NFL Reporter Jane Slater Addresses Her Viral Death Hoax

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Jane Slater is alive and well. 

A reporter for the NFL Network, based in Dallas, addressed rumors about her death after they spread on December 20th. The rumors started when a Dallas Cowboys Facebook fan page falsely claimed she had died in a domestic violence incident.

A fan sent a screenshot of the post to Jane on X, asking, “@SlaterNFL did you pass away??”

Jane quickly responded, “I don’t think so?”

She playfully wondered if something strange was happening, joking about a “glitch in the matrix” in a post on X from December 21st. She then said she planned to cover herself in bubble wrap until New Year’s Eve.

Friends and fans were incredibly relieved to learn the reports of Jane’s death were false.

One friend commented, “Thank goodness you reached out this morning!” Jane jokingly replied, “Maybe we should video chat—you can’t be too careful these days.”

I was so relieved to see Jane reporting live from the football field! Someone shared a screenshot, and it was just great to know she’s doing well – I actually said out loud, ‘Thank goodness Jane is alive and well!’ Seeing her on my TV put my mind at ease.

Some fans playfully joined the discussion, with one jokingly claiming, “It’s the multiverse – Jane will return as Black Widow! I saw it in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer!”

Someone jokingly commented on Jane’s post that it sounded like something a deceased person would say. Jane playfully replied, hinting she was secretly a reptile and that they had figured her out.

The Facebook page Star Nation still has a post featuring a black and white photo of the Cowboys reporter with the caption, “Breaking News 1980 – 2025.”

I’ve noticed Jane seems a little overwhelmed lately. She shared on her Instagram Stories just the other day – December 21st, to be exact – that things feel really strange and off-kilter, like reality itself is a bit chaotic. It’s a feeling a lot of us can relate to, honestly!

She said she’s prepared to live completely self-sufficiently on her animal rescue farm. And even though it was just a joke, seeing her name presented as if in an obituary was a bit unsettling, even for her.

But Jane isn’t the only celeb to be the subject of a death hoax—keep reading for more.

Steve Burns, the original host of Blue’s Clues, is baffled by the persistent rumors about his death. Even during his time on Nickelodeon, false stories circulated claiming he had passed away. Burns, who is very much alive, recently shared how damaging this hoax was to his mental health.

Speaking on Rainn Wilson’s Soul Bloom podcast in May 2025, he explained, “When millions of people you’ve never met tell you that you’re dead, it’s incredibly difficult, especially when you’re already struggling with severe depression.” He added that there was nothing he could do to stop the spread of the rumor.

Even after leaving the show in the early 2000s, people continued to tell him they’d heard he was dead, making it a surprisingly common conversation.

Lil Tay recently confirmed that her Instagram account was hacked after a false post claimed she and her brother had died. She told TMZ she and her brother are both safe, but she’s deeply upset and trying to process the situation. She described the last 24 hours as traumatizing, filled with worried calls from family and friends as she worked to fix the issue.

Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, but news of her death was mistakenly reported months earlier by Hollywood Unlocked. In February 2022, the outlet’s CEO, Jason Lee, confidently told BuzzFeed News that his information was accurate, even stating he would publicly admit a mistake if it turned out to be false. He said he was so sure of his sources that he stood by the initial, incorrect report.

Who is behind these fake stories? Over the years, rapper Eminem has been the target of numerous false reports claiming he has died. The latest one began in August 2023 with a Facebook page saying “R.I.P. Eminem.” His representative confirmed to The Sun that these rumors are untrue, stating, “He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, so please stop believing everything you see online.”

In 2014, after false reports of his death in a car crash appeared on several websites, actor Jerry Seinfeld used Twitter to let his fans know he was “alive and well.”

Chloë, the actress known for her role in Carrie, was upset after false rumors circulated in 2013 claiming she had died in a snowboarding accident. She tweeted that she’d received frantic calls from worried family and friends, and angrily condemned the hoax, stating, “Don’t make this up. It’s not real. I am fully alive and here. You’re sick.”

 
 
 

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe the scare I got! I was scrolling through Facebook and saw this awful post claiming Jim Carrey died in a plane crash back in 2012! I nearly had a heart attack! Thankfully, his people told TopMob News he’s totally okay. Can you imagine?! It was just a horrible rumor, but still, it was terrifying! He’s The Mask! He has to live forever!

The country singer quickly debunked rumors of her death, which claimed she had fallen off a mountain in Austria. In a 2012 tweet, she jokingly confirmed she was alive and well, stating, “While I would love to be shooting a movie in Austria, I definitely did not fall off a mountain! Nor am I dead! I am alive and kicking!!!”

 

I remember when those crazy rumors started flying around in 2011 that Jon Bon Jovi had passed away from a heart attack! It was so scary. But he quickly put everyone’s minds at ease by posting a picture with the date on it. The caption was perfect – he joked that ‘Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey’ and assured us he was totally fine and alive! It was such a relief to see that he was doing well.

 

The rapper quickly shut down rumors about her death in 2011 with a tweet saying, “I’m Great ppl 4 all who keep asking! Alive and well! Enjoy ya night tweeps!” She followed up the next day, adding, “It’s sad someone was so unhappy they would create such a cruel rumor! It just motivates me to work even harder and prove them wrong!”

Following false reports of a snowboarding accident in 2011, the actor’s representative confirmed to TopMob that he was actually working on a film set in Atlanta.

In 2011, a false rumor spread online that actor Jackie Chan had died, starting with a Facebook page titled “R.I.P. Jackie Chan.” This wasn’t the first time Chan had been the subject of a death hoax; similar rumors circulated earlier that same year.

When rumors spread in 2011 that he had fallen off a cliff in New Zealand and died, the actor used Twitter to debunk them. He jokingly challenged the people spreading the false reports, writing, “I’d like to meet whoever is starting rumors of my death and show them how a dead foot feels up their rear.”

Back in 2009, false reports circulated online claiming the rapper had died in a car accident, and the hashtag “RIP Kanye West” began trending on Twitter. However, his then-girlfriend, Amber Rose, quickly debunked the rumors, posting on Twitter that the topic wasn’t funny and was untrue.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! Back in 2009, some crazy rumor started that Zach Braff had died! I was absolutely losing it, honestly. But then, HE posted a video! He was totally fine! He just said, ‘I’m alive!’ and explained he was on set filming the new Scrubs opening sequence, joking that it felt like dying anyway, so the rumor wasn’t totally off! It was the most Zach Braff thing ever. And get this – he even got Donald Faison in on the prank! They totally trolled everyone, and I secretly loved it. I mean, who does that?! Only Zach and Donald, that’s who!

Zach shared that he’d asked a friend to do something unusual: he wants him to sing an R&B rendition of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ if he passes away, specifically at his funeral.

That year, false rumors spread that the Academy Award-winning actor had gone missing while camping in the Palo Verde Mountains of California. Matt Damon quickly dismissed the reports, joking about them during an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman. According to TMZ, he said, “I haven’t heard, but I feel pretty good.”

Oh my god, back in 2009 someone hacked Britney’s TwitPic! Can you believe it? They posted this awful message saying “sad day” – I was so worried! But then, thank goodness, her team quickly posted to say it wasn’t her, that she was totally okay, just chilling at home and relaxing. It was such a scare, but they reassured all of us fans right away. I remember being so relieved!

There’s a saying that bad news comes in threes, and when rumors spread online that Jeff Goldblum had died on the same day as Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, fans were understandably worried. However, Goldblum quickly appeared on The Colbert Report to prove the story was false. He joked, “No one will miss Jeff Goldblum more than me. He was not only a friend and a mentor, but he was also, um, me.”

Despite rumors in 2010 that he had fallen from the Kauri Cliffs, the Top Gun actor was actually in New York City at the time.

A spokesperson for Tom Cruise told TopMob News that the claim is false. They stated that Cruise is not currently in New Zealand and hasn’t visited recently, dismissing the report as inaccurate and coming from unreliable online sources.

Rumors started spreading quickly and intensely about Miley. Throughout the latter part of 2008, she had to constantly deny false stories, including one about a car accident and another claiming she had died in a drunk driving incident. Thankfully, none of it was true, and she continues to live her life as herself.

Back in 2007, someone falsely reported on Wikipedia that comedian Sinbad, whose full name is David Adkins, had passed away from a heart attack. Wikipedia quickly acknowledged it was vandalism. A representative for Sinbad confirmed to Reuters that he was alive and well, and enjoying life.

Will Ferrell didn’t worry much when a false rumor circulated in 2006 claiming he’d died in a paragliding accident.

Ferrell’s publicist explained to TopMob in an email that they became aware of the rumor this morning and addressed it immediately. They didn’t bother trying to find where it started, as it was clearly fake.

In 2001, a false report spread by some Texas DJs caused widespread alarm, claiming that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had been in a car accident. The report stated Timberlake was in a coma and Spears had died. However, their representatives quickly denied the rumor, confirming to TopMob that both singers were perfectly healthy and the story was completely untrue.

A popular conspiracy theory alleges that Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a double. Paul McCartney himself has repeatedly dismissed this rumor, famously addressing it in a comedic sketch on Saturday Night Live. In the sketch, the late comedian Chris Farley jokingly questioned him about the hoax, and McCartney playfully responded, “Yeah, I wasn’t really dead.”

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2025-12-23 02:18