Conspiracy theories regarding the tragic death of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in June 2018 escalated into ludicrous realms in the days following the incident. False news websites propagated baseless claims suggesting that Bourdain’s suicide was somehow linked to an alleged conflict with Hillary Clinton. One of these sites, YourNewsWire.com, went so far as to propose that Bourdain was murdered by “Clinton operatives” due to his comments about Clinton’s awareness of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct.
YourNewsWire.com’s article insinuated that Bourdain had been threatened and harassed by individuals connected to Hillary Clinton shortly before his apparent suicide. The piece asserted that Bourdain was planning to expose pedophile rings tied to Hollywood and D.C., and it referenced past statements he had made about Harvey Weinstein, implying that these statements angered Clinton’s camp. The article, however, provided no concrete evidence to support its central claim that Bourdain’s death was related to crossing Hillary Clinton.
By combining a mixture of factual events, fictional assertions, and exaggerated content, websites like YourNewsWire.com craft sensational conspiracy narratives designed for social media sharing. Despite this, French authorities confirmed that Bourdain’s death was indeed a suicide in Colmar, France, where he was filming a television show, and they found no evidence of foul play.