Comedian and TV Show Host Ellen DeGeneres became the latest victim of online trolls when a Twitter thread falsely claimed that Ellen died after falling off from the roof. Soon the users started tweeting about the same and offering the condolences. Within a few hours, #RipElllen was the top trending topic on Twitter.
Among other hashtags that were trending on the microblogging site related to the hoax include #RipEllenRoof and #RipEllenWhy. The popularity of Ellen fell in the masses following few comments made by her during the quarantine after she compared her lockdown in a mansion with prison. Ellen had switched over to shooting her show from house, instead of a studio, in wake of the lockdown.
How Hoax Related to Ellen's Death Started?
Recently several of Ellen's former staff members and guests alleged about her being a bully, cold-hearted, and mean. Soon stories related to Ellen's rude behavior started doing rounds on the internet. Junkee reported that while the origin of the rumor could not be ascertained, a Twitter user who goes by the name @itstby, has claimed responsibility for the trending hashtag.
In her tweet, posted around the afternoon, the user wrote: "THERE'S CCTV FOOTAGE LEAKED OF ELLEN FALLING OFF HER ROOF?!-$/". It was then that @itstby and her friends started the rumor that Ellen has died after falling from the roof, reported the outlet. The fake pieces of news not only caused panic but led to users offering their condolences and remembering the TV show host.
#RipEllen Turns Into a Meme Machine
Among those who were using the trending hashtag, many turned it into memes by using the photographs of celebrities and characters bearing resemblance to Ellen. While sharing a photoshopped photo of Ellen a Twitter user wrote: "She's in heaven now. #ripellen".
"I'm heartbroken. I miss ellen so much. I know she's in a better place, but it hurts. I miss you, angel," wrote a user as another mentioned, "I found some pictures of ellen when she was younger. she will forever be missed. #RIPELLEN."
"The reason #ripellen is trending is because her talk show got cancelled. Ellen DeGeneres is not dead everyone, so breathe a sigh of relief," clarified a user. "#RipEllen This is for those people who're as confused as me. Hope it might help ease your mind :P "Ellen DeGeneres, of course, isn't actually dead. The rumor was started just a few hours ago, but caught on like wildfire," wrote another.
