C. Stewart
TMZ Video
Alan Ritchson body cam video
In the race for clicks, TMZ just faceplanted—hard.
This week’s “Fool of the Week” crown goes straight to the celebrity gossip machine after it blasted out a video involving Reacher star Alan Ritchson without bothering to get the full story first. And in typical internet fashion, the damage was already done before anyone hit pause and asked, “Wait… what actually happened here?”
The clip spread like wildfire—because of course it did. It had all the ingredients: a big-name actor, a questionable moment, and just enough ambiguity to let social media run completely off the rails. But instead of slowing down and verifying context, TMZ did what it does best—hit publish and let chaos do the rest.
Turns out, as more details started coming out, the situation wasn’t nearly as clear-cut (or scandalous) as it was initially framed. But by then? Too late. Narratives had already formed, hot takes were flying, and the internet jury had delivered its verdict.
That’s the problem with “post first, fact-check later” culture. When a platform as massive as TMZ pushes something out half-baked, it doesn’t just report the story—it shapes it. And sometimes, it completely distorts it.
Meanwhile, Alan Ritchson is left dealing with the fallout of a moment that may not even be what it looked like in the first place.
So congrats, TMZ—you didn’t just break a story this week. You broke your own credibility (again).
Take the L.
