(Gossip Cop Composite)
Gossip Cop went six for six busting this week’s tabloid cover stories, all of which were false. Some were outright fabrications, others printed fake news and two chose sensationalism over straight truth-telling. After spending time investigating with our reliable sources, we confirmed that every single publication was promoting falsehoods on their respective covers and within their stories. In case you missed our individual debunkings, here’s a recap.
In Touchreturned this week to one of its favorite topics: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, who have been divorced for more than 10 years. Despite both going on to marry other people, the gossip media is still obsessed with peddling fictional stories about the former spouses. Such was the case with this new cover story, which claimed Aniston “broke down” after Pitt made a “love confession.” The article alleged the actor recently called his ex-wife to not only vent about his split from Angelina Jolie, but also apologize for wronging her years prior. It was claimed Aniston was in “tears” over Pitt’s comments, and the two were now closer than ever as a result. But this supposed conversation never happened. In fact, a rep for the actress flat-out told Gossip Cop it was all a “complete fabrication.”
Aniston was also a tabloid target this week in OK!,which picked one of the most played-out narratives: A supposed pregnancy. For this cover story, the gossip magazine claimed Aniston was expecting a “miracle baby” at the age of 48. The piece speculated she broke the news to husband Justin Theroux as they celebrated their second wedding anniversary earlier this month, and offered empty assertions, like saying best friend Courteney Cox “probably has the most info” on the purported pregnancy. But just like when the outlet contended Aniston was having twins in 2015 and carrying a girl in 2016, she is still not pregnant in 2017, her spokesperson confirmed to Gossip Cop. A second source even questioned why readers buy these obvious lies anymore.
Us Weekly focused on controversial “Real Housewives of New Jersey” couple, the Giudices, announcing a “divorce” for Teresa and Joe on its cover. Inside the issue, however, the publication was somewhat more measured, asserting she was “considering” and “thinking” about divorcing her imprisoned husband. This alleged split was attributed to Teresa tiring of infidelity rumors and growing more confident in herself as she cares for their family without Joe’s help. The contentions came less than three months after the tabloid, which is a sister outlet to Star, OK! and the National Enquirer, falsely claimed Teresa was having an affair. Now the reality star’s lawyer exclusively told Gossip Cop the divorce cover story was “1,000 percent untrue,” and Teresa herself slammed Us Weekly on Twitter for publishing “fake news.”
Speaking of Star, its cover announced both a marriage and a baby for Sandra Bullock. The accompanying report claimed Bullock was planning a wedding with Bryan Randall, and adopting a third child. It was alleged he convinced the actress to walk down the aisle again, after an infamous failed marriage to Jesse James, in part by expressing his desire to raise another child together. Now, asserted the tabloid, nuptials were supposedly set to take place at Bullock’s Wyoming ranch. A source close to the Oscar winner, however, denied to Gossip Cop that the story was true, and it was the third time we busted such an untrue wedding tale, after previous similar allegations from OK! and the National Enquirer.
Like In Touch exploiting Aniston and Pitt’s old relationship whenever possible, its sister publication Life & Style likes to capitalize on Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. The magazine insisted Lambert was out for “revenge” on Shelton, and claimed she was using the media and her music to bash him. But the quotes provided were taken out of context and unattributed to Billboard, which is where the songstress spoke vaguely about her divorce and never directly mentioned her former husband. In addition to failing to give the outlet credit and greatly sensationalizing its remarks, the tabloid had a so-called “friend” allege Lambert’s next album will reveal “secrets” about their marriage. But Gossip Cop learned no one close to her was actually telling such things to a publication that lied about her being a “pregnant bride” nearly a year ago.
And then there’s the National Enquirer, which pit Kelly Ripa and Megyn Kelly against each other in a supposed “showdown.” Because Megyn Kelly’s new NBC morning show will be airing against “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” the supermarket tabloid saw fit to concoct a “vicious feud” between the two women. Unsurprisingly, it was alleged both want to “crush” the other in the ratings, not just for professional reasons, but due to a personal rivalry as well. A purported tipster was even quoted as ridiculously saying, “There can only be one ‘Kelly’ on TV at 9 a.m., so this is going to be the biggest catfight of the century!” But Gossip Cop was assured that Ripa and Kelly are civil and have a mutual respect for one another, and this cover was story was greatly exaggerated.
That is A LOT of misinformation. And whether readers subscribe to these tabloids or buy them at the newsstand or in a grocery store checkout line, they are being duped with made-up sagas and erroneous details. Covering celebrity news and entertainment can be fun. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be accurate. It’s also particularly egregious to allege an actress is pregnant and a star couple is divorcing when they’re not. Such stories can have serious consequences, and Aniston for one has spoken out at length about being victimized. But as long as gossip magazines continue prioritizing profits over real journalism, Gossip Cop will continue to bust bad dish and separate fact from fiction.
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