ATLANTA — An article suggesting popular entertainer Steve Harvey died originated with an apparent AI-generated content website, and there was no serious suggestion Wednesday morning about a change in his health status as his official social media accounts continued regularly posting.
11Alive has reached out to his representatives for an official statement, but the article published to "Trend Cast News" mirrors another article also published this week saying "Property Brothers" star Drew Scott had died (he has not).
The article, titled, "Steve Harvey Passed Away Today: Remembering The Legacy Of A Comedy Legend," was published with a tag "future tech predictions" and dated tomorrow (Dec. 19). It was then recirculated by the popular Newsbreak app, causing some fans a scare.
The front page of "Trend Cast News" is filled with apparent search-algorithm-framed articles, about the health, relationships, family members and other aspects of the lives of celebrities. None have any authors identified by name.
It is not clear who owns the domain for "Trend Cast News," though it appears to be hosted by a service provider based in New Jersey.
Steve Harvey's official Facebook account, meanwhile, posted regularly on Wednesday morning several times. His X account also posted without any indication of anything out of the ordinary.
Harvey, who owns a home in Atlanta and is 67 years old, was also the subject of fake reports about his passing in October. Snopes at that time covered a false rumor that he had died in a "tragic accident." He was also the subject of death hoaxes in November and March 2023, according to Snopes reporting.
The interest Wednesday generated in particular by the Newsbreak recirculation of the "Trend Cast News" article led to Harvey being the No. 1 Google trend in the morning.
