Oprah Winfrey addresses rumours she was arrested for sex trafficking
American media personality Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday dismissed claims that she was arrested for sex trafficking.
The media mogul’s name became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter after rumours surfaced that she had been taken into custody.
QAnon, a far-right group, launched a conspiracy theory that she was arrested on charges of sex trafficking.
The message has been making the rounds on social media over the last week states that Oprah, Tom Hanks, Charles Barkley, Justin Trudeau, and a number of other Hollywood and political figures were recently taken into custody.
According to the theory, all of these figures were named by Harvey Weinstein in his trial, and to cover up their involvement in sex trafficking, they’ve been detained for coronavirus links.
The theory has been reportedly debunked by online sleuths, but as the internet goes, it didn’t take long for the meme to circulate worldwide.
Adding to the believability were photos that were supposed to be of Oprah’s home being investigated by federal authorities.
“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,” she tweeted.
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
Last week, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York judge, two weeks after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree on February 24, in a verdict hailed by the #MeToo movement.