Angela Bassett defended her 16-year-old son after he apologized for participating in a viral death hoax trend on TikTok, which involves tricking a loved one into believing their favorite celebrity has died.
TikTok goes viral: Hoaxing loved ones that a celebrity has died
The TikTok fake celebrity death prank became a big trend over the holiday weekend, going viral as people tricked their parents or other family members into believing that their favorite celebrity had died.
The trend has been called “unsettling” and “sick.”
Thousands of users participated in the trend, as people captured the reactions of their loved ones on video to the false news that their favorite celebrity had died, then uploaded it to TikTok.
The hashtag #celebritydeathprank has accrued nearly 200 million views on the social media platform, NBC reported, and some of the earliest videos appear to date to December 24.
Among some of the more popular fake news of celebrity deaths were those of President Donald Trump, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, actor Idris Elba, musician Jon Bon Jovi, actor Andy Cohen, and actor Michael B. Jordan.
Angela Bassett’s son issues a tearful apology
The 16-year-old son of Actress Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, Slater Vance, made headlines after he posted a video to TikTok of him telling his parents that his mother’s Black Panther co-star Michael B. Jordan had died, BET reported.
In the video, Bassett had an emotional response. The video has since been removed from TikTok, CNN reported.
After the incident, Slater Vance posted a tearful apology video on his Instagram.
“I would sincerely like to apologize to Michael B. Jordan’s entire family, his extended family, and him directly as he is an idol of mine,” Slater said. “Taking part in a trend like this is completely disrespectful. I don’t wish any bad ramifications…of my actions upon his family nor my parents as they deserve none of the backlash.”
“I own this was a mistake,” Slater added. “I hope this can be a teaching lesson to anyone who uses social media as a tool and a source of entertainment to truly understand that your actions can have consequences that extend beyond you.”
In comments at the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Creative Impact Awards, Bassett said she was proud of her son for his apology, the Daily Mail reported.
“We all make mistakes,” Bassett told Entertainment Tonight. “Own up to them, take responsibility, and then hold your head up and move forward.
