Michelle and Barack Obama’s names got swept up in speculation after former White House chef Tafari Campbell’s death. Conspiracy theories emerged alleging that the couple was somehow involved in the sudden passing of the chef. An insider opened up about the incident and the “drama” involving it.
Former White House chef Tafari Campbell was found dead on the south shore of Martha’s Vineyard in 2023. Reports later revealed that Campbell had decided to go paddle-boarding and drowned after he went underwater. The incident took place at the Edgartown Great Pond in July 2023 according to a report by the Massachusetts State Police.
Tafari went “into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface,” the police revealed. The report by the authorities also revealed that another paddleboarder saw the chef drowning and witnessed the unfortunate incident play out.
The 43-year-old’s death was ruled out to be an accident by the authorities. However, outrageous speculation arose following the death of the chef as multiple netizens claimed that the Obamas were involved in the sudden demise of the chef.
Several netizens recalled how Walter Scheib, who served as a chef to the Clinton and Bush family had met his death. Scheib was reported missing while on a trip to Mexico. It was later revealed that the chef had passed away after drowning. Netizens were quick to draw parallels between Scheib and Campbell’s death given the cause of the death was the same.
Tafari was 43 years old when he died and is survived by his wife Sherise and his twin sons Xavier and Savin. A user created an AI video of Sherise that showed her making some loaded allegations against the Obamas. The fabricated video claimed that she was going to “expose” the couple.
Tafari Campbell pic.twitter.com/kpeVr0u1te
— Crystal ✝️🇺🇸🇮🇱 #2A (@WingsofCrystal) January 18, 2025
Another rumour suggested that Tafari Campbell was writing a book about the time he spent working for the Obamas. Another Instagram post at the time further claimed that Barack Obama’s “personal coroner” would be conducting the autopsy.
At the time, a public safety officer came forward to address the situation. “It’s driving me absolutely nuts because it’s making it seem like there’s something going on when there’s not,” the officer told The Daily Mail. The authority reconfirmed that Tafari was not a “great swimmer” and had drowned to his death.
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The officer also mentioned that there’s “no drama” involved in the case. “From what I’ve seen, there’s no drama to this. If you guys just had everything, you’d see there’s really nothing to this and move on,” they shared.
Barack and Michelle Obama paid respect to Tafari after his death. “I will miss my friend, Tafari … Rest in peace, my brother,” the former President’s post read. The couple called the late chef “a beloved part” of their family in a joint statement.
They also described him as a “warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person.” Michelle and Barack Obama also expressed how heartbroken they were about their friend’s death. They concluded the statement while calling Tafari Campbell a “wonderful man.”