Many fans of Steve Harvey were unnecessarily traumatized over a false news alert claiming the “Family Feud” host had died.
A dozen users on X claimed to have received an alert for an article titled “Steve Harvey Passed Away Today: Remembering The Legacy Of A Comedy Legend” earlier this week. It was posted to the “Trend Cast News” section of an apparent AI-generated content website, picked up by the NewsBreak website, and then shared through the outlet’s app.
“Today, the world has lost a remarkable figure in the entertainment industry as Steve Harvey passed away,” read a portion of the post.
People quickly jumped on social media with reactions to the Dec. 19-dated headline falsely claiming Harvey, the “multifaceted personality,” lost his life on a future day.
“Gmorn’n did anyone else wake up to Steve Harvey passed away news and it was a spam or virus link,” an X user tweeted on Dec. 18.
That tweet received numerous replies suggesting other fans were also exposed to the fake report. One person tweeted, “Yes. S—t was soooo weird. Thought my phone was toast for real.”
Another replied, “I got that notification too, smh.” While a third added, “I did. I clicked on it and there was no info. I looked him up and it seems, he’s alive and well. Why do people do these things?”
A fourth reply read, “NewsBreak app got me.”
My dad called to ask me about it. Then I check my WhatsApp message and he forwarded me a link to a site I never heard of before. I told him not to send to anyone and don’t click it. pic.twitter.com/5UpEYzzHie
— ꧁𝐸𝒾𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒶𝓃𓂀𝟠𝟟꧂ (@Eilatan87) December 18, 2024
The NewsBreak comment section under the misleading article was also filled with upset reactions about the death hoax.
For example, a commenter suggested, “I don’t care for this dude but I hope he catches wind of this article and sue whoever wrote this article.”
The person added, “You basically wished death on that man out here lying on that man’s soul like that. Ain’t that a b—-.”
“How f—– false, it would be all over the internet and Google does not say nothing,” an angered responder argued. Another individual demanded, “This s— ain’t funny. Take it down.”
It is unclear if Harvey is aware rumors of his death have spread across the internet. The Daytime Emmy Award winner has not addressed the situation on social media as of the time of this writing, but the article has been taken down from NewsBreak’s site.
Harvey’s most recent Instagram post was a clip from “Family Feud” shared on Dec. 20. Over on Facebook, the entertainer’s verified page shared a throwback video of him giving advice on “How to Recover from Mistakes: The Power of Forgiveness.”
His latest tweet from Dec. 22 features a video of him giving a motivational speech on the set of his talk show. The day before, the Cleveland native tweeted, “I wake up every single day grateful no matter what situation I’m in.”
I wake up every single day grateful no matter what situation I’m in 💪🏾
— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) December 22, 2024
This was not the first time people were misled about the “Johnson Family Vacation” actor’s demise. In July 2023, #RIPHarvey trended on X after a local Kentucky sports fan named Harvey Doyle lost his life.
The memorial hashtag for Doyle caused confusion as some Steve Harvey supporters assumed #RIPHarvey was an online dedication to the “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” author.
However, Steve took the unintended mistaken identity on X in stride. One of the Original Kings of Comedy made fun of the situation by using a self-deprecating meme.
“Me seeing that Rip Harvey is trending,” he wrote on X with a photo of himself looking bewildered at his cellphone and a cigar in his hand. That tweet collected more than 38,000 likes.
