Fake News! Oprah Reacts to Sex Trafficking Accusations
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has found herself in the middle of malicious reports involving her name in alleged "sex trafficking."
It came after the hoax scandal circulated on the internet claiming that the TV personality was arrested for sex trafficking charges.
Oprah Debunks Malicious Conspiracy Theory
After learning that her name was being dragged in the controversy, the 66-year-old media executive denied all the accusations and took to Twitter to properly address the situation.
Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE. Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody. — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 18, 2020
"Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing," Oprah wrote.
"It's NOT TRUE," she added, "Haven't been raided or arrested. Just sanitizing and self-distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody."
The billionaire icon seems to be the latest victim of QAnon, a group made up of several individuals operating independently online. The said group creates malicious conspiracy theories and posts on different social media platforms.
In their Facebook post, the group claimed that Winfrey's house in Boca Raton, Florida, had been raided and cordoned by the authorities.
The post became viral and has pushed her name, making it to the top trending topics on Twitter for several hours on Tuesday night until Wednesday morning.
Winfrey's friends came to back her up and supported her against these false accusations being thrown at her.
The billionaire philanthropist's best friend, Gayle King recalled that Oprah called her in the middle of the night to fill her in on the story.
King shared that she felt mad because the reports were different on how she "represents and lives in the world."
"A Wrinkle In Time" director Ava DuVernay lambasted the public for sharing fake news and supporting trolls on the internet.
"Oprah has worked for decades on behalf of others. Given hundreds of millions to individuals + causes in need. She shared her own abuse as a child to help folks heal. Shame on all who participated in this," she wrote on Twitter.
Andy Lassner, the executive producer on the "Ellen Degeneres Show,", slammed the netizens for believing the fake news which creates confusion to the public.
Hollywood Celebrities Targeted by QAnon Group
Aside from the 66-year-old Oprah, some celebrities and prominent personalities became the victim of the said group.
One of which is the award-winning actor Tom Hanks, who was allegedly arrested for pedophilia. The group also claimed that to hide the charges, they used coronavirus quarantine as the "cover story."
Moreover, Youtube videos entitled "Sarah Ruth Ashcraft says Tom Hanks is a pedophile", and "Tom Hanks' Alleged 'Sex Slave' Speaks Out" have been circulating on the internet since 2018 -- all pointing out to the actor's charges of which he strongly denied.
The power couple Chrissy Teigen and singer John Legend also became QAnon's target over pedophile accusations.
Teigen expressed her frustration over Twitter, saying that rumors were baseless and "crazy."
These scandalous conspiracy theories also involved other high-profile stars such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Kevin Spacey and Charles Barkley.
