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“No One Believed It”: 50 Internet And Celebrity Rumors That Turned Out To Be True
Interview With Expert
Gossip can be juicy, hilarious, or just plain weird, and let’s be honest, sometimes it’s half the fun of being human. Most of the time, it’s just harmless chatter about someone’s new haircut or who might be dating who. But every now and then, the stuff we brush off as wild speculation turns out to be absolutely true. The kind of thing that makes you think, “Wait, didn’t I hear about this before it blew up?” So when someone on Reddit asked, ‘What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?’ the responses did not disappoint. People showed up with stories that were once dismissed as hearsay, only to become headline news later on. From hush-hush celebrity drama to shady secrets, these posts prove that sometimes the internet is weirdly ahead of the curve. Keep scrolling, you might just realize your favorite piece of gossip was more real than you ever imagined.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
In 2005 Courtney Love knew about Harvey Weinstein long before the news broke. Nobody listened to her because she was always on d***s. She was asked on a red carpet interview about advice for young Hollywood (or something) and she said something like “should I say it? If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party at the Four Seasons [hotel] don't go.”
ETA: [clip at about the :30 mark](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mDh4xeI-4KQ).
RELATED:
#2
Britney Spears’ conservatorship. The woman had cameras in her house, her devices were being monitored AND if she refused to work, she’d be thrown in a mental hospital. I haven’t gotten her book yet but I honestly don’t know if I can handle reading it. The one documentary she said she liked was telling enough.
#3
Apple slowing down their phones when a new one releases.
Gossip and rumors come in all flavors. Some are light and silly, others can cause a little chaos, and once in a while, they accidentally help someone out. Take the entertainment world, for example. Sometimes a juicy rumor about an actor joining a big movie spreads before anything is even confirmed. And surprisingly, all that buzz can actually work in their favor. Producers see the hype, think “why not?” and boom, they land a cameo just because the internet couldn’t stop talking.
Of course, not all rumors have a happy twist. In the world of business or celebrity life, a single whisper can spiral into a full-blown disaster. One second you’re sipping coffee, the next there’s talk about a company going bankrupt or a star caught in some scandal. And while the media usually jumps on these stories, it feels a little sneaky when you hear the scoop before it goes public. Like you’re in on something secret without even trying. It’s kind of thrilling but also kind of weird.
#4
That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went.
Turned out to be absolutely true.
#5
The Tim Burton Hansel and Gretel that aired once on halloween in the 80's.
I heard for years that it was fake but I knew it was real because my dad recorded everything in the 80s and he recorded that. We let a good friend of ours borrow it and switch it over from VHS to DVD and soon after that it made its way on to the internet , and there it is now.
I know it's our copy because the tracking in the beginning is screwed up.
Still have the VHS.
#6
There were jokes for years about Bill Cosby being some sort of weirdo, an unwholesome man pretending to be wholesome. We all know how that turned out.
Beak Hookage 3 weeks ago
The slap on the wrist he subsequently received ensured that justice was finally done. s/
To understand how gossip really plays out in the film industry, Bored Panda spoke with Anant Saripaka, an assistant director and editor who has worked on several Bollywood productions.
“There’s a lot going on behind the glamor,” he said. And he’s not just talking about the lights and camera. “It’s a buzzing world, with whispers flying around even before the cameras start rolling.” Sometimes, those whispers aren’t just stories, they turn into full-blown tabloid headlines.
#7
(For the Brits)... Jimmy Savile.
#8
This pre-dates the internet but there was always a rumor that you could jump over the flagpole in Super Mario Bros. Even as a kid in the 80s I thought it was b******t. Turns out it’s true lol.
#9
Diddy has had a long history and reputation for his behavior for ages before everything started hitting the fan. I'm talking decades...
“There are so many people on a film set,” Anant explained. “From technicians to assistants to makeup artists, there are always eyes and ears around.” He added that if someone sees an actor stepping out of a co-star’s trailer, it doesn’t take long before assumptions start flying. “Maybe they were just rehearsing lines, but someone sees it and boom, next thing you know, there’s a gossip column about a secret affair.”
Actors spend long hours on set, and the line between personal and professional gets blurry fast. “Sometimes they’re stuck in their vanity vans for hours with stylists and artists. And yes, people overhear things,” Anant said. One personal call or emotional moment, and suddenly there's talk. “It doesn’t take much for one overheard sentence to snowball into something it never was.”
#10
Just before the pandemic hit there was running joke online about plagues in 1920 and 1820 and that there would be one in 2020.
#11
Before the Internet, there were persistent rumors that Steve McQueen, the white one, had terminal cancer, and later that Rock Hudson and Freddie Mercury had AIDS, rumors that all of them denied.
All of those rumors turned out to be true.
Shelli Aderman 3 weeks ago
It was very different back then, folks didn’t have the luxury to come out as they do now, alas.
#12
I still don't know if this has ever proven to be true, but there have been lots of rumors about John Travolta's gay affairs, even a 6-year affair with his pilot. In 2009, Carrie Fisher alluded to the fact that it was a well-known secret in Hollywood, saying "I mean, my feeling about John has always been that we know and we don’t care.".
“I’ve heard crew members sharing some really questionable stuff,” Anant admitted. “It could be a half-truth, or just something taken out of context but people believe it anyway.” He said it doesn’t even need to be intentional. One whisper spreads to another person, and before you know it, it’s grown legs and is running wild across the set.
#13
Ted Cruz being spotted on a plane to Cancun. Initially dismissed as a Twitter rumor. Then, looool.
Snazzy Smurf 3 weeks ago
And, now Cancun Cruz can not escape his past. Besides blaming it on his daughters, he also left his poor pup in the house. The news here in Houston tore him up.
#14
One of the most infamous examples is the "Tide Pod Challenge." It began as an internet rumor and meme in 2017, where people joked about eating laundry detergent pods. Unfortunately, some individuals took it seriously and actually attempted to consume them, leading to numerous cases of poisoning and hospitalization.
#15
Rob ford, years ago while mayor of Toronto was rumoured to be a crack user, and he was.
When rumors get out of hand, PR teams have to step in fast. “There have been cases where publicists literally rushed to do damage control because a rumor exploded online,” Anant said. “It becomes a balancing act, protect the actor’s image while not adding fuel to the fire.” But once a story is out there, the internet rarely lets it go quietly.
#16
Thousands upon thousands of copies of the Atari E.T game being buried in the desert.
#17
Michael Jackson writing the music for Sonic 3
He actually did, but was never credited on the game because it would breach his contract with his record label
Edit: great video here
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uko0fCp86c.
#18
Trekkies pretty much knew that George Takei is gay before he was officially "out.".
“And that’s the thing,” Anant added, “once it’s out there, it’s out there.” Even if the story is denied, corrected, or clarified, people still talk. “Gossip has a life of its own. It spreads fast, and people love passing it on like hot tea.” He said it’s not about what’s true, it’s about what’s juicy.
#19
The "Lost Doctor Who Episodes" that my mom and her friends always talked about. Turns out, there really are episodes that went missing.
#20
Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a*****e who was on the same flight was livetweeting the whole medical emergency and justified it by insisting she was just making sure the family was informed.
#21
I remember seeing rumours about Kevin Spacey on Tumblr before everything came out. I think it was around 2013-15. The post was talking about how he was secretly gay, and that back in his hometown he was known for always spending time with young men. I told my friends about it cause we were big House of Cards fans, and none of them believed me. Then it all came out a few years later!
But it’s not always mindless drama. “We work so closely with these people, we get to see their real selves,” Anant said. “Some actresses who seem sweet on camera are very different off it.” He noted that the person you see in interviews or on magazine covers isn’t always who they are behind the scenes. “Sometimes the image doesn’t match the reality but that’s showbiz.”
#22
I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in s****y movies before it was announced he has dementia.
#23
Ricky Martin’s sexuality.
#24
The stuff about Louis CK was floating around the Internet for years before it all blew up.
Same with Harvey Weinstein.
“Still, I don’t engage in unnecessary gossip,” Anant concluded. “You never know what someone’s going through.” He believes in keeping a respectful distance, even if others don’t. “It’s better to stay out of it than say something you’ll regret. After all, people remember who started the whisper.”
#25
Some banned episodes or scenes of cartoons
For example, I remember there was a Dexter’s Lab cartoon where he clones evil versions of DeDe and himself and they swear like every other word (censored of course), and people debated whether it even existed cause they only aired it like once. Now it’s pretty accessible online.
#26
Unfortunately, what Josh Duggar did to his sisters. There was a comment on a post about the Duggars on a fairly popular Duggar blog in the comments section that gave pretty exact details almost a decade or so before In Touch got the actual police reports and broke the story widely and publicly. The possibility of what happened had been discussed in conjunction with a lot of use of the word allegedly in internet forums related to the Duggars and Christian fundamentalism for years before it was confirmed because of that post. I often *really* wonder who made that comment because it wasn't a guess- it had way too many correct details to be a guess - and it was really only that post they ever commented on.
#27
Dan Schneider. Though we don’t know exactly what all has happened, I think there was always whispers on the internet because of the obsession with feet on his shows.
Beak Hookage 3 weeks ago
Not to mention the actresses CONSTANTLY getting squirted in the face with various substances. Or what he did to two of the female writers on staff.
In the case of today’s post, though, those whispers ended up being spot on. Some of the rumors shared were shockingly accurate. So, which one caught you off guard? Which rumor did you hear before it made the headlines? Tell us in the comments and maybe keep your ears open next time you're near a trailer van. You never know.
#28
In the BBS days, during the Judas Priest subliminal message trial, there was a rumor that frontman Rob Halford was gay. It was the early 90s and not too believable at the time; heck, even George Michael wasn’t out yet.
But now, “Halford describes himself as ‘the stately homo of heavy metal’”.
#29
In 1998, US Men’s National Team captain John Harkes was shockingly cut from the team right before the World Cup. The coach claimed it was because Harkes wouldn’t fit into his new preferred formation, but rumors flew on the early internet that it was actually because he had slept with his teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife. The rumor was so well-known in soccer circles that Harkes expressly denied it in his autobiography the next year.
Fast forward 12 years to 2010 and Wynalda admits it’s true. The coach then came out and admitted it was why he dropped Harkes, but that he’d planned to keep the secret as long as Wynalda did.
Chewie Baron 3 weeks ago
One of the reasons why Manchester U tied were able to buy Eric Cantona so easily and cheaply from Leeds United (cost about £1.1m) was that he’d been having a brief affair with the wife of teammate Lee Chapman, Lesley Ash (the actress). One of the Leeds players rang an Untied player to warn them to never leave Cantona alone e with any of their wives.
#30
In 2010 Joaquin Phoenix infamously announced that he was quitting his acting career for good and becoming a rapper.
NO ONE believed it and so many people on the internet said it was just a performance for a mockumentary movie. And he then later released a mockumentary movie about it and admitted it was all a gag, to the surprise of no one.
Beak Hookage 3 weeks ago
What with that and acting all weird in interviews I thought he'd lost his mind! Say what you will about the guy but he sure doesn't do anything by halves.
#31
The Internet getting grossed out by Dane Cook starting to date his now-wife when he was 45 and she was 19 stands out to me, because back in like 2004-2005, he actually had his AIM username on his website so fans could talk to him...it was quickly figured out in his fan circles that his first message was always the classic "A/S/L?" and if you weren't a girl under the age of ~20, he wouldn't bother responding to your messages anymore. People knew he liked them young...then it's like everyone forgot for a decade or so.
#32
I’m not sure if this should technically count, but Chris Benoit’s murder/s*****e. Benoit misses a PPV and some teenager posts online that he missed the show because his wife Nancy has died.
Flash forward 14 hours later and cops find Nancy’s dead body, along with their son and Chris himself, all dead.
Turns out some kid had just heard some random rumors online and posted it up on Wikipedia. Cops grabbed all his computers, brought him in, and eventually cleared him calling it an “unbelievable hindrance” to their investigation.
#33
Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress as evidence. Early days of the internet-reported by drudgereport.
#34
That you can get Mew in Pokemon Red and Blue by following some incredibly specific and ridiculous set of actions which have nothing to do with catching a pokemon and make no sense. It was obviously nonsense and could never actually work.
And then someone found the mew glitch. Where you go to route 25 and let the Youngster there see you, but you pause the game and fly to cerulean city on the frame before he comes into view. All your buttons will be disabled so you go back to the youngster and fight him again for real. Note that he has to walk up to you. If the engagement happens without him walking it won't work.
This restores your controls. Then you fly to lavender town and open the menu once. Then you walk to route 8 and the menu will open itself. When you close the menu, you'll enter a battle against Mew.
#35
I'd been reading on the internet for the last few years that Ben Kissel, one of the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, was a bit of a misogynist. The hosts of the podcast used to be much more into edgy humour that could cause some side eye, but apparently comments Ben made were strong enough to give a few people pause. There were a few comments saying it didn't sound like just jokes, it sounded like they're was an undercurrent of anger. Ben had a current image of being the lovable Everyman and had a lot of fans. I took these comments with a grain of salt, just internet opinions and gossip. There was also a long running joke that he was an alcoholic.
Turns out it was true. Dude has recently been accused of abusing an ex of his, has appeared to have been forced into rehab, and has been booted from the show.
#36
That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie.
Chewie Baron 3 weeks ago
I love that quip by Tina Fey when she co-hosted the Golden Globes, and said that the comment by North Korea on the film was not the worst review!
#37
Josh Duggar was mentioned on some forums not too long after he and his family got their TV show.
Snazzy Smurf 3 weeks ago
Too bad there weren't consequences before the computer thing and 7 kids.
#38
Matthew McConaughey has terrible BO, I wonder if it’s a medical thing; maybe medication? Or the man doesn’t shower properly lol.
#39
God I am not gonna get the details of this right, but here's the broad strokes:
Random dude is playing xbox live and overhears an NFL player talking to his agent about a trade. Posts it to the NFL subreddit and gets clowned. Trade is confirmed a few days later.
#40
Because of all the fake death notices, no one believed at first that Paul Walker had actually died.
#41
That Bruce Jenner was transitioning.
#42
Allison Mack and NXIVM. I read stories on message boards a few years prior to any major reports and arrests.
Genuinely thought it was conspiracy theories bc there weren't any actual news reporting it at the time and thought she was a random celeb chosen for trolling.
#43
The Richard Gere rumour is a fascinating example of homophobia targeting a straight man who was a little too comfortable being a s*x symbol, and playing queer characters, for the culture. The fantastic Hollywood history podcast You Must Remember This did a great episode touching on it.
Apatheist Account2 3 weeks ago
I recall someone telling a story about asking Michael Caine if Gere was gay, and he answered "Put it this way, he'd help them out if they were short-handed."
#45
Paris Hilton having a secret hobby of collecting and repairing WW2 era radios.
Leonardo DiCaprio wearing noise cancelling headphones and vaping while having s*x.
#46
The wholesome family-oriented dude from try guys cheating on his wife with his co-worker, who was engaged in a 8-year long relationship. The ironic part is he was always imposing himself as a perfect family dude with Christin morals. 💀 I heard about this rumour on Reddit a few months before it was revealed. I didn’t believe it at first, but ya..
#47
The secret cow level in Diablo. It was added to Diablo 2, retrospectively transforming the internet rumour into a prophecy.
#48
John Edward’s love child.
Beak Hookage 3 weeks ago
I used to follow a cartoonist (his stuff was called "The Pain" but he seems to have since quit) who didn't know who his father was and also bore a very striking resemblance to John Edward. You can guess what the running gag was between him and his friends.
#50
The Sesame Street short “Cracks”. Probably not exactly what you’re looking for, but still interesting!
Poll Question
How often do you think internet rumors turn out to be true?
Very often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
What do you think ?
persephone134 3 weeks ago
Sinead O'Connor accusing the Catholic church of child abuse. She was treated like a witch. Literally. People burned her CDs in effigy.
Richard Graham 3 weeks ago
Just about everything about Donald Trump. How many posting will there be about his horrible behavior before people finally catch on?
Ahnjunwan 3 weeks ago
A lot of people here were rumours had it thst they were gay. I think that people think that of a lot of people and sometimes it turns out to be true. This is sad because for one thing, it should not matter of it is true or not and i do not understand why people feel they are entitled to the "truth" of somebodies personal live. Also it is sad for another reason, wich is that gay actors or celebs just can not come out or the career is very likely over. I do at least not know of a single example were a high class actor came out and nobody cared. We are very far from that openminded society we pretend to be. And i am getting controversial now, i believe this dogma that we have to accept everybody the way he or she is makes it worse. Somebody comes out and we have to celebrate the bravery and forgot about the fact that it is first of all a person and not just a gay
Ace 3 weeks ago (edited)
Yes, or the TL;DR, as I posted on the Travolta one, why the fück does anyone care if they're gay? It tells me more about the person making such a claim than it does about the person they're aiming it at.
Load More Replies... persephone134 3 weeks ago
Sinead O'Connor accusing the Catholic church of child abuse. She was treated like a witch. Literally. People burned her CDs in effigy.
Richard Graham 3 weeks ago
Just about everything about Donald Trump. How many posting will there be about his horrible behavior before people finally catch on?
Ahnjunwan 3 weeks ago
A lot of people here were rumours had it thst they were gay. I think that people think that of a lot of people and sometimes it turns out to be true. This is sad because for one thing, it should not matter of it is true or not and i do not understand why people feel they are entitled to the "truth" of somebodies personal live. Also it is sad for another reason, wich is that gay actors or celebs just can not come out or the career is very likely over. I do at least not know of a single example were a high class actor came out and nobody cared. We are very far from that openminded society we pretend to be. And i am getting controversial now, i believe this dogma that we have to accept everybody the way he or she is makes it worse. Somebody comes out and we have to celebrate the bravery and forgot about the fact that it is first of all a person and not just a gay
Ace 3 weeks ago (edited)
Yes, or the TL;DR, as I posted on the Travolta one, why the fück does anyone care if they're gay? It tells me more about the person making such a claim than it does about the person they're aiming it at.
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