DNC ‘surprise’ that wasn’t: How the media helped spread totally fake rumors about Beyoncé, Taylor Swift
Speculation is the Democrats knew they couldn't fill seats otherwise
At 1:07 p.m. EDT on Thursday “That Gay Guy Candle Co” posted to social media claiming that the Democratic National Convention (DNC) would have a surprise speaker, becoming one of the first large social media accounts to amplify rumors that later developed into two mainstream outlets publishing false reports.
After That Gay Guy Candle Co made their since-deleted X post referencing a CNN reporter on a possible surprise event, several other large liberal accounts began to spread the rumors, according to posts reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The saga culminated in TMZ and The Hill incorrectly reporting that Beyoncé would perform at the convention, which never materialized.
“Angry Staffer,” an anonymous account with around 600,000 followers, hinted in a post made at 1:28 p.m. EDT that they’d been clued into a “surprise” bigger than Oprah Winfrey speaking at the DNC the night before.
Brian Krassenstein, a well-known online critic of former President Donald Trump with a following nearing 860,000, claimed at 1:45 p.m. EDT that he had been told about a “major surprise” at the DNC.
After Beyoncé didn’t show up, the Angry Staffer account said that “the people who told me aren’t prone to hyperbole” and apologized for posting false information. It speculated that the false rumor could have been a ploy by the DNC to increase ratings, but expressed some doubt about the possibility.
Angry Staffer said it made them “feel better” that mainstream media outlets also reported the false rumor.
“Beyoncé is in Chicago, and getting ready to pop out for Kamala Harris on the final night of the Democratic National Convention … TMZ has learned,” the outlet reported at 4:49 p.m. EDT, citing multiple sources. The Hill, citing two sources, incorrectly reported that the music superstar would perform. One of the sources had reported seeing Beyoncé in Chicago, the outlet wrote after it became apparent that Beyoncé would not be making an appearance.
A representative for the singer later said that she was never scheduled to be there and that the reports of a performance were false, according to a story published by The Hollywood Reporter at 7:01 p.m. EDT.
A Biden official appeared to fan the flames of the rumors, with political director, Emmy Ruiz, posting a bee emoji to X at 4:37 p.m. EDT.
Beyoncé’s fanbase refers to itself as the “BeyHive,” and often posts bee emojis on social media. The singer has leaned into this trope, performing dressed as a bee in 2023.
Media outlets took the apparent bait laid by Ruiz, who later claimed her six-year-old child stole her phone and posted the emoji.
“Did White House political director just drop major hint about Beyoncé DNC appearance?” an NBC 5 Chicago headline read, following the post to social media. HuffPost deputy editor Phil Lewis also amplified the post, suggesting it had meaning.
Ruiz playing along with the “major surprise” rumors followed the DNC having 22% lower ratings on night one than it did in 2016, according to Axios. The convention pulled about 20 million viewers on Monday, compared to the 18.13 million captured by the Republican National Convention on its opening night, and hovered around the same number on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Politico made multiple posts to X hyping a possible Beyoncé appearance within hours of each other.
Beyoncé wasn’t the only name flying around amid speculation of a surprise DNC guest, with former CNN host Don Lemon incorrectly floating the possibility that former Republican President George W. Bush might appear and others speculating about a Taylor Swift performance.
“Not surprised at all that Don just made up the notion that George W Bush might appear at the DNC (which Bush’s own chief of staff denied) but I am slightly disappointed that Bush won’t be performing ‘Single Ladies,’” journalist Matthew Keys wrote on X.
TMZ, CNN, The Hill and Politico did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
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