Fact Checking
Video does not show Sam Smith crashing through audience during a failed stage dive
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CLAIM: A video shows musician Sam Smith crashing to the ground after attempting a stage dive at a show in Seattle.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Smith is not the stage diver shown in the video, a representative for the musician told The Associated Press. Other footage of the failed dive filmed from different angles clearly shows that the incident took place during a performance by rapper Vanilla Ice and that Smith was not involved.
THE FACTS: A video of the bungled stunt spread on social media in recent days, with some erroneously claiming that the English artist was the person who fell through the crowd.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False.
In the footage, a person dressed in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume is shown from behind, facing a large audience. The person dives offstage, but is not caught by the waiting crowd and falls to the ground.
“Sam Smith doing a stage dive at his Seattle show,” reads a caption on the video, which was shared widely on multiple platforms. One Instagram post had received more than 44,800 likes by Tuesday.
But Smith is not the person crashing through the audience. While the costumed individual remains unidentified, their face can be clearly seen in other videos of the incident. This additional footage also shows Vanilla Ice performing his song “Ninja Rap” onstage with his name in the background.
Lisa DiAngelo, a spokesperson for Smith, confirmed to the AP that the video does not show the pop vocalist.
Smith is currently on a global tour, but isn’t scheduled to perform in the U.S until July 25, according to a list of tour dates on their website.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
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