‘Golden Girls’ star and beloved funny girl Betty White just went viral on Twitter thanks to some gullible users. Don’t worry, the Hollywood icon is just fine. In fact, the Betty White trend had nothing to do with her health and instead involves an obviously fake tweet showing America’s sweetheart wading into politics.
When you’ve lost Betty White, you’ve lost America. Nicely done, Ted Cruz. pic.twitter.com/oYeigvOohm
— Barry B. (@justbarryb) November 9, 2021
While this user eventually caught on, the original gloat was strong.
Good morning and Happy Hump Day to everyone who is relieved that national treasure Betty White is only trending because she dunked on national embarrassment Ted Cruz over his Big Bird nonsense.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) November 10, 2021
Here is the tweet that started it all. It’s obviously fake to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.
Betty White throwing down. pic.twitter.com/zFOwSARSdB
— Faith Back Rub (@FaithRubPol) November 8, 2021
First, it’s clearly marked Satire. Second, it’s totally over the top and out of character. Only someone who desperately wants it to be true could be so blind as to believe it let alone retweet it.
Ms. White is in her 90s, she is not spending her days firing off spicy tweets. In fact, nearly all of her tweets are about her deep love of animals.
I am so pleased to announce the re-release of “Betty White’s Pet Set” today. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it 50 years ago. @AppleTV #appletv https://t.co/BYTfoQB0g3 pic.twitter.com/5GJpRPsYT6
— Betty White (@BettyMWhite) February 23, 2021
The reality is that the nonagenarian White hasn’t tweeted since September 30th. This is her last tweet.
As an honorary forest ranger & friend of @Smokey_Bear, I am so excited @forestservice has partnered with @WOWaquarium & @edisonintl to spread Smokey’s wildfire prevention message. Check out Smokey’s Mission athttps://t.co/mKmTGlhFl1
#OnlyYou #SmokeyBear2 pic.twitter.com/1ArodyVZtI— Betty White (@BettyMWhite) September 30, 2021
Related: Betty White Keeps The Quarantine Blues Away Thanks To Daily Drop-Ins By These Very Special Visitors
It’s pretty obvious the elaborate Twitter hoax was designed to stir up drama and they sullied our favorite Golden Girl in the process.
Why choose White? Yes, she is a universally beloved figure. But why drag her name into political nonsense like this?
These days people love to stir the pot and push this country towards more division and hate. Isn’t Twitter supposed to be on a mission to cut down on misinformation? Guess this one just happened to slip by.
Stop Making Betty White Trend On Twitter
Every time a celebrity trends a lot of first thoughts are “OH NO THEY ARE DEAD!”
Obviously everyone loves Rose. She’s a gosh darned America treasure. So let’s avoid her trending unless it is something really important.
New rule! Keith Richards, Betty White, Linda Rondstadt, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Carter are no longer allowed to trend. If they start to trend, Twitter, we need a disclaimer. “Not dead, just trending.”
— ??PeaceLove&Outrage ☮️?? (@1980Dorothy) November 3, 2021
Can all “Betty White” Trends include a health status!? i.e. Betty is alive, Betty Whites BD, Betty White is not dead, Betty White is still kickin’ etc etc
— Jodzio Johns (@Jodzio) November 10, 2021
What’s With The Fake Tweets?
Why do people feel the need to make up fake tweets in the first place?
If you’re a legitimate satire outlet, own it. But if your shtick is just publishing fake content to see which dummies bite – stop it.
Eventually, people will catch onto your games and your days of trending will be over.
It’s possible to be original and make up your own funny content without sullying someone’s reputation. Plenty of legitimate satire sites making a living doing just that. Heck – look at the brilliance of Babylon Bee and The Onion.
Their satire is timeless not cheap. If it’s truly funny, you don’t have to disguise it as a celebrity quote. The content will stand on its own merit.
Social media is toxic and dangerous enough as it is, we don’t need more toxicity and negativity in this world. And, for God’s sake, leave Betty White out of it!
Let’s cleanse the palate with some a great clip from the Mary Tyler Moore Show
Help make this go viral so everyone knows that Betty White is alive and still Golden!