If you’re a One Chicago fan who frequents social media, particularly Facebook, you might be among the Chicago Fire fans who have fallen victim to a new social media hoax connected to one of the show’s biggest stars.
It all began at the end of October when social media pages designed to be fan pages for NBC’s One Chicago shows, began spreading misinformation about actor Taylor Kinney. Kinney, who is one of Chicago Fire’s few original actors, is best known for playing Firehouse 51 lieutenant Kelly Severide. It’s a role he’s played since the pilot, appearing in every season of the show as well as several crossovers on Chicago Med and Chicago PD.
From the very beginning, Severide has been one of the show’s most beloved characters and fans cannot get enough of Kinney. Perhaps that’s why groups on social media singled out the actor’s millions of fans with a cruel social media hoax.
No, Taylor Kinney has not become a father despite what social media might have you believe
As October came to a close, several fan pages on Facebook began sharing reports that Taylor Kinney and his wife, model Ashley Cruger, had welcomed their first child together. These reports were supported by photos of Kinney embracing a visibly pregnant Cruger, with links to “full information” shared within the comments of the posts.
The problem is that these photos are AI generated and are not actual photos of Kinney and Cruger. Moreover, the articles accompanying the reports of Kinney becoming a father were nonexistent. Those who fell victim to the social media pages’ tactics were taken to articles that had nothing to do with Kinney becoming a father. Instead, they were about unrelated clickbait with one revisiting a storyline from Chicago Fire and another talking about a tattoo Kinney had gotten at one point years ago.
Sadly, these social media hoaxes fooled many One Chicago fans who were elated by the news and quickly began sharing it on their own social media feeds. This isn’t surprising as the One Chicago fans are always first in line to celebrate major life events the casts of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD have to celebrate, including engagements, marriages, and pregnancy news. Unfortunately, in this instance, there is nothing to celebrate as Kinney and Cruger have not welcomed a child as these reports alleged.
Making matters even worse, AI overview tools on prominent platforms such as Google falsely reported the news as fact in sourcing from the social media hoax. This has led to increased confusion among Kinney’s fans, serving as yet another reminder of why you should never automatically believe what you read on the internet.
Here at One Chicago Center, we’ll continue to strive to bring One Chicago fans accurate reporting and shine a light on hoaxes. Fans are supposed to look out for one another, and that’s always been One Chicago Center’s mission: to create a community for One Chicago fans to learn about the latest Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD updates and react to the episodes’ biggest moments!