Impact of TikTok Fake Celebrity Death Pranks

Question

On TikTok, many users are making claims that celebrities are dead when they are not. Andy Cohen was a recent victim of this series of pranks. What other celebrities were claimed to be "dead," and how much of an impact has this caused?

Answer 1

While death hoaxes are certainly nothing new, TikTok seems to be an app which spreads misinformation quicker than anything that has come before it. Attached below is a Los Angeles Times spread detailing celebrity hoaxes throughout the years including names such as Bill Cosby, Cher, and Kanye West. Although these rumors are rampant there does not appear to be a long-term impact of those who are claimed to be dead, as the public will eventually find out that they are in fact, alive. I've included another interesting website below called "Dead or Kicking", which details celebrities who have passed and also those who are not, in fact, dead. Take it with a grain of salt.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-celebrity-death-hoax-pictures-photogallery.html

https://deadorkicking.com/

Comments

Don't forget to choose a rating next time such as false, true, exaggerated/misleading, opinion, etc.

Answer 2

I remember the trend of telling parents and other family members that their favorite celebrity has passed away. In the beginning, it seemed to me like a funny harmless prank because of the reactions people gave. However, after seeing Slater Vance, the 16-year-old son of actor Angela Bassett, told Angela that Michael B Jordan has passed away at age 35. After seeing her reaction and realizing how much it had impacted her, I am sure others like me have also changed their mind about the trend. This trend was not only harmful to Angela Bassett but to others as well. Knowing someone you look up to and idolize has passed away is seriously heartbreaking and nothing to joke about. 

Furthermore, Vance’s prank was particularly criticized as it involved a celebrity that his mother knew personally. Jordan and Angela have been costarred in the Black Panther films. 

Here’s the link for the prank video: https://www.tmz.com/watch/2022-12-31-123122-slater-vance-1538294-392/

Here’s the link for the apology Slater Vance issued afterward: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtBWAbH/