Anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists are using Bob Saget’s death to spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
The stand-up comedian and “Full House” actor was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Florida on Sunday. A preliminary autopsy found that there was “no evidence of drug use or foul play,” according to a press release previously seen by Insider, and no cause of death has been reported as of Tuesday afternoon.
Numerous users on far-right fringe forums were spreading a baseless conspiracy theory on Tuesday that the 65-year-old died after receiving a COVID-19 booster shot — which is safe and effective in thwarting serious disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The false claims follow similar posts about Betty White, who died earlier this month.
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Saget was a vaccine advocate and said in the December 13 episode of his podcast, “Bob Saget’s Here For You,” that he had recently received the booster shot.
One Telegram user with a history of sharing anti-vaccine conspiracy theories posted that podcast clip to their channel on Monday, adding a caption about Saget taking the booster shot with a teary-eyed emoji at the end. The clip was reshared by other conspiracy theorists on Telegram and has amassed over 19,000 views.
Inside a Telegram channel for an influencer linked to the conspiracy theory movement QAnon, multiple users wrote comments about how it “must be the jab,” referring to the vaccine, on a post about Saget’s death.
One post on a far-right online forum baselessly alleging Saget died from the booster shot received over 1,200 likes. Multiple other users on that website baselessly alleged that he died from vaccine-induced heart issues.
At least several Twitter users have also baselessly alleged or speculated that the COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot led to Saget’s death.
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
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