Covid-19 anti-vaxxers attack Taylor Swift’s rumoured boyfriend Travis Kelce for starring in Pfizer ad
- Disinformers falsely claim in posts naming the NFL star that jabs cause widespread heart problems or kill people
- The advertisement shows Kelce flashing a pair of bandages on his shoulder while encouraging viewers to get the latest Covid booster and a flu shot at the same time
Vaccine sceptics are attacking Travis Kelce for taking part in a Pfizer advertisement, recycling conspiracy theories about Covid-19 shots as the NFL star is getting attention for his rumoured romance with pop icon Taylor Swift.
As Swift’s fans flooded social media with reactions to her appearance at last Sunday’s Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Chicago Bears, some of the internet’s most notorious disinformers exploited the buzz, falsely claiming in posts naming the tight end that vaccines cause widespread heart problems or kill people. Some barbs hit Swift as well.
“What will break Kelce’s heart first? The Covid shot or Taylor Swift?” Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative organisation Turning Point USA, wrote in one of several posts AFP saw echoing a conspiracy theory about the jabs triggering cardiac arrests in athletes.
Another post from a top promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory on X, formerly Twitter, went a step further: “He wants to make sure you get your DOUBLE kill shot.”
The attempts to hijack the narrative surrounding the celebrity duo underscore how promoters of vaccine misinformation readily take advantage of the day’s headlines.
Similar allegations casting vaccines as deadly dominated X and other sites after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed in a February incident resulting from a blow to his chest.
