An article about Jenna Ortega being replaced by Billie Eilish in Wednesday has been doing the rounds on social media, ever since it was published on November 21, 2023 by the news website Inside The Magic. The article went viral as soon as it was made public, leaving many social media users in shock.
Titled “Billie Eilish Replaces Jenna Ortega in ‘Wednesday’ as Netflix Fires Cast”, the article discussed the popularity of Wednesday, calling it one of Netflix’s best shows. It stated:
“It appears Billie Eilish now has an iconic Wednesday Addams look as the singer preps to attend Nevermore Academy."While the article did not mention why the decision to replace Jenna Ortega and hire Billie Eilish was taken by the production team, it did supposedly shed light on how the audience loves Eilish’s “unique style, both musically and in her fashion choices.” It concluded by claiming:
“The second season of the show is set to begin filming next year in Ireland, but it will be Jenna helming the ship, and not Eilish.”Despite the fact that the news startled and surprised the audience, it was not covered by credible media outlets or publications. Most importantly, no announcement related to casting Billie Eilish was made by Netflix or the makers of Wednesday. Hence, the article is fake and holds no truth, as no such decision has been made by the makers to replace Jenna Ortega.
In fact, many publications, such as Deadline, had earlier reported about how Jenna Ortega had parted ways with Scream as she had to begin her shoot for Wednesday’s new season, hinting at the actress's participation in the creation process of the show.
Social media users’ reactions explored as fake news about Billie Eilish replacing Jenna Ortega goes viral
As the fake news of Billie Eilish replacing Jenna Ortega spread on social media, netizens were divided, as many fell for it and believed the news was true. However, there were many others who understood the situation and commented on the article being a fake one.
Speculations arose since many outlets also reported how Ortega left Scream. Many believed that it was due to the franchise allegedly firing Melissa Barrera due to her comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
A faction of the audience was under the impression that Ortega left to extend her solidarity to Barrera, leading to her being replaced by Billie Eilish on Wednesday. However, this isn't true. Jenna Ortega left Scream due to a scheduling conflict with Wednesday. Her exit from Scream had nothing to do with Barrera's exit.
Notably, this is not the first time Inside The Magic has been called out for posting a fake article. The website is well-known for its many "click-bait" headlines.
However, there were also others who were sure that the news was fake, as they commented on Inside The Magic’s Twitter post about the same and said:
At the moment, neither Jenna Ortega nor Billie Eilish have addressed the fake news.
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