Happy April Fools' Day! Check Out the 6 Worst Hollywood Hoaxes

Celebrate the day by reminiscing on some of the most memorable pranks in Tinseltown

By Bruna Nessif Apr 01, 2013 1:00 PMTags
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Today is a day when you take whatever people say with a grain of salt, because chances are they're lying.

Whether you're coming up with a master plan to trick a friend or making sure you're not the one getting tricked, April Fools' Day is full of hoaxes. But when it comes to Hollywood, these gotcha moments happen all year long.

So why not spend April Fools' Day going over some of the more memorable ones over the years? Check out the six worst hoaxes in Hollywood...

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!. Bieber Pulls a Publicity Stunt: Apparently, Justin Bieber should consider going into marketing. The 19-year-old pop singer claimed that his laptop was stolen and gave hints that there could be some very embarrassing footage leaked from whoever took it. Biebs even began a Twitter convo with the "thief," and it just so happened that the big reveal was of his music video with Nicki Minaj for "Beauty and the Beat." And whaddya know? It got great numbers. 

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

2. Manti Te'o and His Fake Girlfriend: Here's one for the lovebirds. The finalist for the Heisman Trophy cited the deaths of two loved ones—his grandmother and his girlfriend—back in September as inspiration throughout his breakout season. Except the girlfriend didn't exist. Deadspin broke the news that Te'o's late girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, is a figment of someone's imagination. But it wasn't Te'o who made her up. 

"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online," Te'o said in a statement. "We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her. To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating."

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3. Britney Spears Paternity Puzzle: At one point, we thought Brit-Brit would be on an episode of Maury. Kevin Federline's brother, Christopher Federline, filed for a temporary restraining order from the singer and in the documents, claimed "I'm the true father of Sean Preston, not Kevin. I do confess I slept with Britney, and I am the true father, but the public does not need to know. I seek a restraining order from Britney Spears. She is out of control and a maniac." Say what?! 

But it was all fake. The Smoking Gun reported that Christopher Federline never filed a lawsuit against his former sister-in-law and that the whole to-do was a hoax perpetrated by an ex-convict who was recently arrested for violating his probation on a conspiracy and wire fraud conviction. 

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

4. Balloon Boy: The world was glued to TV screens after hearing that 6-year-old Falcon Heene was possibly lost in a balloon aloft. Yeah. But everyone's worries were not necessary and this hoax was not something that just flew by (pun intended). "The hoax [was] a planned event for at least two weeks to launch this spacecraft in order to gain media publicity," said Larimer County Sheriff James Alderden, who also noted that criminal charges were on the way. "To create a situation where it appeared Falcon was in the craft and his life was in danger with an ultimate goal of...obtaining a contract to do a reality show."

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5. Fifty Shades of Grey Flop: Hearts were fluttering and then quickly shattered when a very convincing Entertainment Weekly cover leaked with Matt Bomer on the cover saying he would be taking the role of Christian Grey. Unfortunately, it was fabricated. Dana Brunetti, one of the co-producers of the anticipated big screen adaptation, took to Twitter to dispel the buzz, tweeting, "All of the rumors on #FiftyShades are just that - rumors. No one has been cast in any role. We have to get a writer and director first." So cruel. 

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI

6. Celebrity Death Hoaxes: It seems like a big-name celeb falls victim to a fake death every day. The best part is when the star responds to the fake news and reassures fans that they are alive and well. "Like Mark Twain, I keep reading that I have died," Morgan Freeman wrote after he supposedly passed. "I hope those stories are not true…but if they are, I'm happy to report that my afterlife seems identical to my life when I was alive." Along with Freeman,  Chris BrownPaul McCartneyEddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp and many more celebs have been killed off by the Internet.