Was it really true love, or just a publicity stunt?
When the internet was asked, “What big celebrity story or occurrence do you suspect was secretly a publicity stunt?” people shared A-List relationships and stories that seemed too good to be true or straight-up fake.
These alleged celebrity publicity stunts are getting unveiled:
1. Hilaria Baldwin’s accent
Hilaria Baldwin, the wife of disgraced actor Alec Baldwin, has often come under fire for using a fake Spanish accent despite being born in Boston as Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas.
Piling on, one person responded, “That name is a publicity stunt.”
2. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley’s marriage
The pair secretly tied the knot in the Dominican Republic in 1994, shortly after Presley’s divorce from Danny Keough. Just 20 months later, the couple divorced.
“Some of her interviews where she talks about him are somewhat convincing, and I don’t doubt she cared about him, but something is REALLY fishy about it,” said one suspicious individual.
See also: 7 Celebrity Deaths So Flabbergasting People Couldn’t Believe Them
3. Janet Jackson’s Superbowl Wardrobe Malfunction
For years, people have been convinced that Janet Jackson’s controversial wardrobe malfunction that left her baring all onstage at Superbowl XXXVIII in February 2004 was really just a publicity stunt that both Jackson and Justin Timberlake were in on.
While evidence has shown that the wardrobe malfunction was likely planned, it’s still unclear how much involvement Jackson had in the decision-making. In February 2021, 17 years after the incident, Timberlake issued a vague public apology to Jackson.
4. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are America’s favorite sweethearts right now, but some people aren’t convinced that the couple’s whirlwind romance is real.
“Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is a CIA PSYOP. We’ve gone too far from traditional family values. We needed the captain of the football team dating the head cheerleader,” joked one person supporting the idea that popstar and NFL player’s relationship is merely a publicity stunt.
5. Kim Kardashian’s infamous video with Ray J
“This is pretty well known at this point, there is audio from Ray J and Kim talking about the deal they made with [Kris Jenner’s] involvement.”
It seems that the reality star’s rise to fame may not have been so spontaneous.
See also: Kim vs. Kourtney: Kardashian Sisters Battle Over Dolce & Gabbana Wedding Drama
6. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ marriage
“Actresses said they attended ‘auditions’ that ended up being auditions to be Tom’s wife shortly before he and Katie debuted.”
7. Kristen Stewart cheating on Rob Pattinson
Usually, the public accuses an entire relationship of being a publicity stunt, but in this case, they’re only calling out the way the “Twilight” couple (temporarily) broke up.
“It’s the way that they immediately got back together. Stayed together for a few years after, too. it brought higher ratings to the final movie— ‘Breaking Dawn.’
“I think they genuinely loved each other, but I also suspect they had a fluid/open relationship due to how laid back they both are. I think when the [paparazzi] caught the producer being skeevy with Kristen (she was newly 21, he was forties and married), instead of categorically denying it, they just had her immediately apologize for ‘hurting Rob,’ and then it wasn’t ever really revealed what truly happened.”
8. Tom Holland’s “spoilers”
Usually, mum’s the word for actors before a movie’s release when it comes to unveiling major plot elements. Somehow, movie star Tom Holland hasn’t quite learned that lesson yet. The actor has become known for accidentally spilling Marvel Cinematic Universe spoilers in interviews.
Holland’s serendipitous slips of the tongue happen so frequently that fans are becoming skeptical they’re actually accidental, thinking that the whole thing is just a publicity stunt. “I get it, kid’s adorable, prone to being a cute dork, but there’s no way his spoilers weren’t planned,” wrote one.
See also: 8 Dumbest Celebrities (You Won’t Believe What They’ve Done)
9. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn’s relationship
The pair had a well-timed romance while filming “The Breakup,” leaving fans suspicious.
“I think there are a lot of instances of castmates dating for publicity. It helps make the romance in the movie feel more believable, and it raises the profile [of] the actors.”
10. “Anything Snoop Dogg has done since the year 2000”
“Snoop Dogg finished the main game and is now just doing side quests,” said one person commenting on the star’s many outlandish announcements and unexpected partnerships, such as a TV show with Martha Stewart and announcing unseriously that he was quitting smoking.
11. Kim Kardashian dating Pete Davidson
“The Astroworld festival occurred on November 5th. Travis Scott was dating Kylie Jenner at the time. I wouldn’t put it past Kris Jenner for devising the plan to have Kim [Kardashian] start dating Pete [Davidson] right at the same time in order to take attention away from the terrible [disaster] and tragedy that was Astroworld that year.”
12. Donald Trump’s initial run for president
“Trump’s initial run for president was definitely a stunt, and then people actually went with it, and he couldn’t back out, and that’s how we ended up with a clown for president.”
This article was written and syndicated by What the Fab.
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
