An article that seems to make fun of rampant death hoaxes that have gone viral recently is saying that Betty White “dyes peacefully in her Los Angeles home,” confusing many.
The article says that she’s “not a natural blonde.” It was published on Empire News, a site that claims to publish “satire” that usually isn’t all that funny.
It includes a fake quote from White: “Oh, I started dying it ages ago when my color started to fade away to a more whiteish, greyish color. I thought to myself, ‘Well Betty, if you can’t have the dark color anymore, might as well try on the blonde for a while,’ and it just kind of stuck. When I played Rose on Girls, the joke about my natural hair color made it into several episodes. I’ve always had a sense of humor about it.”
According to a disclaimer, Empire News is fake and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
“Empire News is a satirical and entertainment website. We only use invented names in all our stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental,” the website says.
The White article was also posted by “Bob The Empire News Potato,” which has the description: “My name is Bob the Empire News Potato. I’m a writer, editor, and delicious with bacon and sour cream.”
The article had tens of thousands of shares this week, with many people posting comments on it on social media sites.
Some people were apparently tricked by the article, but some noted that it’s a joke, according to social media posts. However, others said the article is in poor taste.
Betty White, 92, has been made the focus of death hoaxes in the past--notably a few months ago.
