Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Infamous Internet Rumors That Ended Up Being True

boy playing at laptop inside room

boy playing at laptop inside room

Photo by Ludovic Toinel on Unsplash

Reddit user strakerak asked: 'What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?'

Make us preferred on Google

In 2017, I returned to my office after my lunch break to hear my supervisors discussing Tom Petty. This seemed like a random topic to me until one of my supervisors told me Tom Petty had passed away. He was a huge fan of Petty and spent the next hour or so combing through the internet to get more information.

He came back into the room my other supervisor and I were working in and announced that Tom Petty wasn't dead after all. News outlets had jumped the gun to announce his death, but he was actually still alive.


The next day, I came in to find out that Tom Petty was dead; the news may have been premature, but true.

This is a classic example of the rumor being started on the internet. Sometimes, like with the news of Tom Petty's death, the rumor can run wild and appear everywhere. Other times, the rumor can be seen by just a few people and dismissed. However, a lot of times, these rumors turn out to be true.

Redditors know a lot of internet rumors that turned out to be true, and are eager to share.

It all started when Redditor strakerak asked:

"What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?"

The King Of Pop

" 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."

– -WigglyLine-

"He did the same when he appeared on The Simpsons. He appeared under a pseudonym, and the Producers said it was an impersonator."

"Only years later they confirmed it really was Michael."

"His singing voice was actually done by an impersonator, though."

– given2fly_

The Truth Comes Out

"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."

– guyfromsoccer

Video Evidence

"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."

– Frozenthickness

"There was a similar story with a Nickelodeon movie called Cry Baby Lane. It was supposed to be so scary that Nickelodeon got complaints and denied its existence for years. Someone uploaded a taped copy to youtube about a decade ago."

– PattiAllen

The Movie Business

"That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie."

"I worked in the movie business at the time and the account managers at Sony all basically needed to get new identities as all of their personal information got leaked online."

– OldMastodon5363

"My partner worked on that movie and the production bought all the crew 1 year of an identity theft tracking service."

– CMV_Viremia

Keep Away From The Ears Of Kids

"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."

– Spledidlife

Yes, It's True

"Echelon, a massive electronic espionage system by the US and allies to intercept all electronic messages, especially emails."

"In the mid-nineties it was a topic on conspiracy BBS boards. A lot of people in my bubble at the time (mainly uni students in Europe) were including fake threats to the US in the their email signatures as a way to "protest" and "fill the system with false alarms" (obviously useless)."

"Then, in 1999-2000 came out to be true and a lot of security service agencies from UK and other US allies started to admit they were part of the espionage network."

– latflickr

How The Mighty Fell

"John Edward’s love child."

– ACam574

"A reminder that he was cheating on his wife while she was hospitalized for cancer treatment."

– Fanclock314

Ugh...

"Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a**hole 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."

– everylastlight

It Actually Happened

"Every year around her birthday there was a rumor that Betty White died. When I heard she died, I scoffed, saying that dumb rumor is back.... then saw it on the news. I was in shock."

– Known-Committee8679

"The fact that Betty died literally right before she turned 100 is such a Betty White way to go out."

– Paganigsegg

Big Actor, Small Roles

"I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in sh*tty movies before it was announced he has dementia."

– KampferMann

"RedLetterMedia did a deep dive on his recent movie activity to try and work out why exactly he was taking part in basically scam-movies. They noticed he had an earpiece in one of the scenes and joked that the director was feeding him lines. I remember they even disclaimed over the rumours at the time, and possible made a follow-up vid when it was revealed to the public."

– CardinalCreepia

What To Do Next?

"That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went."

"Turned out to be absolutely true."

– homarjr

That last one was kind of obvious!

Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comment below.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Curtis Hertel; Haley Stevens
@Acyn/X; Finn Gomez/Getty Images

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Rips Dem Rep. After Kicking Her Out Of Party For Endorsing GOP Senate Candidate

Curtis Hertel, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, criticized Representative Haley Stevens after she shockingly endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Senate over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

Stevens sought to make her participation in a joint appearance on Sunday with El-Sayed and South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn contingent on El-Sayed disavowing an advertisement by one of his allies that criticized Israel. In response, El-Sayed’s campaign asked Stevens to stay away from his events.

Keep Reading Show less
Zelda Williams (left) and Robin Williams (right) arrive at the "Old Dogs" Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre.
John Shearer/WireImage

Zelda Williams Just Called Out Conspiracy Theorists Who Think She Helped Her Dad Fake His Own Death—And Fans Are Devastated For Her

Zelda Williams has spent years asking people to stop using her late father, Robin Williams, as fodder for bizarre internet theories and AI-generated content. Now, the 37-year-old is confronting conspiracy theorists who believe the Oscar-winning actor never died—and that his own daughter helped cover it up.

At the center of this latest conspiracy is Uncle Pappy, a social media personality who uses an aging filter while impersonating Robin Williams. Somehow, his videos have convinced some viewers that the late actor is still alive.

Keep Reading Show less
split screen of Jimmy Fallon and Jamie Lee Curtis from a "Tonight Show" skit.
@The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube

Jamie Lee Curtis Just Did Her Impression Of Elizabeth Holmes On 'Fallon'—And It's Too Good

Even with its nearly three-hour running time, You Can See Everything has gone on to become the highest-grossing documentary in 15 years, taking in over $45 million in just two weeks.

The documentary chronicles Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes just prior to serving her prison sentence after a federal grand jury indicted her for defrauding investors.

Keep Reading Show less
Sir Patrick Stewart
Just For Laughs/YouTube

Patrick Stewart Delivered His Own Eulogy 11 Years Ago—And It's Hilariously Raunchy

The entertainment world lost one of its all-time greats on October 28 when Sir Patrick Stewart passed away at 86.

The actor, best known for playing Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor X in the X-Men film series, along with innumerable appearances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, passed after a battle with Alzheimer's disease and lewy body dementia.

Keep Reading Show less
Randy Rainbow; Mitch McConnell
Randy Rainbow/YouTube

Randy Rainbow Hilariously Drags Mitch McConnell's Unlikely Senate Return With 'Mitchcraft' Parody Video

Singer and satirist Randy Rainbow has been parodying politics since the first presidency of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump. But Trump isn't the focus of Rainbow's latest comedy music video.

Instead, the performer—whose name really is Randy Rainbow—set his sights on the mysterious 92-day disappearance of Kentucky MAGA Republican Senator and former Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. In June, the 84-year-old lawmaker reportedly fell at his home and was taken to the hospital.

Keep Reading Show less