Star Magazine Cover Deceives Readers With Fake News On Tom Cruise, Kendall Jenner And More

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The cover of the latest edition of Star deceives readers with not one, not two, not three but FOUR misleading headlines. The front of the issue promotes fake news about Tom Cruise, Kendall Jenner, Kelly Clarkson, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in order to hook readers. All of the stories are examples of a classic tabloid trick, the bait-and-switch. Allow Gossip Cop to explain.

The main section of the cover, which can be seen above, announces, “Harry & Meghan’s Honeymoon Album! All The Romantic Photos!” The text is accompanied by a photo that appears to show Prince Harry and Markle together in a body of water. It is reasonable to assume the snapshot is from the newlyweds’ honeymoon, and that more pictures from their post-wedding trip are inside the magazine’s pages. But that’s not actually the case. As Gossip Cop revealed a few days ago, the photo of Markle is actually from her 2011 wedding celebrations with first husband Trever Engleson. The photo of Prince Harry is from his 2017 trip to Jamaica, for which Markle wasn’t present. The outlet shamelessly photoshopped the two separate images together to dupe consumers.

What’s more is that in the actual article, there are no snapshots from the couple’s “honeymoon.” Rather, the story features generic photos of Botswana, Namibia and Barbados, along with a 2016 picture of Prince Harry on the island of Nevis. The publication baited readers with the promise of photos from his honeymoon with Markle, but the piece switches focus to be about the vacation they may take, and does not include a real “honeymoon album.”

All that is bad enough. But the three other stories teased on the front of the tabloid are also bait-and-switches. As seen above, the teaser on the top of the column on the left side declares, “How Reba Saved Kelly!” So, did Reba McEntire rescue Kelly Clarkson from a life-and-death situation? Was the “American Idol” winner and coach of “The Voice” in desperate need of help, leading her former mother-in-law to step in? Not exactly. The article inside the issue is about Clarkson’s slimmed down appearance, and contends that McEntire helped her achieve the “hot new look.” Of course, the misleading line on the cover implies something much more serious took place. And it should be noted that opposed to crediting McEntire for her dieting “tips,” as alleged in the story, Clarkson recently joked that her weight loss is due to Harry Potter magic and Spanx.

Beneath the Clarkson teaser, another cover line exclaims, “Tom Cruise Adoption Shocker!” Cruise already has two adopted children, but is he adopting again? That’s a rational interpretation of that headline. Or perhaps there’s some revelation about Cruise himself being adopted? As it turns out, the story inside the issue is about Cruise’s adopted daughter Bella, who supposedly has her “heart set on adopting a baby.” There’s certainly nothing shocking about that. In fact, Gossip Cop called out In Touch more than two weeks ago for falsely claiming Bella’s mom, Nicole Kidman, was helping her adopt a child. Now Star has taken that basic premise of Bella adopting and put its own spin on it by peddling a piece on Cruise’s purported happy reaction. But that’s not what the phrasing on the cover leads readers to believe.

The last tease on the front of this edition blares, “Kendall Jenner Drug Bust Horror!” Was the model caught with illegal substances? Did something horrific happen? That’s what the wording suggests. But the actual story reveals Jenner isn’t involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever. Instead, the article is about Jordan Barrett, who is wrongly called her “boyfriend,” and his parents’ 2012 arrest for drug trafficking. To be clear, the cover line makes it seem like Jenner herself was busted with drugs, while the report is really about Barrett’s parents, with whom she has nothing to do, being prosecuted. Jenner and Barrett, a fellow model, were seen hanging out in Cannes nearly a month ago. That hardly warrants this spurious tale.

In each of these cases, Star baited readers with a provocative line on its cover. But after one shells out $5.99 to purchase a copy, it becomes apparent the premise of each story inside the issue is switched a bit to something significantly more benign. Additionally, the supposed Prince Harry – Markle “world exclusive” is anything but, Clarkson wasn’t “saved” by McEntire, Cruise isn’t in an “adoption shocker,” and Jenner is not involved in a “drug bust horror.” The tabloid is selling fake news.