Someone has it in for Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul's name was reportedly trending on Tuesday (March 17) after 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 that states 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.
After seeing that she was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter, Oprah hopped online to deny the allegations. "Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE," Oprah Winfrey wrote. "Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody."
Ava DuVernay criticized those that participated in spreading the rumor. "Trolls + bots began this disgusting rumor. Mean-spirited minds kept it going," she tweeted. "#Oprah has worked for decades on behalf of others. Given hundreds of millions to individuals + causes in need. Shared her own abuse as a child to help folks heal. Shame on all who participated in this." Check it out below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1240150930840051712
https://twitter.com/_/status/1240168399868551169
