Isn’t it always a mistake when your story starts with “This happened to a _____ of a ______”? A friend of a friend? Not reliable! An ex of my cousin? Not! Reliable! And a friend of my sister? Glen Powell can now confirm this: not a reliable source. While on the Therapuss podcast on May 22, Powell shared a story that purportedly happened to a friend of his sister’s (it didn’t). In it, the sister’s friend goes on a date with a guy and goes back to his place. He asks if she wants a massage, and she agrees. “Everything just feels odd,” Powell says. “She’s like, I gotta get out of here. It’s a little weird, he’s like, ‘Please don’t leave.’ She leaves.” After some itching, she goes to the doctor and learns that the lotion he put on her was a “black-market lotion that breaks down skin for human consumption.” Yep, guy was a cannibal; the police go to his apartment and find several bodies. Or, at least, that’s the story. Turns out it is a piece of known internet misinformation. Snopes even has a page declaring it FALSE with big red stop sign.
Powell acknowledged his contribution to the spread of misinformation on Twitter June 10. “Props to my little sister’s friend who told her this dating story …” he wrote. “I’ve been telling this for years. I’m questioning my whole life now … False alarm. Back rubs are back.” Well, many people are very excited that their dream of sharing back rubs with Glen Powell can stay alive.
