Toxic relationships, bathroom talk, alcohol and her sex life — these are only a few of the topics that Rachel Ballinger addresses in her new podcast called “Rachel Uncensored,” available for listeners on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. The famous comedic YouTuber is well-known for testing a variety of at-home hacks and products and also for her 10-minute video blogs about her busy life that broadcast to over 3.6 million subscribers online.
Ballinger prefers to keep her language and subject matter PG for her younger viewers, especially in the podcast that she shares with her mother called “All Things Internet.” Growing up in a religious home, she was conditioned to speak modestly and behave non-aggressively. Women, particularly those with a substantial internet following, are discouraged from cursing and talking about their sex lives online. It is considered “unladylike,” especially to the Karens who continue to leave nasty remarks in the comment section. This standard doesn’t seem to apply to men, however, who are encouraged for their sexual content and profanity.
In “Rachel Uncensored,” however, Ballinger and her guest stars refuse to shy away from cursing and talking about topics that society deems taboo. Biweekly, Ballinger and her friends chat about the origins of their friendship and share their favorite explicit stories for those who choose to listen. Together, they unwind with a shot or two of vodka, which gives them the courage to speak about topics that they would ordinarily avoid online.
Fans of Ballinger and her YouTube-famous family are delighted to hear her swearing and embracing complete and utter honesty. “I love hearing Rachel cuss!” shares a fan in the YouTube comments, “You’ve spent so much time censoring yourself, it almost feels like you’re not human. This makes you seem much more real and genuine and relatable!”
To celebrate the first episode, Ballinger and her friend Emily sip on Tito’s vodka and Sprite and express their shared experiences with unhappy and unhealthy relationships. Many are ashamed of their past with a toxic partner and choose to hide it from the public, but on “Rachel Uncensored,” nothing gets swept under the rug.
Ballinger announced a split from her boyfriend of eight years in December 2020. “I’m not in a real relationship,” she says of the relationship. “I’m with a roommate in which I mother.” Ballinger also recalls how emotionally detached and distant her boyfriend was and how he only made an effort to meet her desires when she threatened to break up with him. Although it took a lot of time and courage, the split allowed her to explore her sexuality. She later came out to the internet as gay in February 2021 and shared her new girlfriend with the internet, who were wildly supportive of her new life.
Emily shares a similar past with her then-wife and their experience with divorce. However, meeting Ballinger provided a welcome balm. “It was literally eye-opening,” Emily says with a beaming smile as the two discuss the origins of their friendship. After going through a tough breakup and becoming friends with THE Rachel Ballinger, Emily realized: “This is what happiness feels like.”
The second episode of “Rachel Uncensored” features Ballinger’s best friend, Joy, and a few shots of Tito’s and cranberry juice. Joy, a person who had no idea about the Ballinger family’s internet fame, met her new best friend at work when Ballinger volunteered to help train dogs. They immediately clicked and are now sharing their friendship on the podcast. After Ballinger announced her split, this inseparable duo was rumored to be dating, a story that gained traction partly because they briefly lived together last winter. The two squash this rumor on the podcast, however, and share the shenanigans they’ve gotten up to after a night of partying and drinking.
While Joy was struggling with a toxic work environment, an insensitive boss and relationship drama, Ballinger brought happiness into her life. “You get to a point in your life where it doesn’t take you very long to hang around somebody to know whether they’re worth that time or not,” Joy explains — and Ballinger agrees, saying that it didn’t take long for both of them to realize the strength of their connection. The conversation they have proves how important it is to have and be a friend during hardships.
The only thing that gets censored is the name of Ballinger’s girlfriend, who is strictly referred to as “Girlfriend.” Still, Ballinger recently revealed Girlfriend in a YouTube video titled “HOW WE MET – GF REVEAL.” Girlfriend is featured on the latest episode of the podcast, “I’m dating a Mirfanda” — Mirfandas being the name for people who are fans of Colleen Ballinger’s YouTube personality Miranda Sings; Girlfriend was a fan of the Ballinger family before they started dating.
On the podcast, Girlfriend and Ballinger recount the events leading up to their relationship and the adjustment it took to adapt to their different lifestyles. Girlfriend explains that entering a relationship with someone in the public eye wasn’t as difficult as it seems, especially since she didn’t need to change a lot of her life to be comfortably seen with the Ballingers.
“I didn’t start dating you because I want to be famous,” she tells Ballinger and her fans, “I’m not using you so I can be famous. I want to live my own life.” Even though the internet feels entitled to more details about Girlfriend, the couple is committed to keeping their private life to themselves.
Although Ballinger has designed the podcast to get in touch with an older and more mature audience, it may not be fit for everyone. For starters, this podcast is a lot less interactive than Ballinger’s original podcast. “Rachel Uncensored” takes on more of a conversational approach while “All Things Internet” allows fans’ comments and questions to be featured on the podcast.
One of the podcast’s harshest critics in the Apple Podcasts reviews gave it a one-star rating and called it “trashy.” They continue, “We all know those annoying drunk people who say every cuss word because it ‘EmPoWeRs’ them.”
For those that enjoy Ballinger’s content and wish to know her friend group better, this may be the perfect podcast. The lengthy conversations about body positivity, female autonomy and healthy relationships give women the inspiration and voice they need to express themselves fully, with the occasional string of curse words here and there. This podcast also proves to be good background noise, especially for those that don’t enjoy working in silence. The next time you need a fascinating conversation about feminist topics to occupy your constantly working mind, turn on an episode of “Rachel Uncensored.”
