AGT judge Howie Mandel is forced to reassure fans he is not being held captive after conspiracy theory he was sending secret help signals on TikTok
- The comedian issued a video on the platform on July 13, telling viewers: ‘I’m ok’
- He had been the subject of increasing concern among the TikTok community after millions watched clips suggesting he had been kidnapped
- The conspiracy theories began after Mandel posted a satirical video on July 3
- One user suggested the video he had shared was ‘full of secret messages’
- Another said: ‘What does that mean? We need to help him’
Howie Mandel has been forced to reassure fans he is not being held captive after a conspiracy theory he was sending secret help signals on TikTok.
The America’s Got Talent judge issued a video on the platform on July 13, telling viewers: ‘I’m ok, I have not been kidnapped. I’m fine. This is crazy. Nobody is making me do this. I’m fine people.’
Comedian Mandel had been the subject of increasing concern among the TikTok community after millions watched clips suggesting he had been kidnapped.
One user suggested a video he shared on July 3 was ‘full of secret messages’.
Comedian Mandel had been the subject of increasing concern among the TikTok community after millions watched clips suggesting he had been kidnapped following this video. User @baldiyadi said he points to the letters ‘SOS in a triangle’ on the bag label ‘shoe stuff’
But Mandel told Buzzfeed: ‘I’m fine. If I was held captive — and I’ve never been held captive before — I would imagine they would not allow me on TikTok.’
The conspiracy theories began after Mandel posted a satirical video about turning a brown paper bag into a shoe bag on July 3.
Mandel said the clip was his ways of joking about lockdown hobbies like ‘making banana bread and tie-dying’ – but TikTok users quickly spotted what they believed to be a more sinister meaning behind the clip.
One, Emmy Hartman, told her followers in a video watched more than three million times: ‘What does that mean? We need to help him.’
#SaveHowieMandel soon began trending after another TikTok user broke down their reasoning behind the kidnap theory.
User @baldiyadi pointed to the location on Mandel’s sweater as being where he is being held. She also said he points to the letters ‘SOS in a triangle’ on the bag label ‘shoe stuff’.
The America’s Got Talent judge issued a video on the platform on July 13, telling viewers: ‘I’m ok, I have not been kidnapped. I’m fine. This is crazy. Nobody is making me do this’
User @baldiyadi , left, pointed to the location on Mandel’s sweater as being where he is being held. She also said he points to the letters ‘SOS in a triangle’ on the bag label ‘shoe stuff’. Emmy Hartman, right, told her followers: ‘What does that mean? We need to help him’
She then goes on to reference an unverified resource that calling 55 takes you to a helpline if kidnapped, claiming Mandel’s ‘S’ looks like a 5.
After millions of people had watched the video Mandel then updated his fans on telling them he was safe while dancing in what appears to be his home.
But that has not satisfied some user of the viral video platform.
One said: ‘Who else didnt believe the rumors until now.’