Jimmy Fallon is not dead, and Jimmy Fallon wants people to know that.
A quirky hashtag, #RIPJimmyFallon, was trending on Twitter Tuesday night, and the Tonight Show host got fed up with it, personally calling on the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, to remove the hashtag.
Earlier Tuesday, the more sinister element launched on Twitter #RIPJimmyFallon, with users often posting the hashtag with a picture of someone other than Fallon.
Twitter users, especially overseas, who didn’t catch the supposed joke, were shocked and confused. A Korean user tweeted, “It came as a hashtag, so I was taken aback. For real. Ah, it’s funny. Because Melon Musk fired everyone in the information verification department, fake news can now hit the market, according to this hashtag. Oh it’s funny real #RIPJimmyFallon.”
Concerned, Fallon tweeted: “Elon can you fix this? #RIPJimmyFallon.” Musk, who has taken a very personal approach to moderating content since taking over Twitter, has yet to respond to Fallon’s request.
Twitter’s current chaos has led to a rise in disinformation on the platform, a situation made worse by Musk firing a significant number of people involved in moderating content and handling fake accounts and fake news were.
Last Thursday, an account using the name and logo of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. and wearing a blue “verified” tick tweeted, “We’re pleased to announce that insulin is now free.” The fake tweet led caused the drug company’s stock to fall from $368 a share to $346 a share, reportedly erasing billions in market cap.