What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: Fake Celebrity Endorsements

Fns of down-home cooking can relax: Celebrity chef and television personality Ree Drummond is not leaving The Food Network to endorse a brand of keto gummies, despite a convincing looking facsimile of a People Magazine article making the rounds on Facebook and Instagram this week.

A single fake celebrity endorsement from a fly-by-night gummy manufacturer barely registers in this wicked world, but when you pull the string, it unravels an ugly sweater of con-artistry and misinformation that’s been tucked away in the more gullible drawers of the internet for years. Drummond’s purported announcement is just the latest evidence of an international con wherein untraceable companies trick unsuspecting rubes out of their paychecks with plausible looking fake news pushing questionable wellness products.

Your favorite celebrities are not actually selling weight loss gummies

For the record, the following celebrities are not selling or endorsing Keto gummies, CBD gummies, or any other kind of gummies or weight loss pills (as far as I can tell):

Oprah Winfrey: Oprah is a favorite target for gummy companies. A salacious fake article was circulated widely online last year through a text message reading “Fans React to the Oprah Tragedy.” Clicking through led to a fake Time Magazine article about Oprah endorsing weight loss gummies, forcing the actual Oprah to respond with an Instagram video clarifying that she did not endorse any weight loss gummies.Tom Selleck: The star of Magnum PI did not endorse CBD gummies, despite a convincing media article about it. If you want to see how convincing, click this link to a PDF of the article. (I’m obviously not linking to the original).The cast of Shark Tank: Didn’t endorse a keto diet pill. Mayim Bialik: Has nothing to do with CBD gummies.Drew Carey: Did not endorse keto diet pills. Adele: Did not endorse weight loss gummies on Ellen. Tiger Woods: has nothing to do with a product called “Tiger Woods’ CBD Gummies.”Reba McEntire: Did not endorse CBD or keto gummies.Rebel Wilson: Did not endorse ACV Keto Weight Loss Gummies.Johnny Depp: Did not endorse CBD gummies.Dolly Parton: Endorses good ol’ country music, not CBD gummies.Paul McCartney: Actually died in 1966.Dr. Oz: Dr. Oz actually does endorse various supplements and wellness products.

I could keep naming celebrities all day. It’s endless, and it all follows the same pattern: A shocking news article from a seemingly legitimate source earns your click, which takes you to a website that explains how Paul McCartney (or whomever) has a line of CBD products they are desperate for you to try. Then you give up the credit card numbers.

Why aren’t these companies run out of business?

Using a celebrity’s likeness without their permission would likely bring such costly suits that few legitimate companies would risk it. But lawsuits don’t seem to work against foreign operations that seem only to exist virtually and are designed to shut down then re-open under a new name at the drop of a hat (or a cese-and-desist letter). Clint Eastwood tried it in 2021 and won a $6 million dollar default judgement against Mediatonas UAB, a Lithuanian company that didn’t bother to show up in court to defend itself. Eastwood and his lawyers have so far been unable to collect a dime, as Mediatonas UAB no longer exists. Those lawyers didn’t work for free, and there’s nothing stopping some other company from using Eastwood’s name and likeness again tomorrow.

This leave celebrities with little recourse beyond social media posts that say, “I am not selling CBD gummies.” But that can actually help scammers: When Oprah Winfrey posted a video reiterating that she was not selling weight loss gummies, scammers used the clip of the talk show host saying “weight loss gummies” in other ads.

Who falls for this stuff, anyway?

Famous people are obviously being wronged here, but they can dry their tears with great piles of cash; the actual victims are the nobodies who shell out hundreds of dollars for products that either don’t work or simply don’t exist.

These fake stories may come across as obvious frauds to the online-savvy, but they work on enough people to support the whole shady industry. No one’s keeping track of how many have fallen victim to Dark Gummy, but a click on the comments of Oprah’s video clarification brings up endless anecdotal examples of victims lamenting their lost cash.

If you noticed that these celebrities skew toward “trustworthy to old people” it’s almost definitely by design. Older people have always been seen as easy marks by scammers, and the internet makes it even easier to trick your grandma. The fake magazine articles are from “trusted by old people” sources too, like ABC News, Fox News, Us Weekly, People magazine, and Time. They look legit, as they fully rip-off the style and assets of their sources. The writing (probably AI generated) is even passable.

How to spot a fake ad

Part of the insidiousness of these ads is that they are so targeted and so specific that you’re unlikely to see them unless you’re also likely to fall for them. But just in case you’re unsure about a CBD product, the Federal Trade Commission recently posted a consumer alert that offered three tips:

Approach celebrity testimonials with caution. According to the FTC, if you’re excited because Tom Selleck has a new line of CBD gummies, you should “look for product reviews on your own.” That means searching the product online and adding words like “scam” or “problems” or “complaints.” This is great advice, but I doubt my Aunt Patsy is going to follow it. Go directly to the source. Don’t click on a link or ad. Instead, go to the celebrity or show’s actual social media accounts or website. (Again, I doubt Aunt Patsy can tell the difference.)Talk to your doctor: Instead of buying “wellness” snake-oil on the internet, ask your physician whether CBD gummies or online weight loss pills are right for you. (Spoiler: They are not right for you or anyone.)