Miley Cyrus AIDS Hoax: 4chan Users Start Rumor On Twitter

Miley Cyrus does not have AIDS, but a small group of internet pranksters are trying to make people believe just that.

A rumor originating from the image-sharing board 4chan has spread on Twitter, saying that Miley contracted HIV/AIDS and was going public with her fight.

The rumor came with its own Twitter hashtag, #CureForMiley, which several people have shared as of Wednesday morning.

Members of 4chan have been behind a number of other internet campaigns, some real and others facetious. The site spawned the hactivist offshoot Anonymous, which has staged both online and real protests against threats to internet free speech and access.

But at the same time, 4chan has spearheaded other more childish efforts , like a campaign for a middle-aged “creepy” man to win a contest to meet Taylor Swift.

This is not the first rumor about Miley Cyrus, either. This week some celebrity publications ran with a story that she was pregnant with rapper Juicy J’s child , prompting the phrase “Miley Cyrus pregnant” to become the No. 1 search term on Google on Sunday.

The site CreamBMP seemed to be the source of the rumor, with the he headline “**BREAKING** Miley Cyrus Announces Pregnancy By Rapper Juicy J On Stage At Bet Hip Hop Awards.”But the story was debunked with just a bit of research. For one, no one in attendance, including members of the press, reported on the alleged confession. The story also used a picture of Miley Cyrus and Juicy J taken well before the BET Hip Hop Awards. The most convincing piece of evidence, however, it the fact that neither Miley Cyrus nor Juicy J even attended the BET Hip Hop Awards.

There were several people who shared the #CureForMiley hashtag on Twitter, but it wasn’t clear if they fell for the rumor or were just trying to spread it.