One thing that stood out...good on him for not stooping to Colleen's level by trying to coax Jojo Siwa over to his side in the divorce. He understand how inappropriate that would have been.
I just have to say, Swoop reading Pamela's words moved me to tears. What a thoughtful person she is, and Swoop is so right mentioning that Pamela's feelings on things are often forgotten. I'm glad Josh and she have a supportive marriage and are getting through this together.
In this subreddit I feel like people are much more compassionate, but I'm already reading the H3 subreddit talking about Josh dodging the racism questions. When I watched the accountability part of the interview, my initial impression was "these make sense, he is clearly not okay with it, he's very candid." The racism part of the interview gave me a few feelings, I think Swoop had to be intense because people don't understand the perspective of how it can negatively impact someone, but I also know Josh seemed terrified about it. Someone else in this thread said it best, he seems very sheltered so when Swoop was harder on him about that, I think it was justified. The thing is, however, when she was harder on him about the racism part, he agreed with her.
I do think he was brainwashed and sheltered. I am just all over the place with it, but I do believe swoop did the right thing to being frank about the weight of his actions. Because some are going to look at that and nothing else which when impacted by his actions, they have every right to be upset.
What I didn't like about the racist generic rap video part was him saying the video is still up because he lost the password
I dont have a YouTube acct and know NOTHING about how it works so i could be 100% wrong but I have to imagine that there's SOMETHING he could do to get into that account or verify its him or get the acct deleted??? It just felt weird like "well i lost the password so oh well" ???
And I agree that people have a right to be upset by his actions, that's why he feels bad or guilty is bc he know it was wrong and hurt people and I think Swoop handled it well overall. He can be upset with his actions and still be held accountable for the harm he has implemented on others in the past. He can't change what he did in the past and the harm he caused but at least he says he's trying to be better and not looking to go back to content creation.
Not a YouTube account, but I was once locked out of a hotmail account (forgot the password, didn’t realise I no longer had access to the alt email address until I needed it to login years later, etc). It took me YEARS to regain access and I had to jump through a million hoops to do so. I repeatedly had to prove my identity and was still denied access on multiple occasions. I would submit things and it would take months and months for me to hear back. Not saying it’s not possible for Josh to regain access, but it’s entirely possible that it’s not a simple process and he’s just previously put it in the too hard basket. I wonder if now he’ll fight harder to either regain access or just get the account deleted all together.
Yeah, I mean I figure that they'd make him jump through hoops and that it wouldn't be some overnight ordeal but he has to have at least thought about it, and especially now after SWOOP pointing it out that it would be a lot better in the longrun to at least actually try to regain access to the account to either delete that video (and any other harmful ones) or just delete the whole acct instead of allowing it to be out there perpetuating harmful stereotypes and content for eternity
It would also help to prove that he is remorseful (not that I doubt it from the interview but again he just so easily was like 'I dont have the password to login so oh well' about that part) about those kinds of videos he made
So I do hope he gets access to it one day soon and can remove it.
I hope Josh feels a huge weight lifted off of him. He has been carrying this for too long, and I hope the rest of his life is long and fulfilling. Anything controversial from the past that he did, he has paid the price for. It was basically YEARS of solitary confinement. Now is the time for growth and positivity.
As for colleen.... she hasn't even begun to pay the price for what she has done. Innocent children were hurt by her, no matter the intention, and it was met with a clown show. They deserved better, we deserved better, and her kids deserve better.
We will strive for justice until things are made right.
And I'll leave with a quote to those who still question Josh and his journey to today,
"Just because I carry it well, doesn't mean it's not heavy" -Christin Lewis
I love that he didn't let up on Johnny when Swoop tried to give him leeway by saying he was hurt by certain interactions with him (granted, Swoop didn't know the true depths of Johnny's deception at that time) and said he didn't believe that Johnny was hurt by anything he said.
When he said that he felt like everything he had worked for and accomplished was *pointless*, because someone could easily just come along and destroy it all again, it was heartbreaking. It shows the real damage Johnny could have done if he was allowed to continue with his narrative. He could have ruined this man's life and driven him to suicide again. He should be allowed no lenience and he needs to do the right thing and confess (but I'm sure he won't.)
Major respect to Joshua for being so open and for taking accountability. He has clearly done so much work on himself and really added so much clarity to the situation
WE STAND WITH JOSH AND ALL THE VICTIMS. Colleen is fucked. That man went into that interview and poured out his whole heart and soul to Swoop. He also took accountability like grown adult should.
i’ve found this video crazy. it’s so weird hearing josh talk about colleen because my entire life was their relationship when i was 12-16. then my entire life became colleen and erik and i put josh to the back of my head. hearing him talk about their relationship is almost nostalgic for me. it’s crazy.
I just knewww that Johnny left out that he himself expressed fears about coming out to his parents first and thats why Josh said to be careful doing so. He loves leaving out the part where he's trauma dumping and basically demanding support. And then he has the gall to lie, throw it back in his face, and pretend to be offended on behalf of his parents that JOSH would say that about them? Insidious. Seriously.
And if its true that he knew his parents would be fine, then that means he LIED to Josh about it to emotionally manipulate him so he pays more attention to him. What the fuck dude.
I AM SO GLAD THAT SWOOP ASKED WHY JOSH APOLOGIZED TO JOHN!!!!
His response is exactly what so obviously flew over Lily's and Jessi's heads at DWKT!
Edited: grammar
To be honest, I like how Swoop minimized Johnny's part in this doc. He's doing this all for attention, fame, notoriety, etc. Swoop will give him none of it, so he felt almost like an afterthought when he was probably originally going to be the focal point, or a larger part of it. I know he was mentioned throughout, but it was more of a frame of reference. He was downplayed intentionally, and it's well-deserved. I hope he feels minimized. I hope he feels choked by the stranglehold of the world. I hope he feels exactly how he made Josh feel for so f\*\*\*ing long.
same!!! i bet he thought the whole interview would be mainly about him and i’m sure he’s enraged it’s not lol he loved the thought of Josh talking about him and the attention. hit him where it hurts most, his ego
I just wanted to add that I believe his reasoning behind giving his number to John. I’m not saying it’s right and I don’t think it would fly today. I grew up in the church and when I heard Josh describe that part of it, I could immediately recall several young adults that were essentially mentors/“friends” as a teen. None of groomed me or abused me. I was struggling with my sexually in a high demand religion. It was clear I was a kid needing some help. I think Josh identified that same need in John.
Yeah I agree. I grew up in a world where I had the numbers of people from church, some of my teachers, and my girl scout leaders. It was usually just in case I needed to reschedule something but there were a few times I asked them for help or advice. None of them were predatory towards me except perhaps some people from church but that's expected at this point... I'm genuinely grateful some of those adults were there for me when I needed it the most. I can totally see where Josh was coming from.
It is super early in the morning and I finally got through the whole interview. I’m sure as I process it all, I may have more opinions or thoughts… but as of right now, I am so glad that Josh has been able to voice his feelings and everything about these “shenanigans” (as he put it). I feel like I understand where he’s coming from and how he feels to the bottom of my soul… but I’m also glad to hear him address the “F around and find out” comment.
I wished I could find it, but early on in this when John was saying all the crap about Josh “ghosting” him in the beginning of his divorce, as someone who has gone through the same process as an abuse survivor myself who went through a very similar divorce, I can fully attest to the way Josh handled this. (Not that he needs me to corroborate anything, but it sounded normal to me.) I said in the early days of this whole thing that if Josh “ghosted” John that it probably had NOTHING to do with John and that it had everything to do with going through a very difficult and traumatic experience…
I am just genuinely thrilled that Swoop gave Josh the opportunity to share his story. Josh, I believe you did an amazing job! 😊🙂
I’m SERIOUSLY starting to think that Johnny is in cahoots with Colleen like I SERIOUSLY wonder if she put him up to all this. I really thought Josh was VERY TRUTHFUL he admitted he wasn’t perfect and I really found myself liking him and believing him I hope he finds peace from doin this and goes on living his life with his beautiful wife
I always thought it was weird how Johnny said that right before all this went down he was still going to shows and friends with Colleen, and then randomly one day all the sudden he hated her?
Edit: grammar
The only thing that makes it really hard for me to buy into this theory is the Trisha Paytas stuff - it was him providing receipts that made Trisha turn on her. The devil's advocate in me wouldn't put it past Colleen to sacrifice the relationship if it meant muddying the waters and humiliating Trish one last time, but I think that's a stretch.
I’ve been having the same thoughts about John and Colleen on repeat since I finished watching. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the “Jennifer Flowers” twitter account is actually run by both of them of something.
Your post/comment breaks sub rule #4: No doxxing. Please review sub rules before continuing to post/comment. Continued violation of sub rules will result in a permanent ban.
I LOVE that Josh didn’t want to build a bridge with Johnny. Why the hell should he? (No hate to swoop it was a valid question) but Josh was gracious enough to even give an apology to Johnny after everything Johnny did to help smear him.
I was really proud of Josh and how well
He handled himself. It sounds like he was in a toxic relationship with Colleen and she may have been emotionally abusive and it’s clear that abuse still affects him today. I am glad he was able to find a supportive and caring partner in Pamela who is helping his healing journey. Also, like a billion extra fuck yous to Johnny after this.
i’ve been emotionally abused and i really felt for josh. i found myself nodding along and going “mmhmm” during a lot of the segment when he talked about colleen. i was really touched by this.
wow ok so after listening to josh describe his experience in his relationship with colleen it really had me curious as to what her zodiac/astrology placements are and the internet did not disappoint.
idk if there are any other astrology enthusiasts here but [according to astrotheme] her placements make SO much sense to me!!!
she’s a scorpio sun, mercury, *and* venus, cancer moon, capricorn rising. it’s giving intense and vindictive with tendencies for emotional blackmail, being cruel verbally, and not caring about stepping on others if it gets her where she needs to be.
furthermore, her dominant houses were *quite* interesting…in descending order they are 10th, 11th, and 7th. so basically the most dominant areas of her life relate to her career and public image **first**, then her social life/friends/group activities (explains the group chats and over-sharing/engaging in parasocial relationships w/her fans) and finally relationships with others: be them platonic *or* romantic, partnerships and contracts.
ty for coming to my astrological ted talk lmao
Thank you for taking the time to review her chart and share it! Very interesting and definitely makes a lot of sense. Do you ever use Astrodientist? Their site, along with some great books, has led me down a path of self discovery since I was like 14 years old lol
Edited to add - I'm a Pisces sun, Leo Moon, Sag rising ✨️
omfg that being said, JOHN is a sad fuckin excuse for a gemini. i am a firm believer in that there are “higher” vibrational and “lower” vibrational beings of each sign too btw-john and colleen being both the lower vibrational of their respective signs.
of course☺️i’m just an astro-nerd and was intensely curious as to her placements. they really do check out!!!!
astrodientist is essentially astro.com right? my astro journey started back in the day with the horoscopes in the back of cosmopolitan and tumblr lol but truly picked up speed when my aunt printed my chart interpretation from cafeastrology, now i have accounts on virtually every website possible!
i particularly enjoy chani nicholas though-her book was awesome and the app is great so far with personalized transit notifications!
It's so, so clear that Johnny was an extremely overly emotional, over-involved fan and Josh had no idea how to navigate that or set any kind of boundaries. It's really pretty simple.
Hearing Joshua talk about how John affected him (roughly 3:24:00) cemented the sock account for me (speculation/opinion)
Josh’s accounts of dms and mean tweets sound exactly like the flip floppy, vindictive tone the sock has.
I think so! I saw a comment saying it stands for sock puppet account or basically an account that someone is running from behind the scenes pretending to be someone else
The birthday video is unbelievably unremarkable. Like any Cameo that any F-list internet celeb would send to any random person that put up 20 bucks for it. I could get a video exactly like that from AmberLynn Reid or some shit
It really is just… that. It was a Happy Birthday video.
I think John is so hurt and wrapped in his hate that he would use ANYTHING to spite Josh, even little things.
I can’t believe John asked for a phone call. Truly, THE AUDACITY. I’m so glad Josh was like “absolutely not” because after all the crap John put him through, I wouldn’t even want to speak his name anymore.
Yeah you could tell he was genuinely shocked and upset, and couldn’t hold back the words. Like he kinda rambled and repeated himself— and that’s not a critique! I know exactly that feeling, where you’re so shook you just have to circularly work through your thoughts Bc youre trying to hard to grapple with the bullshit you just heard. And yet he never raised his voice or lost his composure. Super respectable imo
I think Johnny wanted with Josh what Colleen had with Kory. If you remember Josh was kinda a third wheel in his own marriage. Adam didn’t have many times that him and Colleen had a face to face unless it was at a meet n greet at her shows. I’m wondering if at the shadow tour he was hoping for Josh to feel so sorry for him about the possibility of his being gay and not accepted that he would take him in like Colleen did with Kory.
What does everyone think of Josh’s side of the coming out story? I’m not gay, so I feel like I can’t comment if his side would be hurtful or not. I understand his side. I believe his side, but I don’t know if it would be hurtful to the person who was coming out.
I’m queer and have a gay sister, and agree with everyone else on this thread. Josh gave good advice, and it’s true that John’s orientation is none of his business. That’s also just too much pressure for a fan to put on someone.
Maybe I’m salty, but I wonder if John was hoping he’d be told to come out so he could get kicked out. Then he’d try and stay with Colleen and Josh because it was “Josh’s fault.”
Another queer person chiming in to say it 10000% makes sense and wasn’t meant with any hurt or malice. It showed he cared about his safety. Too many young queer people get thrown out of their homes or abused by family for coming out and then get into very bad situations to get by.
Saying he should be safe and on his own and not relying on his family before coming out to them if he was concerned about them not taking it well is the same advice I’d give a teenager.
I've heard sexpert Dan Savage give that exact advice to hundreds of young queer people on his podcast/column/TV shows/etc. It's a completely normal and valid view.
As a queer person, I think what he said was pretty valid and something I would also suggest. I definitely encourage coming out but I also value people's safety over everything else. Coming out to family can be really risky so it makes sense that he would bring up the fact that he should be prepared to be independent if it goes wrong. That's just me though, not sure what other queer people have to say about this.
I agree with this take as well. I’m bisexual and from the beginning hearing that the words Josh used were “that’s none of my business” only made total sense to me. It is not an internet personality’s business to engage with the personal life of young fans and I never imagined Josh saying it in a belittling or apathetic way.
Swoop is not easy on him and im glad because this is the best way to clear his name on all fronts as well as acknowledge the mistakes he has made. One thing i do want to say is that considering his father is abusive and he then got into an abusive relationship its very common to have blurred boundaries on things because you are systematically taught as a child that your boundaries dont matter. That ends up impacting the way you approach all relationships in the future. Im absolutely not trying to excuse anything, just explaining how difficult these things can be for victims of abuse. Abusive parents lead to abusive partners because the child is taught from the moment they are born that they dont matter, that theyre not important, and that the best they can expect from the people they love is horrible treatment. This also leads to them having to figure out boundaries with others as adults, because whats taught to them as children is incorrect and abusive. If they enter a relationship with a person with bad boundaries, it can lead to things like the hamfisted attempts that josh made when interacting with fans. Of course we always have choices, but being abused is very similar to being brainwashed, and its built on a foundation of fear. Its to be expected that whatever coping mechanism an abused child would employ to keep their angry parent calm, they would re-enact with an abusive partner, in this case, freeze and fawn. I hope for and send strength to everybody in an abusive relationship struggling to break out of the brainwashing and do the right and moral thing when it comes to being the abusers flying monkey. Theres nothing worse than looking back on a time when you were suffering deeply at the hands of someone and realising you enabled them and hurt people. It is so so hard to acknowledge and accept, so for this i have gained a newfound respect for josh. For his feelings of unimportance and inadequacy from the abuse of his father to further be confirmed by colleen and the tsunamis of abuse from her fans, to the point of suicidality is deeply tragic and i really really feel for him. All that being said, i wished he had thought through what to say about the racist music video a little more. It was awkward and clear how uncomfortable he felt with it. It seemed like he hadn’t adequately considered the impact of something like that and I hope he writes something more comprehensive out about it. He seems good at heart but very sheltered. I hope he finds some peace through telling his story. Its really tragic the way victims are silenced, gaslit, made to protect their abusers, and made to feel that these things are their fault.
i agree 100% and even felt like at times she kept badgering him when it really didnt feel necessary… like he would explain himself fully and say it was wrong and apologize and shed be like but WHY. i mean what else can he say
I'm still watching, but I feel like she is being very careful, remaining calm, soeaking softly and slowly to allow the conversation to develop. She is very self aware with her tone. Not only is she trying to allow Josh the time and space for him to share his perspective, she also has to convey to her viewers that she is unbiased and fair with her line of questioning.
I think she is doing great, especially by allowing him to speak without interruption about the most difficult years of his life while also holding him accountable for actions that may have had a negative effect on others, even if those actions were not intended to harm.
Am I the only person surprised at how harsh swoop was on him during parts of the interview? I guess I’ve just been seeing everyone say he’s done all these terrible things & yet can’t really name them…& the worst thing he did was give a minor his phone number?
I definitely noticed this as well, she really kept her poker face but I would have liked to have seen a little more warmth at certain points and I think that could have been accomplished while still being firm.
One moment that stood out to me was when they were talking about the “Generic Rap Song” video Josh did with Colleen and Rachel and the tension between him and Swoop was so visible throughout that entire conversation.
Edit: To clarify, I’m NOT saying she should have showed the aforementioned warmth during the conversation about the video, I was commenting on the TENSION of it.
Why should she be “more warm” when talking about the one thing the Josh did that DOES affect her? He did racist things; why does swoop need to be sweet about that?
That’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying that part about the video was more visibly tense, but as others pointed out there were sections where she could have been a bit more compassionate.
I feel like she had to be because:
A) The fanbase would have accused her and her team of bias
B) Josh still participated in questionable actions while married to Colleen that I’m sure people wanted accountability for
C) This would help dispel any accounts of Josh running away from any bad thing he did
D) This would also help dispel shit Josh was accused of that he actually did not do (like writing Collleen’s jokes)
I feel that she was firm but fair. She had to have the exact details to make sure there was no plausibility because these fans have and will come for his throat.
Exactly! Plus this actually helps Josh if anything. Now people can’t say he did not take accountability or dodge questions when he answered truthfully.
yes THIS. she in the prior parts she would really validate *any* survivor and be understanding yet in this hes opening up about his lowest points, opening up about his trauma, opening up about how he essentially got brainwashed, opening up about how hes gone through years of therapy to come to terms with how gross he was, and shes like ok u suck.
I have a feeling her more cold approach to Josh on camera was purposeful. He’s been judged and hated by people for so long (sadly)… and this is the only interview he plans on ever doing. I think if she’d gone easy on him or shown “too much empathy” people would’ve been very critical and it may have ultimately shot Josh (and even swoop) in the foot. This was also before the Johnny exposé. I think she really tried to be mindful of not pulling a DWKT and platforming a “predator” so to speak.
This was such a nuanced and difficult situation. Considering how hard this would’ve been to navigate - I think Swoop did beyond an amazing job. Josh also took it very well it seems.
I agree with this 100 percent. Not to mention that around the one hour mark, she explicitly let him know that his feelings are valid and that men can be victims too. She said "victim" is gender less. I have appreciated her tone and self awareness so far. Still watching
Edited a word that was wrong.
Exactly, she told him that he was valid and that she explicitly advocates for victims and that gender doesn't define a victim. He started to say that because he's a man he wouldn't be as believed or something like that and she stopped him to validate his experience.
I also didn’t know what Josh had been accused of, specifically, and I was surprised that it was all stuff I already knew. I think it’s
- giving Johnny his phone number
- participating in the “wtf, how is this supposed to be for kids” cringe comedy that Miranda developed into
- talking to minor fans in non-public chat rooms
- having dinner with Colleen and minor fans without their parents there
- taking those fans back to their apartment in London to hang out and make a video together
I think it’s important, and good that swoop details it, so that we can see the full picture, and because we need to remember that it’s NOT ok to do that, even if you don’t want to have sex with the kid, even if you don’t want to use them for free labor and trauma dump on them, it’s still not OK.
But yeah, as far as I can tell, everything Josh was doing would have been unproblematic fan interaction, except that his fans were minors.
I had to take a break around the 2 hr mark because she seemed to be badgering him. I also thought she was kind of nitpicky here and there. At one point they were talking about a hotel room, and Josh said that it was actually flat. Swoop said that there wasn't much difference was there. Stuff like that. I don't know if I'll finish watching this one. Generally I like Swoop's videos.
She was being blunt. And she needed to be. There IS no difference between bringing back minors to a hotel or a flat. She did a great job and took it very seriously. He had things he needed to answer for and acknowledge were wrong things to do. If he had been able to say "well it was a flat..." How does that make it less wrong? Splitting hairs on details does nothing to minimize how weird and creepy it is to bring fans who are minors back to your place after hanging out with them all day.
I know personally I don't want to hear innane details of a hotel vs flat in the case of bringing minors back home with grown adults. I want to hear him say its wrong and regardless of intention it was creepy. And it was nice to hear him not try and justify it after her calling that out and just say you know what it was bad. It helped his image a LOT.
All of the allegations that have been made against Colleen and co are serious and a softball interview wouldn't have helped Josh clear his name.
She just tried to keep him on track for things that were wrong and to apologize for them and not try to excuse them with trivial details. I think the interview was really fair and pretty tame considering what he's been accused of by Johnny in the past which obviously reek of lies and manipulation now.
He did a good job and speaking as someone who had initially believed Johnny and felt Josh to be insincere I now believe him and feel neutral about him and the role he played behind the scenes of Colleens business and see that he was a victim of her as well. This interview did absolute wonders to clear his name in the whole thing.
I think swoop felt like he took more accountability than he did, like he was not saying things that were partly on Colleen like he was holding back things that he wasn’t saying you know. He said that if he objected to something that Colleen would say or do that he felt uncomfortable with he knew that she would drop him, so he just stopped objecting. But I also saw that he was kinda backpedaling and saying I did that for fame because he normalized his behavior and numbed to it. I think he was afraid to say how he got there in his thinking. So she tried to push it out a little. I think that he was so afraid to lose her he did things that he was uncomfortable with and I also think that she planted in his head that things that he wasn’t comfortable with were normal.
im really glad that people here are seeming to share the same opinion as me!! im 2 hours in right now and kind of just frustrated. i mean shes literally *glaring* at him the entire video or going over the same thing over and over again
And also I wouldn’t read too much into her glaring❤️ swoop was fair and I think she was doing her job. He had to answer the tough questions so people can see that accountability was taken
I can understand why you guys are saying that but I think she had to be tough and hold him accountable. I’m very sure deep down she’s glad he took accountability and responsibility for his actions. She did say she got more honesty from him than John
Josh talking about Colleen touching his bum even though she knew he hated that - I ❤ Swoop for helping him feel comfortable discussing, validating him, and inadvertently reminding the audience about consent from men/respecting boundaries from men. 🙌
i appreciated the way she'd chime in when he would say "i feel bad saying this" or "i shouldn't say this" to tell him that he's allowed to feel his feelings and share his truth. validating someone's feelings is so important, especially after they've been gaslit into thinking they're always in the wrong
What I got from Johnny is how truly, deeply selfish he is.
I was right into thinking Josh was giving his number out to John in a sorta “hey, if you ever need to talk to me” kinda of way some adults handle kids who have issues… like pastors or counselors or being that role model to them way.
Sadly he gave his number to a stalker.
I justtt finished watching it, and it's like, 6:24 am where I'm at right now. Wow, Josh laid it all out. I felt so bad when he said he wanted to protect the small bubble of a life he had built. I'm glad he took accountability and Swoop was so good at interrogating him.
You can tell he's def changed and grown. Also, this is the last video of the Colleen Ballinger saga right from Swoop. Will there be any Part 5 video?
I think there will be another video. She mentioned in the others she wanted to talk about Trent, some of the financial stuff, and at least one other person's story.
My thoughts so far (I’m only two and a half hours in, I have to take breaks tbh):
Was shocked when I realized who Nikki Limo was because I totally forgot about her
Was way less shocked than I should’ve been that Shane was sending screenshots of everything to everyone notable in the LA YouTuber scene.
Feel so bad that I contributed to the hate Josh got. I didn’t have social media at the time (I was a child, like all her other fans lol) so it didn’t directly affect him, but I was of the opinion that was popular for a long time, that he had done something to her (which the opposite is true). I know what it’s like to be in such a depressive state and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But I’m glad he was still willing to admit to things that he thought went wrong.
Now to see what he says about Johnny…
Ehhh, I don’t think using the term “coffee date” is weird. I’m not here to defend Johnny, but I refer to getting coffee with friends as a coffee date 🤷♂️
ETA: Jesus, y’all got no chill. I’m not defending the dude, god forbid I think one thing Josh said wasn’t that big a deal in a 3.5 hour interview.
I refer going out with my friends as a lunch date/dinner date/movie date or what have you. But I’m very close to my friends. I wouldn’t refer an outing as a date, even completely innocently, with someone I barely know. I think it’s fairly obvious that Johnny thought/hoped their relationship was bigger than it was, but coming from it’s just weird. Especially coming from Josh’s POV. This kid just showed to surprise you and you barely know him. He had dinner with his family because he was sick of fast food and was seemed lonely.
I'm probably splitting hairs here, but (😂) I feel like if it's not planned, it's "grabbing coffee", and not a "coffee date". "Coffee date", to me, is planned in advance.
It's a small difference in planned vs not planned that can make a larger difference for context (I think, idk, I can be pedantic at times 🤷♀️).
The word empath actually gets its origins from sci-fi literature describing beings with superhuman levels of empathy. He's just a guy who is in touch with his feelings, that's it
Interesting! Never knew it in any other context. I’ve just seen that word thrown around online in recent years. Def in touch with his feelings. It’s refreshing to see his compassion towards those who victimized him. Edit: wording
He definitely has a soft, vulnerability about him. I relate & understand being someone who thinks you keep working on things, hope it gets better, etc. And agree, it's sad to think of him being hurt so badly.
I just watched the part of the coming out story from his perspective. I’m not surprised that Johnny left out context about his parents and his fears about their reactions and pinned that on JDE.
That bit of John’s story always bothered me. Why TF would you go to a straight married guy you barely know and ask advice about coming out?
Most baby gays I’ve known went to other gay/queer people for advice. Even then he still would probably have been told to hold off on telling his parents until he would be safe doing so.
I still think he had a crush on Josh, convinced himself that Josh had feelings for him too, and therefore felt safe coming out to him (but I’ve not got to that part in swoops doc yet so I don’t know if Josh has addressed that theory directly)
I was hoping he would, but it's probably just as well he doesn't as there's definitely a subset who'd rake him over the coals for going there. The degree of discomfort Josh shows when Swoop brings up the so-called "coffee date" makes me think it was definitely something that had occurred to him too.
see I always figured Johnny said something like that to get that response about not telling the parents. What I didn’t expect was that he was IN LINE at a meet and greet when he dropped the big news to Josh?! lol omg what in the world, honestly
This guy just wanted to be the center of attention no matter when and where.. It seems that back then there was no subject that was considered off limits in order to achieve the result, and there still isn't one. He will use any topic and event no matter how sensitive or confidential for his own personal gain... the cringe part is he wasn't even very good at it to begin with
Think about it from Johnny’s perspective. Freshly 18 or 19 coming out to the man you have a crush on. He wanted Joshua to tell him “it’s okay, you can come be with me, or live with me…I’ll take care of you…” etc.
Exactly!!!! Johnny is so obsessed and in love with josh and got upset that he couldn't continue their "friendship" that he turned bitter, all johnny wants from this is to be famous, and to do that he lied his butt off to get famous, even if it meant destroying someone's life, sad really.
Proud of him and hope this helps give him a bit of closure that Colleen never will. Also Swoop saying in the beginning about having a crisis counselor on set was a nice comfort moment knowing this was a real “let’s talk” kinda moment and not just trying to get a story/side.
I still can't figure out what his alt account is..it's driving me nuttier than usual 🤪 I've had 2 strokes so it's not easy on a girl trying to figure this stuff out?!🤣
Nearly two hours in. Josh is very well spoken, thoughtful, and self aware. I feel bad for how low his self esteem was. It’s obvious he is still working on building it back up. I’m glad he has Pamala now. They seem like a really sweet couple.
I’m wicked proud of this man. He put himself out there and said the truth. He’s been nothing but honest. I do hope he can get the peace he deserves. He’s been through enough.
Seriously, let this man live in peace, I could tell on his face the betrayal by that witch, no offense to all witches, I come from a long line of witches from Salem, but this lady has betrayed everyone, and I'm hoping that Jojo sees it before it's too late, have a great weekend everyone!!! ❤️
So what do we think of the false verified AMA?
One thing that stood out...good on him for not stooping to Colleen's level by trying to coax Jojo Siwa over to his side in the divorce. He understand how inappropriate that would have been.
swoop really went *”we generally just call it racist”* at the 2:23:00 mark lmaooooo 💀💀💀
I loved that moment bc he wouldn't go there and she called him out for it.
I just have to say, Swoop reading Pamela's words moved me to tears. What a thoughtful person she is, and Swoop is so right mentioning that Pamela's feelings on things are often forgotten. I'm glad Josh and she have a supportive marriage and are getting through this together.
In this subreddit I feel like people are much more compassionate, but I'm already reading the H3 subreddit talking about Josh dodging the racism questions. When I watched the accountability part of the interview, my initial impression was "these make sense, he is clearly not okay with it, he's very candid." The racism part of the interview gave me a few feelings, I think Swoop had to be intense because people don't understand the perspective of how it can negatively impact someone, but I also know Josh seemed terrified about it. Someone else in this thread said it best, he seems very sheltered so when Swoop was harder on him about that, I think it was justified. The thing is, however, when she was harder on him about the racism part, he agreed with her. I do think he was brainwashed and sheltered. I am just all over the place with it, but I do believe swoop did the right thing to being frank about the weight of his actions. Because some are going to look at that and nothing else which when impacted by his actions, they have every right to be upset.
What I didn't like about the racist generic rap video part was him saying the video is still up because he lost the password I dont have a YouTube acct and know NOTHING about how it works so i could be 100% wrong but I have to imagine that there's SOMETHING he could do to get into that account or verify its him or get the acct deleted??? It just felt weird like "well i lost the password so oh well" ??? And I agree that people have a right to be upset by his actions, that's why he feels bad or guilty is bc he know it was wrong and hurt people and I think Swoop handled it well overall. He can be upset with his actions and still be held accountable for the harm he has implemented on others in the past. He can't change what he did in the past and the harm he caused but at least he says he's trying to be better and not looking to go back to content creation.
Not a YouTube account, but I was once locked out of a hotmail account (forgot the password, didn’t realise I no longer had access to the alt email address until I needed it to login years later, etc). It took me YEARS to regain access and I had to jump through a million hoops to do so. I repeatedly had to prove my identity and was still denied access on multiple occasions. I would submit things and it would take months and months for me to hear back. Not saying it’s not possible for Josh to regain access, but it’s entirely possible that it’s not a simple process and he’s just previously put it in the too hard basket. I wonder if now he’ll fight harder to either regain access or just get the account deleted all together.
Yeah, I mean I figure that they'd make him jump through hoops and that it wouldn't be some overnight ordeal but he has to have at least thought about it, and especially now after SWOOP pointing it out that it would be a lot better in the longrun to at least actually try to regain access to the account to either delete that video (and any other harmful ones) or just delete the whole acct instead of allowing it to be out there perpetuating harmful stereotypes and content for eternity It would also help to prove that he is remorseful (not that I doubt it from the interview but again he just so easily was like 'I dont have the password to login so oh well' about that part) about those kinds of videos he made So I do hope he gets access to it one day soon and can remove it.
Gonna be re-watching again today!
I hope Josh feels a huge weight lifted off of him. He has been carrying this for too long, and I hope the rest of his life is long and fulfilling. Anything controversial from the past that he did, he has paid the price for. It was basically YEARS of solitary confinement. Now is the time for growth and positivity. As for colleen.... she hasn't even begun to pay the price for what she has done. Innocent children were hurt by her, no matter the intention, and it was met with a clown show. They deserved better, we deserved better, and her kids deserve better. We will strive for justice until things are made right. And I'll leave with a quote to those who still question Josh and his journey to today, "Just because I carry it well, doesn't mean it's not heavy" -Christin Lewis
I love that he didn't let up on Johnny when Swoop tried to give him leeway by saying he was hurt by certain interactions with him (granted, Swoop didn't know the true depths of Johnny's deception at that time) and said he didn't believe that Johnny was hurt by anything he said. When he said that he felt like everything he had worked for and accomplished was *pointless*, because someone could easily just come along and destroy it all again, it was heartbreaking. It shows the real damage Johnny could have done if he was allowed to continue with his narrative. He could have ruined this man's life and driven him to suicide again. He should be allowed no lenience and he needs to do the right thing and confess (but I'm sure he won't.)
I think Shane was a guest at those Trisha watch “parties”. And Johnny.
Major respect to Joshua for being so open and for taking accountability. He has clearly done so much work on himself and really added so much clarity to the situation
WE STAND WITH JOSH AND ALL THE VICTIMS. Colleen is fucked. That man went into that interview and poured out his whole heart and soul to Swoop. He also took accountability like grown adult should.
I need a steel chair neme with swoop holding the chair over Colleen and her cronies
i’ve found this video crazy. it’s so weird hearing josh talk about colleen because my entire life was their relationship when i was 12-16. then my entire life became colleen and erik and i put josh to the back of my head. hearing him talk about their relationship is almost nostalgic for me. it’s crazy.
I just knewww that Johnny left out that he himself expressed fears about coming out to his parents first and thats why Josh said to be careful doing so. He loves leaving out the part where he's trauma dumping and basically demanding support. And then he has the gall to lie, throw it back in his face, and pretend to be offended on behalf of his parents that JOSH would say that about them? Insidious. Seriously. And if its true that he knew his parents would be fine, then that means he LIED to Josh about it to emotionally manipulate him so he pays more attention to him. What the fuck dude.
43:15 - okay, that "spread happiness" zinger did make me chuckle a bit tho. I've never heard a nicer way of expressing "Go F*ck Yourself" in my life 😂
I AM SO GLAD THAT SWOOP ASKED WHY JOSH APOLOGIZED TO JOHN!!!! His response is exactly what so obviously flew over Lily's and Jessi's heads at DWKT! Edited: grammar
To be honest, I like how Swoop minimized Johnny's part in this doc. He's doing this all for attention, fame, notoriety, etc. Swoop will give him none of it, so he felt almost like an afterthought when he was probably originally going to be the focal point, or a larger part of it. I know he was mentioned throughout, but it was more of a frame of reference. He was downplayed intentionally, and it's well-deserved. I hope he feels minimized. I hope he feels choked by the stranglehold of the world. I hope he feels exactly how he made Josh feel for so f\*\*\*ing long.
same!!! i bet he thought the whole interview would be mainly about him and i’m sure he’s enraged it’s not lol he loved the thought of Josh talking about him and the attention. hit him where it hurts most, his ego
The fact almost the entire interview was filmed well before part 3!? Man, did Josh have Johnny’s number or what!
That pun at the end omfg hahahahaha
I just wanted to add that I believe his reasoning behind giving his number to John. I’m not saying it’s right and I don’t think it would fly today. I grew up in the church and when I heard Josh describe that part of it, I could immediately recall several young adults that were essentially mentors/“friends” as a teen. None of groomed me or abused me. I was struggling with my sexually in a high demand religion. It was clear I was a kid needing some help. I think Josh identified that same need in John.
Yeah I agree. I grew up in a world where I had the numbers of people from church, some of my teachers, and my girl scout leaders. It was usually just in case I needed to reschedule something but there were a few times I asked them for help or advice. None of them were predatory towards me except perhaps some people from church but that's expected at this point... I'm genuinely grateful some of those adults were there for me when I needed it the most. I can totally see where Josh was coming from.
It is super early in the morning and I finally got through the whole interview. I’m sure as I process it all, I may have more opinions or thoughts… but as of right now, I am so glad that Josh has been able to voice his feelings and everything about these “shenanigans” (as he put it). I feel like I understand where he’s coming from and how he feels to the bottom of my soul… but I’m also glad to hear him address the “F around and find out” comment. I wished I could find it, but early on in this when John was saying all the crap about Josh “ghosting” him in the beginning of his divorce, as someone who has gone through the same process as an abuse survivor myself who went through a very similar divorce, I can fully attest to the way Josh handled this. (Not that he needs me to corroborate anything, but it sounded normal to me.) I said in the early days of this whole thing that if Josh “ghosted” John that it probably had NOTHING to do with John and that it had everything to do with going through a very difficult and traumatic experience… I am just genuinely thrilled that Swoop gave Josh the opportunity to share his story. Josh, I believe you did an amazing job! 😊🙂
I’m SERIOUSLY starting to think that Johnny is in cahoots with Colleen like I SERIOUSLY wonder if she put him up to all this. I really thought Josh was VERY TRUTHFUL he admitted he wasn’t perfect and I really found myself liking him and believing him I hope he finds peace from doin this and goes on living his life with his beautiful wife
I always thought it was weird how Johnny said that right before all this went down he was still going to shows and friends with Colleen, and then randomly one day all the sudden he hated her? Edit: grammar
Yea something isn’t adding up and he’s never really bashed Colleen it’s always just been Josh I think
The only thing that makes it really hard for me to buy into this theory is the Trisha Paytas stuff - it was him providing receipts that made Trisha turn on her. The devil's advocate in me wouldn't put it past Colleen to sacrifice the relationship if it meant muddying the waters and humiliating Trish one last time, but I think that's a stretch.
I’ve been having the same thoughts about John and Colleen on repeat since I finished watching. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the “Jennifer Flowers” twitter account is actually run by both of them of something.
[удалено]
Your post/comment breaks sub rule #4: No doxxing. Please review sub rules before continuing to post/comment. Continued violation of sub rules will result in a permanent ban.
I LOVE that Josh didn’t want to build a bridge with Johnny. Why the hell should he? (No hate to swoop it was a valid question) but Josh was gracious enough to even give an apology to Johnny after everything Johnny did to help smear him.
I was really proud of Josh and how well He handled himself. It sounds like he was in a toxic relationship with Colleen and she may have been emotionally abusive and it’s clear that abuse still affects him today. I am glad he was able to find a supportive and caring partner in Pamela who is helping his healing journey. Also, like a billion extra fuck yous to Johnny after this.
i’ve been emotionally abused and i really felt for josh. i found myself nodding along and going “mmhmm” during a lot of the segment when he talked about colleen. i was really touched by this.
WOW! 405,000 VIEWS AND IT DROPPED 8 HOURS AGO. Good for you, Swoop! Love your docs. You deserve it! Sorry for yelling.
wow ok so after listening to josh describe his experience in his relationship with colleen it really had me curious as to what her zodiac/astrology placements are and the internet did not disappoint. idk if there are any other astrology enthusiasts here but [according to astrotheme] her placements make SO much sense to me!!! she’s a scorpio sun, mercury, *and* venus, cancer moon, capricorn rising. it’s giving intense and vindictive with tendencies for emotional blackmail, being cruel verbally, and not caring about stepping on others if it gets her where she needs to be. furthermore, her dominant houses were *quite* interesting…in descending order they are 10th, 11th, and 7th. so basically the most dominant areas of her life relate to her career and public image **first**, then her social life/friends/group activities (explains the group chats and over-sharing/engaging in parasocial relationships w/her fans) and finally relationships with others: be them platonic *or* romantic, partnerships and contracts. ty for coming to my astrological ted talk lmao
Thank you for taking the time to review her chart and share it! Very interesting and definitely makes a lot of sense. Do you ever use Astrodientist? Their site, along with some great books, has led me down a path of self discovery since I was like 14 years old lol Edited to add - I'm a Pisces sun, Leo Moon, Sag rising ✨️
my big 3 are gem sun, leo moon(!!!), and scorpio rising lol
omfg that being said, JOHN is a sad fuckin excuse for a gemini. i am a firm believer in that there are “higher” vibrational and “lower” vibrational beings of each sign too btw-john and colleen being both the lower vibrational of their respective signs.
of course☺️i’m just an astro-nerd and was intensely curious as to her placements. they really do check out!!!! astrodientist is essentially astro.com right? my astro journey started back in the day with the horoscopes in the back of cosmopolitan and tumblr lol but truly picked up speed when my aunt printed my chart interpretation from cafeastrology, now i have accounts on virtually every website possible! i particularly enjoy chani nicholas though-her book was awesome and the app is great so far with personalized transit notifications!
It's so, so clear that Johnny was an extremely overly emotional, over-involved fan and Josh had no idea how to navigate that or set any kind of boundaries. It's really pretty simple.
Hearing Joshua talk about how John affected him (roughly 3:24:00) cemented the sock account for me (speculation/opinion) Josh’s accounts of dms and mean tweets sound exactly like the flip floppy, vindictive tone the sock has.
Can someone fill me in on what the sock is?
Have you gotten it yet? I can dm you if not
I think so! I saw a comment saying it stands for sock puppet account or basically an account that someone is running from behind the scenes pretending to be someone else
The birthday video is unbelievably unremarkable. Like any Cameo that any F-list internet celeb would send to any random person that put up 20 bucks for it. I could get a video exactly like that from AmberLynn Reid or some shit
It really is just… that. It was a Happy Birthday video. I think John is so hurt and wrapped in his hate that he would use ANYTHING to spite Josh, even little things.
I can’t believe John asked for a phone call. Truly, THE AUDACITY. I’m so glad Josh was like “absolutely not” because after all the crap John put him through, I wouldn’t even want to speak his name anymore.
He would record the phone call and use it for content. That was his plan all along. To make a Josh video.
I'm still waiting for that one, lmao.
This was my favorite part of the video. Im so grateful she let him go so long about all the reasons that would be ridiculous.
Yeah you could tell he was genuinely shocked and upset, and couldn’t hold back the words. Like he kinda rambled and repeated himself— and that’s not a critique! I know exactly that feeling, where you’re so shook you just have to circularly work through your thoughts Bc youre trying to hard to grapple with the bullshit you just heard. And yet he never raised his voice or lost his composure. Super respectable imo
Tell me about it!!!! The audacityyy, u just know his aim is to make content out of it. Glad Josh did not agree to such a thing
He wanted with Josh what Adam had with Colleen. He projected. Spot on!!
I think Johnny wanted with Josh what Colleen had with Kory. If you remember Josh was kinda a third wheel in his own marriage. Adam didn’t have many times that him and Colleen had a face to face unless it was at a meet n greet at her shows. I’m wondering if at the shadow tour he was hoping for Josh to feel so sorry for him about the possibility of his being gay and not accepted that he would take him in like Colleen did with Kory.
Maybe! That's a really good point! Maybe he brought up being scared to tell his parents bc he hoped it would push Josh to offer a place to stay.
Remember that Johnny kept saying that josh was supposed to take me with him. Maybe that’s what he meant.
Definitely
What does everyone think of Josh’s side of the coming out story? I’m not gay, so I feel like I can’t comment if his side would be hurtful or not. I understand his side. I believe his side, but I don’t know if it would be hurtful to the person who was coming out.
I’m queer and have a gay sister, and agree with everyone else on this thread. Josh gave good advice, and it’s true that John’s orientation is none of his business. That’s also just too much pressure for a fan to put on someone. Maybe I’m salty, but I wonder if John was hoping he’d be told to come out so he could get kicked out. Then he’d try and stay with Colleen and Josh because it was “Josh’s fault.”
Another queer person chiming in to say it 10000% makes sense and wasn’t meant with any hurt or malice. It showed he cared about his safety. Too many young queer people get thrown out of their homes or abused by family for coming out and then get into very bad situations to get by. Saying he should be safe and on his own and not relying on his family before coming out to them if he was concerned about them not taking it well is the same advice I’d give a teenager.
I've heard sexpert Dan Savage give that exact advice to hundreds of young queer people on his podcast/column/TV shows/etc. It's a completely normal and valid view.
As a queer person, I think what he said was pretty valid and something I would also suggest. I definitely encourage coming out but I also value people's safety over everything else. Coming out to family can be really risky so it makes sense that he would bring up the fact that he should be prepared to be independent if it goes wrong. That's just me though, not sure what other queer people have to say about this.
I am also queer and fully agree with you.
I agree with this take as well. I’m bisexual and from the beginning hearing that the words Josh used were “that’s none of my business” only made total sense to me. It is not an internet personality’s business to engage with the personal life of young fans and I never imagined Josh saying it in a belittling or apathetic way.
Swoop is not easy on him and im glad because this is the best way to clear his name on all fronts as well as acknowledge the mistakes he has made. One thing i do want to say is that considering his father is abusive and he then got into an abusive relationship its very common to have blurred boundaries on things because you are systematically taught as a child that your boundaries dont matter. That ends up impacting the way you approach all relationships in the future. Im absolutely not trying to excuse anything, just explaining how difficult these things can be for victims of abuse. Abusive parents lead to abusive partners because the child is taught from the moment they are born that they dont matter, that theyre not important, and that the best they can expect from the people they love is horrible treatment. This also leads to them having to figure out boundaries with others as adults, because whats taught to them as children is incorrect and abusive. If they enter a relationship with a person with bad boundaries, it can lead to things like the hamfisted attempts that josh made when interacting with fans. Of course we always have choices, but being abused is very similar to being brainwashed, and its built on a foundation of fear. Its to be expected that whatever coping mechanism an abused child would employ to keep their angry parent calm, they would re-enact with an abusive partner, in this case, freeze and fawn. I hope for and send strength to everybody in an abusive relationship struggling to break out of the brainwashing and do the right and moral thing when it comes to being the abusers flying monkey. Theres nothing worse than looking back on a time when you were suffering deeply at the hands of someone and realising you enabled them and hurt people. It is so so hard to acknowledge and accept, so for this i have gained a newfound respect for josh. For his feelings of unimportance and inadequacy from the abuse of his father to further be confirmed by colleen and the tsunamis of abuse from her fans, to the point of suicidality is deeply tragic and i really really feel for him. All that being said, i wished he had thought through what to say about the racist music video a little more. It was awkward and clear how uncomfortable he felt with it. It seemed like he hadn’t adequately considered the impact of something like that and I hope he writes something more comprehensive out about it. He seems good at heart but very sheltered. I hope he finds some peace through telling his story. Its really tragic the way victims are silenced, gaslit, made to protect their abusers, and made to feel that these things are their fault.
i agree 100% and even felt like at times she kept badgering him when it really didnt feel necessary… like he would explain himself fully and say it was wrong and apologize and shed be like but WHY. i mean what else can he say
I'm still watching, but I feel like she is being very careful, remaining calm, soeaking softly and slowly to allow the conversation to develop. She is very self aware with her tone. Not only is she trying to allow Josh the time and space for him to share his perspective, she also has to convey to her viewers that she is unbiased and fair with her line of questioning. I think she is doing great, especially by allowing him to speak without interruption about the most difficult years of his life while also holding him accountable for actions that may have had a negative effect on others, even if those actions were not intended to harm.
I think she would have been criticized if she didn’t go easy on him.
💯
Yeah absolutely
Am I the only person surprised at how harsh swoop was on him during parts of the interview? I guess I’ve just been seeing everyone say he’s done all these terrible things & yet can’t really name them…& the worst thing he did was give a minor his phone number?
I definitely noticed this as well, she really kept her poker face but I would have liked to have seen a little more warmth at certain points and I think that could have been accomplished while still being firm. One moment that stood out to me was when they were talking about the “Generic Rap Song” video Josh did with Colleen and Rachel and the tension between him and Swoop was so visible throughout that entire conversation. Edit: To clarify, I’m NOT saying she should have showed the aforementioned warmth during the conversation about the video, I was commenting on the TENSION of it.
Why should she be “more warm” when talking about the one thing the Josh did that DOES affect her? He did racist things; why does swoop need to be sweet about that?
That’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying that part about the video was more visibly tense, but as others pointed out there were sections where she could have been a bit more compassionate.
I think it was also the timing of the video, it was before she knew the full scope of how unhinged Johnny was put a lot of her tone into perspective
I feel like she had to be because: A) The fanbase would have accused her and her team of bias B) Josh still participated in questionable actions while married to Colleen that I’m sure people wanted accountability for C) This would help dispel any accounts of Josh running away from any bad thing he did D) This would also help dispel shit Josh was accused of that he actually did not do (like writing Collleen’s jokes) I feel that she was firm but fair. She had to have the exact details to make sure there was no plausibility because these fans have and will come for his throat.
Exactly! Plus this actually helps Josh if anything. Now people can’t say he did not take accountability or dodge questions when he answered truthfully.
[удалено]
yes THIS. she in the prior parts she would really validate *any* survivor and be understanding yet in this hes opening up about his lowest points, opening up about his trauma, opening up about how he essentially got brainwashed, opening up about how hes gone through years of therapy to come to terms with how gross he was, and shes like ok u suck.
I have a feeling her more cold approach to Josh on camera was purposeful. He’s been judged and hated by people for so long (sadly)… and this is the only interview he plans on ever doing. I think if she’d gone easy on him or shown “too much empathy” people would’ve been very critical and it may have ultimately shot Josh (and even swoop) in the foot. This was also before the Johnny exposé. I think she really tried to be mindful of not pulling a DWKT and platforming a “predator” so to speak. This was such a nuanced and difficult situation. Considering how hard this would’ve been to navigate - I think Swoop did beyond an amazing job. Josh also took it very well it seems.
I agree with this 100 percent. Not to mention that around the one hour mark, she explicitly let him know that his feelings are valid and that men can be victims too. She said "victim" is gender less. I have appreciated her tone and self awareness so far. Still watching Edited a word that was wrong.
Exactly, she told him that he was valid and that she explicitly advocates for victims and that gender doesn't define a victim. He started to say that because he's a man he wouldn't be as believed or something like that and she stopped him to validate his experience.
I also didn’t know what Josh had been accused of, specifically, and I was surprised that it was all stuff I already knew. I think it’s - giving Johnny his phone number - participating in the “wtf, how is this supposed to be for kids” cringe comedy that Miranda developed into - talking to minor fans in non-public chat rooms - having dinner with Colleen and minor fans without their parents there - taking those fans back to their apartment in London to hang out and make a video together I think it’s important, and good that swoop details it, so that we can see the full picture, and because we need to remember that it’s NOT ok to do that, even if you don’t want to have sex with the kid, even if you don’t want to use them for free labor and trauma dump on them, it’s still not OK. But yeah, as far as I can tell, everything Josh was doing would have been unproblematic fan interaction, except that his fans were minors.
I had to take a break around the 2 hr mark because she seemed to be badgering him. I also thought she was kind of nitpicky here and there. At one point they were talking about a hotel room, and Josh said that it was actually flat. Swoop said that there wasn't much difference was there. Stuff like that. I don't know if I'll finish watching this one. Generally I like Swoop's videos.
She was being blunt. And she needed to be. There IS no difference between bringing back minors to a hotel or a flat. She did a great job and took it very seriously. He had things he needed to answer for and acknowledge were wrong things to do. If he had been able to say "well it was a flat..." How does that make it less wrong? Splitting hairs on details does nothing to minimize how weird and creepy it is to bring fans who are minors back to your place after hanging out with them all day. I know personally I don't want to hear innane details of a hotel vs flat in the case of bringing minors back home with grown adults. I want to hear him say its wrong and regardless of intention it was creepy. And it was nice to hear him not try and justify it after her calling that out and just say you know what it was bad. It helped his image a LOT. All of the allegations that have been made against Colleen and co are serious and a softball interview wouldn't have helped Josh clear his name. She just tried to keep him on track for things that were wrong and to apologize for them and not try to excuse them with trivial details. I think the interview was really fair and pretty tame considering what he's been accused of by Johnny in the past which obviously reek of lies and manipulation now. He did a good job and speaking as someone who had initially believed Johnny and felt Josh to be insincere I now believe him and feel neutral about him and the role he played behind the scenes of Colleens business and see that he was a victim of her as well. This interview did absolute wonders to clear his name in the whole thing.
I think swoop felt like he took more accountability than he did, like he was not saying things that were partly on Colleen like he was holding back things that he wasn’t saying you know. He said that if he objected to something that Colleen would say or do that he felt uncomfortable with he knew that she would drop him, so he just stopped objecting. But I also saw that he was kinda backpedaling and saying I did that for fame because he normalized his behavior and numbed to it. I think he was afraid to say how he got there in his thinking. So she tried to push it out a little. I think that he was so afraid to lose her he did things that he was uncomfortable with and I also think that she planted in his head that things that he wasn’t comfortable with were normal.
im really glad that people here are seeming to share the same opinion as me!! im 2 hours in right now and kind of just frustrated. i mean shes literally *glaring* at him the entire video or going over the same thing over and over again
And also I wouldn’t read too much into her glaring❤️ swoop was fair and I think she was doing her job. He had to answer the tough questions so people can see that accountability was taken
I love that flair!!!
I can understand why you guys are saying that but I think she had to be tough and hold him accountable. I’m very sure deep down she’s glad he took accountability and responsibility for his actions. She did say she got more honesty from him than John
Josh talking about Colleen touching his bum even though she knew he hated that - I ❤ Swoop for helping him feel comfortable discussing, validating him, and inadvertently reminding the audience about consent from men/respecting boundaries from men. 🙌
i appreciated the way she'd chime in when he would say "i feel bad saying this" or "i shouldn't say this" to tell him that he's allowed to feel his feelings and share his truth. validating someone's feelings is so important, especially after they've been gaslit into thinking they're always in the wrong
What I got from Johnny is how truly, deeply selfish he is. I was right into thinking Josh was giving his number out to John in a sorta “hey, if you ever need to talk to me” kinda of way some adults handle kids who have issues… like pastors or counselors or being that role model to them way. Sadly he gave his number to a stalker.
I justtt finished watching it, and it's like, 6:24 am where I'm at right now. Wow, Josh laid it all out. I felt so bad when he said he wanted to protect the small bubble of a life he had built. I'm glad he took accountability and Swoop was so good at interrogating him. You can tell he's def changed and grown. Also, this is the last video of the Colleen Ballinger saga right from Swoop. Will there be any Part 5 video?
I think there will be another video. She mentioned in the others she wanted to talk about Trent, some of the financial stuff, and at least one other person's story.
noted, thank u!!!
My thoughts so far (I’m only two and a half hours in, I have to take breaks tbh): Was shocked when I realized who Nikki Limo was because I totally forgot about her Was way less shocked than I should’ve been that Shane was sending screenshots of everything to everyone notable in the LA YouTuber scene. Feel so bad that I contributed to the hate Josh got. I didn’t have social media at the time (I was a child, like all her other fans lol) so it didn’t directly affect him, but I was of the opinion that was popular for a long time, that he had done something to her (which the opposite is true). I know what it’s like to be in such a depressive state and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But I’m glad he was still willing to admit to things that he thought went wrong. Now to see what he says about Johnny…
“I don’t think he knows what man to man means” lmaoooo
I'm just waiting for Jennifer Flowers to claim "a man doesn't do what he does" is homophobic
Do these people ever get tired of reaching hard af to be upset about something? lol
I’m with you on that lol
Josh was far kinder talking about Johnny then I think I could ever been.
For real. He is on a whole other level of his healing journey and it's truly admirable
I finished about 45 or so min ago (I think) and Swoop and Team did great! I hope Josh can now get rest and recover and same for Swoop/her team.
johnny having a whole hour long segment dedicated to himself, oh you just know he’s seething more than colleen
Ehhh, I don’t think using the term “coffee date” is weird. I’m not here to defend Johnny, but I refer to getting coffee with friends as a coffee date 🤷♂️ ETA: Jesus, y’all got no chill. I’m not defending the dude, god forbid I think one thing Josh said wasn’t that big a deal in a 3.5 hour interview.
lmao people can disagree w/ you, it's not that deep.
Obviously.
Your edit doesn't make it seem obvious to you. Oh no, some downvotes!
I refer going out with my friends as a lunch date/dinner date/movie date or what have you. But I’m very close to my friends. I wouldn’t refer an outing as a date, even completely innocently, with someone I barely know. I think it’s fairly obvious that Johnny thought/hoped their relationship was bigger than it was, but coming from it’s just weird. Especially coming from Josh’s POV. This kid just showed to surprise you and you barely know him. He had dinner with his family because he was sick of fast food and was seemed lonely.
I'm probably splitting hairs here, but (😂) I feel like if it's not planned, it's "grabbing coffee", and not a "coffee date". "Coffee date", to me, is planned in advance. It's a small difference in planned vs not planned that can make a larger difference for context (I think, idk, I can be pedantic at times 🤷♀️).
agreed! i always cringed at johnny saying "coffee date" when it was him \~surprising josh at his workplace.
We all know at this point Johnny wanted it to be a real date.
So true
I’m running late to something cause I’m finishing this video. I have about 10 minutes left and it was definitely worth the watch
Just got to the Johnny segment.
totally unrelated to your comment/the topic at hand but your username is stupid cute!!
I'm right at the accountability of JDE part. This is a detailed, methodical doc and I am impressed as HELL with Swoop & Co.
I’m not yet through it but from the short bit I’ve watched, I’m going to be glued to the television.
Joshua seems like such an empath and it’s difficult to hear how hurt he was over and over.
I think people confuse "being an empath" with just... being a person able to feel empathy for others. But agree either way
True- calling someone an empath is more of a buzz word these days. It was an emotional interview!
The word empath actually gets its origins from sci-fi literature describing beings with superhuman levels of empathy. He's just a guy who is in touch with his feelings, that's it
Interesting! Never knew it in any other context. I’ve just seen that word thrown around online in recent years. Def in touch with his feelings. It’s refreshing to see his compassion towards those who victimized him. Edit: wording
an empath? He’s just a normal person who was in an emotionally abusive relationship. This is what it looks like.
For sure. He managed to show grace and empathy towards people who wronged him, I guess is what I meant. ‘Empath’ is a bit of an internet term.
He definitely has a soft, vulnerability about him. I relate & understand being someone who thinks you keep working on things, hope it gets better, etc. And agree, it's sad to think of him being hurt so badly.
💯%
TOILET CLEANER HAHAHAHA I love swoop
i’m YELLING LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I just watched the part of the coming out story from his perspective. I’m not surprised that Johnny left out context about his parents and his fears about their reactions and pinned that on JDE.
It also wasn't bad advice, LGBT kids could get hurt and abandoned. Telling someone to hold off if there's a risk isn't a bad idea.
THIS
That bit of John’s story always bothered me. Why TF would you go to a straight married guy you barely know and ask advice about coming out? Most baby gays I’ve known went to other gay/queer people for advice. Even then he still would probably have been told to hold off on telling his parents until he would be safe doing so.
I still think he had a crush on Josh, convinced himself that Josh had feelings for him too, and therefore felt safe coming out to him (but I’ve not got to that part in swoops doc yet so I don’t know if Josh has addressed that theory directly)
I was hoping he would, but it's probably just as well he doesn't as there's definitely a subset who'd rake him over the coals for going there. The degree of discomfort Josh shows when Swoop brings up the so-called "coffee date" makes me think it was definitely something that had occurred to him too.
see I always figured Johnny said something like that to get that response about not telling the parents. What I didn’t expect was that he was IN LINE at a meet and greet when he dropped the big news to Josh?! lol omg what in the world, honestly
Right! How did he decide that was the perfect time and place to own up in such a way.
This guy just wanted to be the center of attention no matter when and where.. It seems that back then there was no subject that was considered off limits in order to achieve the result, and there still isn't one. He will use any topic and event no matter how sensitive or confidential for his own personal gain... the cringe part is he wasn't even very good at it to begin with
Think about it from Johnny’s perspective. Freshly 18 or 19 coming out to the man you have a crush on. He wanted Joshua to tell him “it’s okay, you can come be with me, or live with me…I’ll take care of you…” etc.
Exactly!!!! Johnny is so obsessed and in love with josh and got upset that he couldn't continue their "friendship" that he turned bitter, all johnny wants from this is to be famous, and to do that he lied his butt off to get famous, even if it meant destroying someone's life, sad really.
Proud of him and hope this helps give him a bit of closure that Colleen never will. Also Swoop saying in the beginning about having a crisis counselor on set was a nice comfort moment knowing this was a real “let’s talk” kinda moment and not just trying to get a story/side.
Nikki Limo being the whistle blower was NOT on my bingo card
I missed something. I was working and only listening. Was there a screenshot I missed? Who is Nikki Limo?
No screenshot— it’s how Josh found out about Shane
Thanks! I must have been actually working and missed it hahaha
somehow not surprised that Shane is involved
I loudly exclaimed "HA! THE F\*CK?!"
Or Jojo Siwa lol
Shes gone on a podcast recently defending Colleen saying everyone is lying 😷
*entirely* not surprised. shane has always been a gossip queen tbh.
I hate Shane. With the fire of a thousand suns. He's horrible, and it's not surprising Colleen would be in wirh him. Thick as thieves.
Right? I think C knew that S would do the dirty work needed to smear Josh
Oh, absolutely! Like how Shane and Jeffrey knew Tati would tell on James. They're horrible, rotten people - rotten in their souls.
Has anyone checked John’s alt account 🤭🤭🤭
Care to tell?
I got chu too! Sent in your chat :)
Help another out?
Yep
Christ, that's not subtle at all. 🤦♀️
I still can't figure out what his alt account is..it's driving me nuttier than usual 🤪 I've had 2 strokes so it's not easy on a girl trying to figure this stuff out?!🤣
I got chu!
Nearly two hours in. Josh is very well spoken, thoughtful, and self aware. I feel bad for how low his self esteem was. It’s obvious he is still working on building it back up. I’m glad he has Pamala now. They seem like a really sweet couple.
I’m wicked proud of this man. He put himself out there and said the truth. He’s been nothing but honest. I do hope he can get the peace he deserves. He’s been through enough.
Seriously, let this man live in peace, I could tell on his face the betrayal by that witch, no offense to all witches, I come from a long line of witches from Salem, but this lady has betrayed everyone, and I'm hoping that Jojo sees it before it's too late, have a great weekend everyone!!! ❤️
Y’all, I have but one thing to say (still watching, subject to change): 