Host Jimmy Kimmel (L) and actor Tracy Morgan onstage during the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Photographer: Getty Images
Copyright Getty Images
Posted: 09/23/2012
LOS ANGELES, CA - So this is how time-wasting celebrity rumors get started.
Emmy host Jimmy Kimmel instructed people to go on Twitter and Facebook and write something along the lines of: "OMG, Tracy Morgan just passed out at the Emmys. Turn on ABC right now!" as a prank, just to see how quickly the information would spread (and inspire new viewers). Morgan, who was in on the gag, complied.
And, true to the pack mentality that develops instantaneously on social media, untold thousands of people actually did this. Many others simply read the words "Tracy Morgan" and "passed out" and thought Morgan truly had passed out.
Even Stephen Colbert and Rosie O'Donnell got in on the action, which prompted thousands more retweets.
Morgan was committed to the act, though: Not only did he lie down on stage, he actually stayed there through the commercial break and was hauled away, rambling to himself.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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