Home / Arts and Entertainment / Stars' Wild PR Stunts: Fake Fans to Fake Fiancees
Stars' Wild PR Stunts: Fake Fans to Fake Fiancees
21 Mar
Summary
- Priyanka Chopra accused of hiring fake fans in 2017 footage.
- Kim Kardashian faked paparazzi encounters for early fame.
- Celebrities use fake relationships and personas for publicity.
The pursuit of fame has led celebrities to employ increasingly inventive public relations strategies. Priyanka Chopra, in 2017, was accused of orchestrating a PR stunt involving fake fans at LAX, as captured in resurfaced footage.
Kim Kardashian, now a billionaire, famously manipulated paparazzi in her early career. She confessed to staging encounters with Britney Spears in 2006 to appear connected and generate media attention.
Ali Larter once posed as a fictional actress, Allegra Coleman, for Esquire magazine in the late 1990s. This elaborate hoax satirized celebrity culture and successfully propelled her own acting career.
Joaquin Phoenix's supposed retirement from acting for a hip-hop career in 2009 was a publicity stunt for the mockumentary 'I'm Still Here'. Sacha Baron Cohen's infamous stage invasion of Eminem at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards was also a pre-arranged gag.
Fake relationships are another common tactic. DJ Khaled's 2013 proposal to Nicki Minaj was a publicity stunt for their collaboration. Jake Paul famously staged fake marriages to fellow YouTubers Erika Costell and Tana Mongeau.
Even romantic links can be fabricated. Brody Jenner admitted faking his relationship with Lauren Conrad on 'The Hills' for the show's narrative. Similarly, Rihanna's former publicist admitted to faking an affair with Jay-Z to promote her debut single.
Social media influence is also inflated through buying followers. Reports in 2018 alleged that figures like Paul Hollywood and James Cracknell used services like Devumi to artificially boost their Twitter followings.
