Ellen DeGeneres was spotted out and about in California on Wednesday, just hours after a horrible rumour that the 65-year-old TV personality had died began rising on social media.
This summer has seen no lack of odd celebrity death hoaxes.
Only this month, a statement was made on Lil Tay’s social media account declaring that she and her brother had died, followed by a second statement a day later stating that the 14-year-old was alive and her account had been hacked.
Then, on Monday, reports came that 36-year-old The Bachelorette star Josh Seiter had died, only for Josh to send a video to his social media account less than 24 hours later explaining that his profile was ‘hacked’ with a ‘cruel joke’.
Meanwhile, the Sun claimed midweek that the phrase ‘Ellen Degeneres dead’ was trending on social media, driving admirers into a frenzy.
The scam, according to the publication, began earlier this month and accelerated due to posts from fake news websites and social media accounts.
Fortunately, the rumour was just that – rumour.
Ellen was seen climbing into her car after stopping at a convenience shop in Montecito on Wednesday.
In response to allegations that he had died earlier this week, TV actor Josh stated on social media, ‘As you can see, I am alive and well.
‘My account was hacked, for the last 24 hours I have been trying desperately to get into it.’
He went on: ‘Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness, and the struggles I’ve gone through with depression and suicide attempts.
‘I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post.’
Meanwhile, a statement shared with TMZ after it was announced Lil Tay was dead read: ‘I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say.’
She added: ‘It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.
‘My Instagram account was compromised by a third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumours regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not “Claire Hope”.’
Source My Celebrity Life.
