The internet did what it does best this week: fabricate celebrity drama out of thin air. Shaquille O’Neal just spent time on his podcast debunking a viral rumor that he allegedly sent explicit direct messages to pop star Sabrina Carpenter. And honestly, the whole thing is as ridiculous as it sounds.
On a recent episode of “The Big Podcast,” the NBA legend sat down with rapper Jim Jones and addressed the fake DMs that somehow convinced people he’d slide into the “Espresso” singer’s inbox with some truly unhinged messages. The fabricated screenshots even included a doctored version of his profile picture. Someone put actual effort into this hoax, which is both hilarious and depressing.
The Messages Were Absolutely Unhinged
O’Neal couldn’t resist reading the fraudulent messages aloud, and yeah, they’re cringe-worthy. The fake Shaq allegedly wrote things like “Damn, baby, I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day.” Then there’s this gem: “I can’t be horny and want some of that snow bunny kitty for myself.”
The whole exchange is so absurd that it becomes clear within seconds that this isn’t real. Yet here we are, discussing it because enough people believed it to make it go viral. That’s the state of entertainment coverage now. Fake messages. Doctored images. And everyone sharing it like gospel.
O’Neal’s response was perfect though. “First of all, ladies, the Diesel got way more game than that,” he said, referring to his self-appointed nickname. The man knows how to handle himself.
When Social Media Becomes a Game of Make-Believe
What really stood out was his co-host Bailey Jackson immediately saying, “I definitely do not believe that is you,” before adding that “social media is a dangerous game.” And he’s absolutely right. We’ve all seen this play out a thousand times before.
The fact that someone can take a few minutes to photoshop an image and write some ridiculous dialogue, post it online, and watch it spread across platforms is genuinely concerning. People don’t even think anymore. They just repost and move on to the next thing.
Carpenter herself has been keeping a relatively low profile lately. She’s been romantically linked to several high-profile names over the years, most recently dating actor Barry Keoghan. According to reports in December 2024, the pair decided to take a break after nearly a year of dating. So the last thing she probably needed was fake celebrity gossip adding to the noise.
The Diesel’s Dating History Speaks for Itself
Meanwhile, Shaq’s actual dating history doesn’t need any embellishment. The man was married to Shaunie Henderson for nearly a decade, from 2002 to 2011. He’s had a public enough personal life without internet strangers creating fake conversations between him and pop stars.
What’s wild is that this hoax even needed addressing. But in a world where misinformation travels faster than truth, sometimes even NBA legends have to step up and set the record straight on their podcasts. It’s become part of the job description.
The deeper issue here is that we’ve normalized the spread of fake content so much that celebrities now feel obligated to spend their time debunking obviously fake messages. That’s exhausting, and it says something pretty grim about where we’re at with digital literacy.
So yeah, Shaq’s got more game than that. And maybe, just maybe, we could all do ourselves a favor by thinking twice before sharing something that looks even remotely suspicious.
