Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Rumors are circulating online claiming that a married man was caught cheating on his wife during Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX after being captured on the Jumbotron kissing a female coworker.
On Sunday, at the Caeser’s Superdome in New Orleans, the Philadephia Eagles trounced the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for a second time.
Interest in the elusive Jumbotron cheater had spiked on Google in recent days, with hundreds of social media users questioning the husband’s actions. If true, the man would follow luminaries such as Donald Trump and Taylor Swift who received cheers and boos respectively after being showcased on the stadium screen.
There is, however, one major flaw in the story: it’s entirely made up.
The Independent has debunked the rumor after reviewing the footage of each of the Eagles touchdowns. At no point does the camera pan to a man and a woman kissing.
The claim appears to have stemmed from a TikTok video posted a day after the big game on Monday titled the “Super Bowl scandal.” By Thursday, it had garnered over 11.5 million views and more than 465,000 likes.
In the video, influencer Robby Witt – whose channel promotes itself as showcasing “60 Second Sitcoms” and “Fictional Stories and Satire” – speaks of a wife buying her husband two tickets to the big game for his birthday. Instead of taking his spouse, the man decided to bring his “best friend from college” – who turned out to be his female work colleague, he said.
“A guy at the Super Bowl who got cheating on his wife on the jumbotron is the most hated man in America Today,” Witt claimed.
What ensued, per the skit, is a tale of revenge including the husband losing his job and ending up in a messy divorce. Another video saw the story grow even more legs with Witt telling his followers that the female co-worker was now pregnant.
Some social media users took the hearsay as fact, while others were left pondering over the veracity of the tale, and who the mystery man was.
“HAS HE NEVER WATCHED A JUMBOTRON CAUGHT CHEATING VIDEOOOO,” one TikTok user commented. Another added: “This Super Bowl was soooo messy.”
An X user wrote: “Did a dude get caught cheating on his wife on the Jumbotron during the Super Bowl? If true, man karma is a b***h.”
The Independent has contacted Witt for more information.
Nevertheless, there are occasions when sports fans have been recorded being unfaithful.
A Barcelona S.C. supporter was caught passionately kissing a woman on the big screen as they faced Delfin in Ecuador in January 2020.
After the story hit the South American press, the soccer fan decided to address his actions.
“I want to go back to living these moments by your side,” the man said in a desperate plea to his partner, according to The Sun. “I am really sorry and this is why I’ve come out in public to comment on this nonsense, so I can ask you to forgive me.”
In another video in the summer of 2021, a Houston Astros fan was filmed with his arm around a woman, which was hastily removed with the man stepping aside after he spotted the camera. Their relationship was not clear.
