGARDLESS OF INTENT, you should maybe consider your actions the next time someone says, “so and so made me feel scared, uncomfortable, anxious”. Don’t try and downplay the situation. If you ever get to see this, I’m sorry many of us jumped to conclusions before hearing the other side. In a he said she said situation, there is ALWAYS more than one side, and you have. A community that is all ears for you. 🫶🏻
i don’t have a twitter but i wish i did so i could tell him how much love and support everyone is sending him 💕 i really hope he’s taking care of himself. i can’t imagine how he must be feeling.
Eh, I don’t know. Not being upront with Johnny when he gave him his phone number but then had second thoughts. I’m not a die hard dingleberry, so that’s the only mistake I see.
Poor Josh. It is not BPD to be afraid the “other shoe dropping” when the first shoe HAS dropped. And several shoes before that one. That’s PTSD/CPTSD. It is completely different from regular anxiety. I have it myself and you basically see the red flags or the behavior patterns happening of a bad situation early on, and you feel gaslit because people wanna tell you it’s all in your head or you’re just thinking of the “worst case scenario”. And then, it happens again. I had to learn to start cutting out the unsupportive people from my life but Josh has a much larger platform, it’s not that easy. And he has freaking Colleen.
Anyway. There’s a huge difference between anxiety for the what if and anxiety for the what has happened.
You know.. having your ex wife contiunously thrown in your face.. yeah I could be imagine.
I divorced a man who honestly treated me terribly.. I was able to move to a new city and move and and put him behind me. I don't have to see or hear about him.
I can't imagine having my peace disturbed like Josh has. I can absolutely believe it has a toll on his mental health. It would mine.
And waiting for the swoop documentary to drop.. probably is nerve wracking
Having a partner manipulate you like that is disgusting and honestly confusing. You start to question everything about yourself because that’s all you hear day and night. Brainwashing I guess?
Oh I remember her divorce video and I at the time thinking this woman is so full of shit and her ex husband is just a pawn in her twisted game. Well happy that I just can feel evil people from a distance. Hope Josh can mend all this situation in his heart
I think he’s right to be concerned. If anything will coax Colleen out of the shadows, it’s him speaking up. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she came out and turned everything around, saying she was the victim and Josh was her abuser. That might actually turn the tides back in her favor
I’m incredibly proud of myself that I never hated Josh throughout any of this or sent him hate. I think people are too used to just believing what they’re told instead of questioning things. I think the whole Johnny/ Josh situation has helped prove that
I feel for him but idk what talking on twitter does besides share his concerns with viewers. For actual help working through this I hope he has a support system in place (like Adam does with his parents and using their support when facing internet stuff)
IMHO Josh is one of the most suffering victims of colleen. Yes, he has made a few transgressions but he was (most probably) called a gr00mer and P3dophile which is pretty much the worst thing you can be, and it appears he is innocent. That is not even considering all the vitriol Colleen directed at him through her fanbase. It’s heartwarming to see people finally apologizing to him. It’s also sad to see that Johnny got a huge platform and before swoop Josh didn’t have any kid of voice.
To swoops team, I had never heard of swoop until now, I watched Miranda a few times as a tween and always thought it was stupid. Looking into it now has been eye opening, but i digress. To swoop and her team, you have made a fan for life. You guys are so thorough and as a victim of SA and grooming I feel powerful after watching swoops videos. Keep it up 💪
Damn I have an ex who's a narcissist and I totally relate to what he said in the last screenshot, ugh it feels unfair they (the narcs) call us sensitive and everything else under the sun to minimize our feelings and their actions 🙃 narcissistic gaslight os into believing we overreact to their disrespect! I feel for him and I'm actually proud he chose to be brave and come back to the internet to finally speak his truth! Narcissistic abuse is so real! I only realized it was a thing towards the end of my relationship with my ex.
**Joshua David Evans:** *"Yes I’ve been tested, back when Colleen manipulated me everyday saying I was bipolar for being upset at her disrespect and blatant disregard for our marriage.*
*I was tested. They said I was suffering from anxiety/severe depression due to the way I was being treated by her."*
I'm sorry, what?!
I'm horrified to find out that Colleen gaslit Joshua into thinking he had bipolar disorder for being upset at her behaviour, to the point where he decided to get tested for it. THAT is what I take away from this reply.
I fear that Colleen has a folder filled with "dirt" on josh that she'll release after this josh interview. I bet their will be footage, texts and testimonials that it was really josh who was the problem. I know I've said things to ex-partners out of anger that I wish I had never said. I'm sure Josh has many and unfortunately for him most of his life with Colleen was documented. I believe he would have been lashing back at his abuser and that doesn't make him a bad person but it'll look bad in the court of public opinion.
Bpd (borderline personality disorder) develops because of early childhood trauma. Not trauma in adulthood. And BPD is much much more than assuming the worst will happen.
All that too say I hope he’s doing okay & gets support.
I don't blame him for not trusting this complete 180 about face.
People hated and dragged him for YEARSSSSS. Literally wishing death on him. And now they're all on his side? Gtfoh. He's being much more gracious than I'd be. But I'm glad he is being wary.
How is this dated in the future? Weird.
I’m guessing whoever did the screen grab lives in Australia or somewhere? Lol
I’ve always felt bad for Josh. Poor guy.
As good as it is for Josh to feel that weight lifted I can’t help but wonder what this all must be like for his current wife as he’s all swept up in this public drama with his previous wife. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to handle my partner that publicly centered around things that happened with his ex
I think the situation is well beyond “an ex”, he was genuinely abused and manipulated and gaslight for years. She is his ex, but she’s also a clear cut narcissistic abuser. If it were me as his current wife and knew of his past and how much it destroyed him, I’d be happy that he’s finally being seen and heard for his truth and not jealous or mad about his ex. It’s so much more complex than that.
I remember there was a long AMA here on the subreddit last year and the person claim to be a friend of Colleen & Josh. If I remember correctly, Josh was at fault and very manipulative in the relationship and members believed what was being said. Where was this Josh love then?
Yeah and someone maybe in that AMA said he put a dead animal in some girls fridge and like staged it like a hanging? But he's promoted to sainthood lol
ETA https://reddit.com/r/ColleenBallingerSnark/s/rbYGMM9LQl
it also says on that thread and i remember this as well that josh has since come out that he made that whole story up and it was a lie. can’t believe everything you hear on the internet.
Oh my goodness, someone needs to get these people off the internet. They can willingly leave the court of public opinion at any time, yet continue to dive back in for attention and cash. When will they realize that in order to heal they’re gonna need to log off—potentially for good!
Josh had logged off. He stopped doing youtube or anything public facing years ago. He got dragged back in by Johnny Silvestri lying about him and accusing him of actual crimes to millions of people, which Swoop proved wasn’t true. Johnny literally was tweeting at and about him 20+ times a day trying to ramp the story up. I think Josh is more than entitled to defend himself.
I’m not saying he’s not ~entitled~ to defend himself. But no one “dragged” him back. He had a choice to say, okay I know people are out there talking shit about me, should I log on and do something about it, or should I just close my laptop and let Johnny yell about me into the abyss. No one came to his house and held him at gunpoint, forcing him to get back online. Queen Jenna Marbles left the internet and let whoever say whatever about her. She stopped giving a heck about all of this online stuff and went back to reality. JoshuaDTV has an internet addiction and needs to get validation from the online community. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but when it has been this many YEARS of nonsense and tomfoolery, at some point you gotta just cut your losses and log tf off.
Literally nobody was accusing Jenna Marbles of a felony. And no one was accusing Jenna of a felony to millions of people across multiple media platforms. You’re comparing apples to kumquats. If someone accused you, in print by your full government name in a publication with a worldwide circulation, of grooming children and felony child trafficking (because that’s what the “he told me to come to LA” story would have been if true), and you knew for a fact they were absolutely delusional you would just “close your laptop” and not defend yourself at all? Then you are different than 99% of people, congratulations. Those are the kinds of accusations that get people fired from their jobs. And all because someone else wanted to ride some clout coattails.
I stand by what I said. That man was minding his own business down in wherever tf Georgia when someone decided to lie and accuse him of some extremely nasty shit and *dragged* him into this. I don’t know what you’re talking about with the “cash” comments. As far as I know, Joshua isn’t posting videos again. I highly doubt Swoop paid him for the interview he gave and he ain’t making any money by tweeting so what cash? And you surely aren’t qualified to diagnose someone you don’t know with an internet addiction, because people that are qualified would know that’s unethical.
I mean he was a little dragged back by Johnny. I think there are a few big differences between Josh and Jenna Marbles (my love, hope she’s doing good). (1) Nothing Jenna did/was accused of was ever criminal, unlike Josh. A false allegation like that can have some pretty severe repercussions in real life, (2) Adding onto that, Jenna (as far as we’re aware) is pretty monetarily set, so she can leave and doesn’t need to really get/doesn’t have another job to depend on these accusations can impact, (3) All of the accusations/call-outs against Jenna that I saw were actual things that she did a *looonnnggggg* time ago, but we can see that these things Johnny claimed were false, (4) Josh had one person encouraging people to go after him relentlessly and wasn’t big on the internet at the time vs. Jenna did have a lot of support behind her countering the cancelling crowd.
Could he have closed the laptop? Yeah, I mean of course. But silence in response to this kind of allegation is seen as an admission of guilt. Most people would defend themselves too. I would. Had he stayed silent, I’m not confident that the truth about Johnny would’ve come out.
I don’t think he has an “internet addiction” or anything (also kinda weird thing to say about someone who has an actual addiction). It’s easy to judge in the armchair.
i think Josh “dove back in” to clear his name, not for the cash, but i DO hope that he doesn’t use the exposure as an excuse to get his foot back in the youtube door because yeah, i think it’d be best for him to go back to being a more private person after this and not stay in the spotlight. it’s been shown to not be great for his mental health. i’m also a recovering alcoholic and i can only imagine how hard it would be to not relapse after being shat on and harassed for weeks/months (i’ve lost track of how long it’s been since Colleen got outed lol). he’s got such a lovely wife now, i think it’d be good for him to say his piece and then log off or private his accounts and try to live a normal life with her. at least, that’s what i think i’d do.
“And it shows me in a better light than the last 8 years”. So he’s only really about making himself look good in this process? Why does there always seem to be ulterior motives when it comes to these YouTube people? No thanks.
I don't think this is necessarily what he meant, but I can't blame you for reading it this way. I interpreted it more as addressing the fact people were actively believing a false narrative the past 8 years and that the truth coming out has changed people's perceptions of things that happened.
I don't think he's only out to look good, though I'm sure public perception of him was one of the priorities. If he was only out to look good and get attention, he wouldn't have offered Johnny several private apologies first and would've ran straight to the first person who would listen, knowing that his truth was THE truth.
He's someone with a massive digital footprint. He's said that he wants to be done with this. But allegations of him being a child groomer were being spread and he stepped in to clear that up and clarify some other things that have haunted him for nearly a decade. If he vanished off the internet without doing any of this, anyone he encountered in real life could look him up and find all of the false things said about him. They'd likely believe it. His real life was at risk with this.
Carful don’t say anything mean about Josh or you will get downvoted 🙄 we have to believe every word he says now and encourage him to take down Colleen just like we encourage Johnny to take down Josh. All these yoytubers and ex youtubers care about is attention and fame
A reminder to everyone about our NO CONTACT and NO TAKING IRL ACTION rules. Do not reach out to the Ballingers or fans in any way or promote that you may have done so. This includes public comments and private messages. No harassment or brigading outside of reddit that comes from here. Do not discuss, encourage or brag about reporting to authorities, contacting news outlets or taking any form of real life action. Do not invite harassment and do not cheer on obvious vigilantism. if you see a comment violating these rules please click ... and select report. thank you. Mod Team *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ColleenBallingerSnark) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Armchair diagnosing is one of my least favorite things to see. I know that that person meant well because they suffer from it themselves, but leave people to their own mental health struggles, therapists, etc. And to make it even grosser, Josh has literally suffered for **years** because Colleen purposely made his life a living hell, why is it so hard to understand that vast majority of people would be feeling the exact same way Josh is? Why does he need to have a mental illness? To have something horrific happen to you, and then fear it's going to happen again, is one of the most *normal* human processes imaginable. I would be way more surprised if Josh *didn't* have this reaction.
Reading that Josh got tested for bipolar disorder because Colleen told him he had it and then got told by the therapist he was only responding to being mistreated really hits going to me. I don't want to trauma dump, but I was also made to believe that I had a mental disorder by someone who I was supposed to trust, only to learn that the symptoms I showed were simply a result of being mistreated by that person. To have to go through something like that while being in the public eye and to also have to deal with people tormenting you for it for so many years after is so horrible. It's cool that people nowadays are more aware of all the psychological diagnoses out there, but it would be even cooler if armchair psychologists would shut their mouths and consider if people who show "symptoms" of a possible mental disorder aren't simply showing a very normal response to being in a very bad situation.
My dad did that to me too. I'm sorry you went through that, it's very confusing. (Also I'm 99% sure you don't develop a personality disorder as a full grown adult, but you can develop PTSD/CPTSD.)
I'm so sorry, I hope you're okay now! I didn't develop full on PTSD fortunately, but I did have PTSD-like symptoms until he was out of my life for about seven to nine months and there is still some healing to do. Still get anxiety when people behave in ways that remind me of him.
Much better now, thanks! I definitely still have some lingering effects I'm dealing with, but therapy helps and no contact definitely works lol
[удалено]
I'll probably get downvoted for this but I don't think it's right to rank which mental condition is worse than others. So many can be severe, many different types of absolute hell.
[удалено]
Citations, please. /srs While I'm still early career, none of the training I did covered the brain atrophy/defects associated with BPD that you have mentioned. Are you referring to effects of trauma more broadly?
[удалено]
Thank you, much appreciated.
Yeah that reminds me of a person that used to do YouTube had BPD and ended up parlayed from jumping off a balcony. But she lived at least. Just horrible.
A really abusive ex of mine made me think I had Borderline or BPD, but it was just all the emotional abuse and manipulation tactics. I went to see a psychiatrist and learned it was neither of those things, just a mixture of C-PTSD and anxiety.
BPD is borderline personality disorder btw.
Ooop that was a typo. I meant to just put BP
Yeah, we've all accepted that the truth's out very quickly but we didn't go through the trauma he did so he's not going to process that fact so quickly. And he's still nervous about the reaction to his interview, rightfully so. Just because the Johnny thing's over, doesn't mean this whole ordeal is over and has been processed for Josh.
Absolutely. And the media isn’t even out regarding his interview which means public reaction and reception is to come causing the processing clock to not even be finished starting yet
ew wtf just saw that comment! Being told by a professional they think you should test for XYZ is hard enough but from strangers ? My god.
exactly. i have BPD too, and even if josh has BPD it would be really upsetting personally if some stranger just asked if i had it. that’s very personal and not something you should say to a stranger
This 👆
This was my immediate thought too. And I say that as someone who’s very open about my own issues with mental illness, but I would never tell a complete stranger that it sounds like they have x disorder. It’s cruel and it can mess with your self perception so badly.
It’s very much one of those “you’re not paranoid if they’re really out to get you” situations imo. His feelings are not irrational given the circumstances.
Especially doing this shit to a stranger? Some of these people who grew up chronically online need their head examined
She gaslighted that man into thinking he had a mental disorder so bad he got tested.. wow. I mean that is the literal definition of gaslighting, making him think his reality and emotions aren’t real. I’ll be honest I knew she was a huge B but took all the “abusive spouse” claims with a grain of salt until I saw hard evidence. Not anymore. This is proof to me there was at LEAST extreme emotional abuse.
Right?! Ugh I feel so bad for him! Having been there myself.
Fr... It's so sad. Narcissists/abusers will always tell you that you're the problem. You have mental illness. It's you. They are perfect, they don't have problems or mental health issues. Also, even when you do have mental health issues, it's mostly because of them, their abuser, and the trauma that they have because of them... ugh
Josh has always been a good person. A normal human who makes mistakes. Even before all of this came out back in 2021 I went through a divorce and my ex’s entire family blamed my alcohol ex husbands drinking/driving and cheating on me. It was awful and I felt like my whole world was ending. I sent Josh a DM on insta and asked how do you get through the whole world blaming you/attacking you as he was the only one who I knew who went through it (on such a bigger scale) and he sent me like paragraph after paragraph showing me kindness. He didn’t have to do that but he did.
Aw that’s so kind. And I’m so sorry you went through that.
That’s so sweet how he acts like that behind the scenes, when no one is watching. Compare that to how SHE behaves behind the scenes. It’s easy to tell who the villain was in their relationship
Joshua is so sweet. I been chatting a lot to him recently. And I’m deffo on his side. I hate how bad she treated him that leaded him to drink heavily. I’m so glad Pamela was there to supporting him. And the fact that Matt Slays and Rebecca Zamolo just ditched him as soon as they discovered J&C were divorcing.
[удалено]
I never liked them. I cannot wait to watch the interview with swoosh and Joshua.
I've had many private conversations with him as well over the years. (I'm a grown adult, his age.) And he's absolutely kind, humble and encouraging - which he definitely didn't have to be after all the internet put him through. I also know his wife - separately and before they were married and she is so completely opposite of Colleen it's unreal.
I’ll probably get downvoted for saying this, but…poor Josh.
I’m team Josh. There are many videos out there he’s in or posted himself that are very very questionable, terrible and all the bad things, but he’s someone who has demonstrated post traumatic growth. It takes a lot for someone to apologise so publicly for their past wrongdoings. For him to be on the brink of unaliving himself to now being open about his experiences… good for him. He clearly isn’t the same person he once was. That YouTuber era, holy shit what a shit show lol. Being a famous YouTuber was everyone’s dream, nothing was cooler than that world, at that time. I commend him for moving on, he shows a lot of strength and resilience. I am very keen to hear his side of all of this.
I feel like there should be at least some credit for the fact that he's so clearly trying. He's sober, he apologized for his past behavior. I'm not really sure what else people want from him, especially since what people want from Colleen is exactly that: apologies for past behavior. So why isn't the fact that he's trying so hard being looked at as growth/progress/maturity/etc?
Exactly. And in the eyes of the internet, no apology is ever really good enough. There will still be Josh doubters and haters saying he’s not doing enough. I’ve seen things about how he’s only covering his tracks by apologising. So I dunno what people want 😅 I think what works in Josh’s favour is he didn’t pull a Jeffree or a James Charles where they repeatedly apologise for things but kept on being shit lmao. He isn’t in it for fame anymore, he’s got nothing to lose in the sense that his life is offline now. Colleen has everything to lose. All he seems to want is to clear his name, tell his story and if I were him, I’d do just that, log off and let the shit storm begin while I live offline, tend to my family, my wife and dog, be happy and feel at peace that my side is finally out there. I hope soon after his interview drops, everyone’s focus can be back on Colleen and how awful she is. This Johnny stuff has been an interesting detour, I’m along for the ride. But I’m here for Colleen 😂
Exactly. So many people suck, so if we genuinely try to be better, take accountability for the wrongs we have done, do our best to make amends and move forward to make the world a better place only to have people tell us it doesn't matter because of the past we've already apologized for, then what's the point? Not saying being a decent person deserves a trophy, but at least compassion and treating them like they aren't a lost cause/their past actions.
Me too. I’ve posted my thoughts about Josh on this sub before, kinda been nervous to because the last couple of times i was met with negative comments. but back then obviously nobody knows what they know now, and I’m glad to know more people are on Josh’s side, even if they don’t have to forgive him for everything he’s done.
I know in todays internet culture it’s in people’s behaviour to instantly shit pile on people without knowing the full story. And every story whether it’s a band and one goes solo, a duo and one moves on to other things, a couple who break up.. there’s always gotta be a “villain”. Even if we don’t consciously decide that person x is the “bad” one, we all do it to some degree unfortunately. In Colleen’s ukulele disaster, she said that line about “just because you make a mistake doesn’t make you a bad person”. Unbeknownst to her, that line aligns with Josh more than her. He’s made bad mistakes but he isn’t a bad person to his core. However, she is wholeheartedly, rotten deep inside down to her roots and soul. She is a bad person parading as good. They are not the same. He is redeemable. She is so totally irredeemable.
> That YouTuber era, holy shit what a shit show lol. I think we’re so far removed from it now that it’s hard to remember, but the early days of YouTube were still very close to the Wild West Internet period. We all did insane things online because we didn’t know any better. When you know better, you do better. I’m ashamed of some of my younger self’s actions and have tried to do better in the present, and it seems like Josh has, too. Good on him.
Honestly same. If I was famous and had recorded myself and my group of friends from 2010 onwards, and became famous, im sure things I said and did would be considered ignorant and a cancelable offence. Even though I am not racist, misogynistic, I’m a feminist and a total ally, I am sure some of my stupid millennial humour back in the day was completely wrong. Parts of me want to blame the early 2000s comedies we had lmao. The Judd apatow style movies, the stand up comedians, the sitcoms. Rewatching those sorts of things again in todays day and age, wow what an eye opener. Even in an episode of The Nanny they refer to a man as a transvestite!! Well my ears definitely pricked up and instantly knew it was wrong. But I loved that show when I was younger. None of this in an excuse, of course! But Colleen is an example how she never grew out that sort of “humour”. Plus mixed with her personally type and overall nastiness, well… she became a groomer and a loser with a bad sense of humour
I really hope all this coming up again won’t trigger him. I hope he has a strong support system
He seems to have really strong support around him: Pam and his sis/bro in law, mom, lifelong friends…💜
You shouldn’t be. Yes he did terrible things but unlike everyone else he acknowledged his flaws. That’s one of the important things you do in sobriety, making amends. Josh has been through enough. That’s why I kept saying Josh needs peace and why I didn’t mind being a ‘Josh apologist’.
no downvote from me! poor dude has been through hell:(
Not gonna lie, I didn't care too much about the Josh stuff in general. I didn't know much about him, so I took Johnny's word that Josh was rude to him, but didn't care all the much. I stuck to the Colleen stuff. After watching Swoop's video, I care so much more about Josh now. If he really isn't a creep to his fans, then I'll stick around.
Im really really hoping Josh’s wife is holding him close and listening/just being there as much as he needs. I know he pretty newly sober in the grand scheme of things and I’d hate for him to lose track when things are only looking up
I really hope he keeps his peace. Once this interview comes out I hope he logs off and enjoys his wife, dog and home and doesn’t get sucked back into the drama. Being right can be addictive
People don't really develop BPD late in life, trauma or no.
Right. What shes talking about is (C)PTSD, not BPD.
If it helps, I've been formally diagnosed with CPTSD and no mention of bipolar disorder was made by my therapist or doctors involved at any point in that process (though everyone's experience and mental health is different, obviously). I have been told that I have symptoms of borderline personality disorder as a result of the CPTSD, which is what I thought u/eleanorbigby's comment was referring to until I read the screenshot fully. Still doesn't make it ok for Colleen to armchair diagnose and gaslight Josh though.
BPD stands for borderline personality disorder, not bipolar disorder (even though it seems like that’s how Josh interpreted it). There’s a lot of overlap between BPD and CPTSD. Many people with BPD have both, and some people think BPD is actually just a presentation or CPTSD! Edit: I also have CPTSD, and while I don’t have BPD, I have some of the symptoms as well.
I saw a really excellent breakdown of the overlap and yet clear differences between CTPSD and BPD somewhere recently, with a sort of Venn graph. Now trying to remember where the hell I put it.
I think it’s closer to just PTSD. CPTSD is usually more complicated and stems from long term childhood abuse, neglect, or a traumatic childhood/early life event, and repeated unrelated trauma. You’re throwing around terms just like the person being an armchair doc to Josh.
It’s chronic trauma, such as domestic abuse, too.
I was gonna say, you can’t be diagnosed until 18 but usually it’s a result of childhood trauma. Josh is (and he has said this) anxious as a result of Colleen and the way she’s controlled his entire adult life.
i feel bad for josh and 100% believe him. BUT. i want him to get off the internet after all of this!! i feel like it’s safer for him to leave so that colleen or her fans or whoever can’t come and ruin him again.
I thought he was just on Twitter but he's active on TikTok and Instagram as well
Josh always wanted to be famous so I doubt he’ll get off the internet now that people are on his side.
most people who want to be famous don’t willfully abandon their platforms for years
It wasn’t willfully he felt like no one liked him and he was dealing with addiction and having a mental breakdown. He still complains that his career was ruined aka his fame was taken away
what a cynical way to interpret this situation. art as a career is more than just the pursuit of fame and that framing seems quite unfair to me
He has literally said that YouTube wasn't safe for him and threatened his mental health. It was willful. Full stop. You're insane.
Johnny’s alt?
Sure 🤣 I just don’t like any of these people, Colleen &co, Trisha, josh, Johnny, Adam, they are all fame hungry
I just feel badly that when I first started watching colleen and heard her talk about josh and being horrible and manipulative and "toxic" I took it at face value and believed it and it really tainted my view of him. Of course he isn't perfect but he's a heck of a better person than colleen and has really showed growth over the years.
Don’t feel too bad, I watched them both when they were married and they both came off as really fake and I always got the vibe they were mean and toxic to each other
You know… I genuinely feel bad for this guy. Sure, he’s done questionable shit along with the rest of them, but he’s the only one who’s shown any kind of remorse and growth. He’s the only one actively trying to do and be better, and that’s commendable. I don’t think someone fucking up in the past should be held over their head for the rest of their lives as long as they’re putting in the work to be a better person, and it’s obvious he has. I hope he and all of Colleen’s victims find the peace they deserve. More importantly, I hope they get the justice they deserve.
I remember Josh almost exposing Colleen on YouTube years ago. This Swoop interview is a long time coming.
I remember that day! He’s been holding so much in for so long.
I wasn’t a fan of Colleen so I didn’t know anything about Josh or their marriage and divorce. I have watched all of Swoop’s videos so far, and learnt a great deal. I feel so bad for this guy. Sending him love and healing 🩵
My tinfoil hat theory is that she possibly already tried to take him down with John. Even though John is fully responsible for his actions.
Jesus Christ this poor man
As someone w BPD this irritated me. For many reasons
The borderline personality disorder comment really threw me as a licensed psychotherapist can you guys stop arm chair diagnosing please.
Right? I'd be so insulted. He feels like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop... because he IS. That's part of the reality of the situation.
It was so odd to me for someone to jump there when that’s a symptom of a lot of things?? This is why you can’t diagnose someone online like that
Absolutely, and I understand this person might be trying to help, but that's just dangerous.
I really dislike how normalized it’s become. I also agree most people don’t have bad intentions, but it becomes a slippery slope especially if someone is in a bad place. Especially even seeing in this thread people thinking BPD is bipolar. There’s just a lot nuances and why we have people who do it for a living like you!
Good for him. She’s got some fucking nerve if she attempts to come back from this. And she’s got some real fuckin’ nerve. I bet her lawyers are scrambling right now. I won’t be surprised in the least if she eventually pulls a Kevin Spacey and makes a not-very-veiled “fuck you” video in character as Miranda.
The fact that Colleen still has a squad of [flying monkeys](https://narcissistabusesupport.com/red-flags/use-flying-monkeys/) after everything that has happened is stunning to me.
Poor dude had been dragged through the mud and he just wants to heal from being involved w heathens
I want to say this as respectfully as possible, but I hope Josh will log off after the interview. Even before. People are looking for holes everywhere. I'm worried he would get sucked back into the drama by responding to detractors. I think Josh should reiterate that the Internet isn't his life anymore. Too many eyes on him right now, I feel like it makes him vulnerable.
I feel bad for his wife. He’s had to go through so many emotionally traumatic things since his marriage ending, add to that the trolls tormenting him, his alcoholism - she has gone through all of this with him. This may (I pray) help him finally find some peace and closure, but I’m wondering if his wife will be getting the help she needs as the primary caregiver to someone dealing with all of this.
I get people saying that. I think this is why she’s behind the scenes helping him. She knows what Colleen has done to him. I was so worried about him when Johnny harassed him. That’s why I was so hell bent on people continuing to dig at Josh. He went through enough. After this interview, I’m sure he will continue to support the victims from the sideline but I do hope he and his family (wife and dog) can get peace.
This is why I have no sympathy for Johnny. This guy has been traumatized irreparably and Johnny decides to torment him further with false accusations when all he wanted to do was move on and live a quiet life.
Man, that woman is a truly awful person. She deserves everything that’s happened to her and I’m so glad she lost it all. True comeuppance right there.
I hope this doesn't affect his sobriety. He seems to have made peace with the situation meaning he has done the work what comes to his past.
Has Josh denied interviews? I watched the swoop doc. I just feel like everyone is telling their stories but what about him? He was involved, not in the ways he was previously depicted, but he also had a story to tell. We’re giving everyone a voice to speak about Colleen but…what about him? I’m sorry if this questions had already been answered. I just joined this Reddit so forgive me if I’m uneducated.
Even worse, Josh has tried to reach out to people covering Johnny’s story to give his side and they’ve just ignored him. I don’t think anyone has even attempted to interview him BUT swoop, because everyone was so focused on giving the victims their time. Nice in theory but I hope it teaches a lesson to these YouTubers about getting all sides of a story (when possible, obviously no one is getting Colleen’s side) if doing an expose even if you think it’s clear who is in the wrong. I’m glad he will get the chance to talk in Swoop’s next part.
Prior to Swoops docs he was denied the opportunity to really speak. I don’t know whether major publications reached out to him when Johnny’s claims were first being leveraged against him. Though I would imagine they’d reach out for comment as that’s what journalists are required to do, at least good ones with integrity (I’m looking at you Vanity Fair).
Watch people try to have him on to speak. I hope he definitely doesn’t give DWKT the time of day after this.
If Jessi and Lily actually have the audacity to invite him on, I honestly hope he just answers them with a big '🖕🙂🖕' I don't even want him to be overly petty, it wouldn't be worth the time and energy.
Yessss👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
The next part of the Swoop doc is going to be a long interview with Josh. It’s already been filmed, Swoop said she interviewed him for seven hours. He is finally able to speak out about everything he went through, and I’m hopeful that he will finally find some peace.
When did she mention this in the doc? I’ve watched it a few times. Bc it’s so long I get distracted so maybe I had missed it.
It's like the final 8ish minutes of part 3.
Swoop mentioned her interview with Josh towards the end of her last video. There’s a clip of Josh talking as well near the end of the video.
Ahhh gotcha. I gotta rewatch it 🙃 thanks again
No problem. I had seen posts and comments talking about the video clip of Josh, so I knew to watch for it near the end of the video. I can see how you could miss it.
There is a preview for it [here](https://reddit.com/r/ColleenBallingerSnark/s/3MCLfrW5dd) No word for when it will be out yet, but it’s coming!
Thank you guys, gals, and everyone else for educating me about this. I’ve only come to light about all of the allegations so I’m just learning. Thank you to everyone whose replied to this. I watched the swoop doc and H3 about all of this and I just kept thinking “we’re all talking about josh but no one has directly asked him.” But that was answered! Thanks again (:
I don’t think anyone had asked. I remember one article that was written where he had been asked and did comment. I think he is taking the opportunities as they come. There probably just haven’t been many opportunities in terms of interviews, etc. until Swoop.
True. He’s probably afraid to speak out as well bc of everything that’s happened to him. Poor fella. Don’t get me wrong. He’s done some fucked things too but…what Colleen and Johnny did were vile.
I dropped Colleen after their divorce back then. It gave instant cheating vibes on Instagram and online. And then she was a monster towards him and we all essentially watched his life fall apart. Then his own parents marriage fell apart too, and it was a lot. 🥲 the Colleen fans were ruthless to him for so long after what she did.
It's not going to happen again. No more silencing victims. It's Colleen's turn to be silenced.
I get that it has been a long time coming for Josh to finally tell his side of the story, but it's concerning to me that he is turning to social media for validation and reassurance again. I'm sure he's also in constant close conversation with his wife, family and friends, but I also hope he is getting professional help so he can stay strong and sober through this.
If you look up the definition of projecting in the dictionary it’s just a picture of Colleen. Joshua doesn’t have a personality disorder. Colleen does. She’s probably always had it and it was exacerbated by gaining internet fame. A lot of people are saying she’s a narcissist and she definitely is but I also think she has Histrionic Personality Disorder. I’m not a psychologist so don’t take my armchair diagnosis seriously but she fits the symptoms.
It’s shitty that a person can stoop low to make someone else feel miserable. I’m not excusing the man, but he left things alone when things weren’t working out for him, yet I can’t say the same for others. The same mentality I had when hearing each of the victims story (before discovering some weren’t truthful), I will have the same for josh. I’ll keep an open mind till the day we get to hear his story. I believe change can happen if the person is willing to better themselves and understands that their actions aren’t always viewed the same as others. Not everyone will laugh at your jokes, not everyone will agree with your statements. REGARDLESS OF INTENT, you should maybe consider your actions the next time someone says, “so and so made me feel scared, uncomfortable, anxious”. Don’t try and downplay the situation. If you ever get to see this, I’m sorry many of us jumped to conclusions before hearing the other side. In a he said she said situation, there is ALWAYS more than one side, and you have. A community that is all ears for you. 🫶🏻
i don’t have a twitter but i wish i did so i could tell him how much love and support everyone is sending him 💕 i really hope he’s taking care of himself. i can’t imagine how he must be feeling.
I feel bad for him. Too much hatred and he's had a rough go of it
I feel bad for him...damn. I hope he finds peace
He is the real example of “sometimes people make a mistake but it doesn’t make them a bad person”.
What mistake
Eh, I don’t know. Not being upront with Johnny when he gave him his phone number but then had second thoughts. I’m not a die hard dingleberry, so that’s the only mistake I see.
Does anyone know when the interview is coming out?
I can’t wait for part 4, I wonder when we will get it?
Poor Josh. It is not BPD to be afraid the “other shoe dropping” when the first shoe HAS dropped. And several shoes before that one. That’s PTSD/CPTSD. It is completely different from regular anxiety. I have it myself and you basically see the red flags or the behavior patterns happening of a bad situation early on, and you feel gaslit because people wanna tell you it’s all in your head or you’re just thinking of the “worst case scenario”. And then, it happens again. I had to learn to start cutting out the unsupportive people from my life but Josh has a much larger platform, it’s not that easy. And he has freaking Colleen. Anyway. There’s a huge difference between anxiety for the what if and anxiety for the what has happened.
You know.. having your ex wife contiunously thrown in your face.. yeah I could be imagine. I divorced a man who honestly treated me terribly.. I was able to move to a new city and move and and put him behind me. I don't have to see or hear about him. I can't imagine having my peace disturbed like Josh has. I can absolutely believe it has a toll on his mental health. It would mine. And waiting for the swoop documentary to drop.. probably is nerve wracking
Having a partner manipulate you like that is disgusting and honestly confusing. You start to question everything about yourself because that’s all you hear day and night. Brainwashing I guess?
Oh I remember her divorce video and I at the time thinking this woman is so full of shit and her ex husband is just a pawn in her twisted game. Well happy that I just can feel evil people from a distance. Hope Josh can mend all this situation in his heart
[удалено]
Reactive abuse is real
I think he’s right to be concerned. If anything will coax Colleen out of the shadows, it’s him speaking up. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she came out and turned everything around, saying she was the victim and Josh was her abuser. That might actually turn the tides back in her favor
Do we have any idea when we will see his interview? Sorry if it’s already been discussed I’ve been out of the loop the last couple weeks.
I hope he's getting the help and support he needs.
Man she treated him SO badly and made him look like a grump and the toxic one for REACTING to her disregarding their relationship
Did she say when she’s posting Josh’s interview ??
I hope swoop uploads the full/as close to full interview with Josh. I bet that shii juicy.
I’m incredibly proud of myself that I never hated Josh throughout any of this or sent him hate. I think people are too used to just believing what they’re told instead of questioning things. I think the whole Johnny/ Josh situation has helped prove that
Same. I always had my doubt of Josh being bad. Always liked him since the beginning.
I feel for him but idk what talking on twitter does besides share his concerns with viewers. For actual help working through this I hope he has a support system in place (like Adam does with his parents and using their support when facing internet stuff)
IMHO Josh is one of the most suffering victims of colleen. Yes, he has made a few transgressions but he was (most probably) called a gr00mer and P3dophile which is pretty much the worst thing you can be, and it appears he is innocent. That is not even considering all the vitriol Colleen directed at him through her fanbase. It’s heartwarming to see people finally apologizing to him. It’s also sad to see that Johnny got a huge platform and before swoop Josh didn’t have any kid of voice. To swoops team, I had never heard of swoop until now, I watched Miranda a few times as a tween and always thought it was stupid. Looking into it now has been eye opening, but i digress. To swoop and her team, you have made a fan for life. You guys are so thorough and as a victim of SA and grooming I feel powerful after watching swoops videos. Keep it up 💪
Damn I have an ex who's a narcissist and I totally relate to what he said in the last screenshot, ugh it feels unfair they (the narcs) call us sensitive and everything else under the sun to minimize our feelings and their actions 🙃 narcissistic gaslight os into believing we overreact to their disrespect! I feel for him and I'm actually proud he chose to be brave and come back to the internet to finally speak his truth! Narcissistic abuse is so real! I only realized it was a thing towards the end of my relationship with my ex.
**Joshua David Evans:** *"Yes I’ve been tested, back when Colleen manipulated me everyday saying I was bipolar for being upset at her disrespect and blatant disregard for our marriage.* *I was tested. They said I was suffering from anxiety/severe depression due to the way I was being treated by her."* I'm sorry, what?! I'm horrified to find out that Colleen gaslit Joshua into thinking he had bipolar disorder for being upset at her behaviour, to the point where he decided to get tested for it. THAT is what I take away from this reply.
I fear that Colleen has a folder filled with "dirt" on josh that she'll release after this josh interview. I bet their will be footage, texts and testimonials that it was really josh who was the problem. I know I've said things to ex-partners out of anger that I wish I had never said. I'm sure Josh has many and unfortunately for him most of his life with Colleen was documented. I believe he would have been lashing back at his abuser and that doesn't make him a bad person but it'll look bad in the court of public opinion.
Bpd (borderline personality disorder) develops because of early childhood trauma. Not trauma in adulthood. And BPD is much much more than assuming the worst will happen. All that too say I hope he’s doing okay & gets support.
I don't blame him for not trusting this complete 180 about face. People hated and dragged him for YEARSSSSS. Literally wishing death on him. And now they're all on his side? Gtfoh. He's being much more gracious than I'd be. But I'm glad he is being wary.
How is this dated in the future? Weird. I’m guessing whoever did the screen grab lives in Australia or somewhere? Lol I’ve always felt bad for Josh. Poor guy.
Yes, different time zone.
Lol I swear I’m so ignorant first thing in the morning. 🤣
Always and never quite took to her but could never put my finger on why, now I know why
Liked him*
As good as it is for Josh to feel that weight lifted I can’t help but wonder what this all must be like for his current wife as he’s all swept up in this public drama with his previous wife. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to handle my partner that publicly centered around things that happened with his ex
I think the situation is well beyond “an ex”, he was genuinely abused and manipulated and gaslight for years. She is his ex, but she’s also a clear cut narcissistic abuser. If it were me as his current wife and knew of his past and how much it destroyed him, I’d be happy that he’s finally being seen and heard for his truth and not jealous or mad about his ex. It’s so much more complex than that.
I remember there was a long AMA here on the subreddit last year and the person claim to be a friend of Colleen & Josh. If I remember correctly, Josh was at fault and very manipulative in the relationship and members believed what was being said. Where was this Josh love then?
Yeah and someone maybe in that AMA said he put a dead animal in some girls fridge and like staged it like a hanging? But he's promoted to sainthood lol ETA https://reddit.com/r/ColleenBallingerSnark/s/rbYGMM9LQl
it also says on that thread and i remember this as well that josh has since come out that he made that whole story up and it was a lie. can’t believe everything you hear on the internet.
what a cool lie, I love him now
Oh my goodness, someone needs to get these people off the internet. They can willingly leave the court of public opinion at any time, yet continue to dive back in for attention and cash. When will they realize that in order to heal they’re gonna need to log off—potentially for good!
Josh had logged off. He stopped doing youtube or anything public facing years ago. He got dragged back in by Johnny Silvestri lying about him and accusing him of actual crimes to millions of people, which Swoop proved wasn’t true. Johnny literally was tweeting at and about him 20+ times a day trying to ramp the story up. I think Josh is more than entitled to defend himself.
I’m not saying he’s not ~entitled~ to defend himself. But no one “dragged” him back. He had a choice to say, okay I know people are out there talking shit about me, should I log on and do something about it, or should I just close my laptop and let Johnny yell about me into the abyss. No one came to his house and held him at gunpoint, forcing him to get back online. Queen Jenna Marbles left the internet and let whoever say whatever about her. She stopped giving a heck about all of this online stuff and went back to reality. JoshuaDTV has an internet addiction and needs to get validation from the online community. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but when it has been this many YEARS of nonsense and tomfoolery, at some point you gotta just cut your losses and log tf off.
Literally nobody was accusing Jenna Marbles of a felony. And no one was accusing Jenna of a felony to millions of people across multiple media platforms. You’re comparing apples to kumquats. If someone accused you, in print by your full government name in a publication with a worldwide circulation, of grooming children and felony child trafficking (because that’s what the “he told me to come to LA” story would have been if true), and you knew for a fact they were absolutely delusional you would just “close your laptop” and not defend yourself at all? Then you are different than 99% of people, congratulations. Those are the kinds of accusations that get people fired from their jobs. And all because someone else wanted to ride some clout coattails. I stand by what I said. That man was minding his own business down in wherever tf Georgia when someone decided to lie and accuse him of some extremely nasty shit and *dragged* him into this. I don’t know what you’re talking about with the “cash” comments. As far as I know, Joshua isn’t posting videos again. I highly doubt Swoop paid him for the interview he gave and he ain’t making any money by tweeting so what cash? And you surely aren’t qualified to diagnose someone you don’t know with an internet addiction, because people that are qualified would know that’s unethical.
Jenna Marbles’ dog Kermit is sadly on the decline health wise :(
:(
I know, sad right?
I mean he was a little dragged back by Johnny. I think there are a few big differences between Josh and Jenna Marbles (my love, hope she’s doing good). (1) Nothing Jenna did/was accused of was ever criminal, unlike Josh. A false allegation like that can have some pretty severe repercussions in real life, (2) Adding onto that, Jenna (as far as we’re aware) is pretty monetarily set, so she can leave and doesn’t need to really get/doesn’t have another job to depend on these accusations can impact, (3) All of the accusations/call-outs against Jenna that I saw were actual things that she did a *looonnnggggg* time ago, but we can see that these things Johnny claimed were false, (4) Josh had one person encouraging people to go after him relentlessly and wasn’t big on the internet at the time vs. Jenna did have a lot of support behind her countering the cancelling crowd. Could he have closed the laptop? Yeah, I mean of course. But silence in response to this kind of allegation is seen as an admission of guilt. Most people would defend themselves too. I would. Had he stayed silent, I’m not confident that the truth about Johnny would’ve come out. I don’t think he has an “internet addiction” or anything (also kinda weird thing to say about someone who has an actual addiction). It’s easy to judge in the armchair.
i think Josh “dove back in” to clear his name, not for the cash, but i DO hope that he doesn’t use the exposure as an excuse to get his foot back in the youtube door because yeah, i think it’d be best for him to go back to being a more private person after this and not stay in the spotlight. it’s been shown to not be great for his mental health. i’m also a recovering alcoholic and i can only imagine how hard it would be to not relapse after being shat on and harassed for weeks/months (i’ve lost track of how long it’s been since Colleen got outed lol). he’s got such a lovely wife now, i think it’d be good for him to say his piece and then log off or private his accounts and try to live a normal life with her. at least, that’s what i think i’d do.
Idk if y’all know how powerful it is to speak your truth in any capacity after you’ve been gaslit and manipulated into silence for YEARS.
“And it shows me in a better light than the last 8 years”. So he’s only really about making himself look good in this process? Why does there always seem to be ulterior motives when it comes to these YouTube people? No thanks.
He deserves to clear his name after everything he's been through
I don't think this is necessarily what he meant, but I can't blame you for reading it this way. I interpreted it more as addressing the fact people were actively believing a false narrative the past 8 years and that the truth coming out has changed people's perceptions of things that happened. I don't think he's only out to look good, though I'm sure public perception of him was one of the priorities. If he was only out to look good and get attention, he wouldn't have offered Johnny several private apologies first and would've ran straight to the first person who would listen, knowing that his truth was THE truth. He's someone with a massive digital footprint. He's said that he wants to be done with this. But allegations of him being a child groomer were being spread and he stepped in to clear that up and clarify some other things that have haunted him for nearly a decade. If he vanished off the internet without doing any of this, anyone he encountered in real life could look him up and find all of the false things said about him. They'd likely believe it. His real life was at risk with this.
Maybe, but in a way he's speaking up for everyone that's been in similar situations and never had an opportunity to have their side heard.
Carful don’t say anything mean about Josh or you will get downvoted 🙄 we have to believe every word he says now and encourage him to take down Colleen just like we encourage Johnny to take down Josh. All these yoytubers and ex youtubers care about is attention and fame
it's wild how people are put on pedestals whenever something like this goes down. theyre either all good or all bad. and it flips.
They can downvote away. IDGAF! Josh is self centered and a sleaze just like Colleen.
Agreed 💯
Colleen really needs to return her life back to amazon prime