CULTURE

All of the Celebrity April Fools’ Jokes, From Justin Bieber to Jennifer Garner

From Jailey's pregnancy to Sarah Michelle Gellar's reboot.

by Kyle Munzenrieder

jennifer garner jan 2010.jpg
Photo by Craig McDean. W Magazine, February 2010.

Unfortunately, it is April Fools’ Day once again. What used to be a simple holiday where you played small jokes on your friends and loved ones was transformed into something more major with the advent of the internet at first to our collective delight (remember how we laughed and laughed and laughed when one of our tech monopoly overlords unveiled some cleverly fake new service) and more recently to our collective exhaustion. In the age of actual fake news being spread around the globe with little filter or accountability online, what once seemed like fun now seems almost dystopian. Luckily, our tech overlords and (most) major media outlets have decided to play it cool this year, realizing that the potential backlash now outweighs any simples “lols.”

Which means most of the major April Fools’ Prank heavy lifting this year was relegated to celebrities this year. And considering they’re still just individuals and not multi-national corporations with fully staffed PR departments, they have a bit more wiggle room to try and have fun. Here, all the major celebrity April Fools’ moments.

Jennifer Garner’s Memoir

Was it believable?: Enough. Was it funny?: Yeah, sure. Was it harmless?: Yes.

Garner started the day off by announcing the release of an upcoming book titled Bless Your Heart, and her Instagram announcement was so believable that she had other celebs like Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya commenting that they can’t wait to read it. Unfortunately for them, Garner later admitted it was just a joke, writing, “Thank you for being so happy for me. Your sweetness makes me feel ?? ? for playing a joke. But this is an April Fool’s. ♥️♥️♥️” Eagle eyed followers were able to surmise as much from the fact that the cover photo she used was actually from a W magazine photoshoot, which, actually, makes us feel kind of flattered.

Justin Bieber’s Pregnancy Announcement

Was it believable?: Well, at first it wasn’t… Was it funny?: Meh… Was it harmless?: Of course some people don’t think so.

Bieber originally had the internet on high alert when he posted a sonogram photo. The Biebs has recently mentioned about his hope to be a father eventually in an emotional Instagram caption, but it appeared this was a bit of a lark. After all, the sonogram photo he was posted was one of the first that come up after you Google Image Search “sonogram.” Though, then things took a turn for the weirder when he posted photos of his wife Hailey Bieber ostensibly getting a pregnancy check up (something that usually doesn’t involve an IV drip, although there was one in the photo for whatever reason).

Alas, it all turned out to be just a joke. Maybe they’re getting another dog, though?

Tom Brady Retires

Was it believable?: We mean, he is 41 and has little left to prove on the field. Was it funny?: Meh… Was it harmless?: Sure.

It seems like if you’ve lived without Twitter so far it might be a good idea to continue to do so, but the New England Patriots quarterback and noted plant-based diet enthusiast picked today of all days to join only to promptly announce his retirement. Naturally (and to the detriment of New York Jets and Miami Dolphins everywhere) it was just a joke.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Reboot

Was it believable?: It wasn’t necessarily meant to be. Was it funny?: Yes. Was it harmless?: Yep.

Hollywood can’t get enough reboots, and we’re sure there’s plenty of Sarah Michelle Gellar fans out there who wish she’d reboot one of her most famous roles in particularly. Though, instead of teasing Buffy fans, Gellar decided to remind us all of another teen TV series she starred in that just about no one remembers: Swan Crossing. With a cheeky teaser trailer, Gellar joked that the 1992 show about rich kids in a fictional town was coming back to television.

Dr. Phil’s Bare Upper Lip

Was it believable?: We’re still hesitant to say that it is indeed 100 percent a joke. Was it funny?: Actually, it’s kind of startling. Was it harmless?: Our day is kind of ruined.

Famous mustached man Dr. Phil decided to announce that he’s shaved that famous mustache, and the results are some what unsettling …though we’re pretty sure the results were achieved with photoshop and not an actual razor.