The widely reported protest against Justin Bieber moving to Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood turned out to be a complete hoax.
The Regular Guys, Rock 100.5's morning radio show, staged the protest as a prank to fool people, only later revealing it was all just an act, E!Online reports.
On Monday morning, The Regular Guys dressed six interns in fancy clothes reminiscent of the neighborhood's wealth and sent them to demonstrate at the planned venue, signs that read "Keep Bieber Out" and "No Bieber in Buckhead" in hand.
It worked. The media - including all four local radio channels and a correspondent for TMZ - were present.
Tim Andrews of The Regular Guys played Harold White, who claimed to be a longtime resident of Buckhead and the organizer of the event.
"We're just concerned citizens," a fake Hank McGuire told reporters, according to USA Today
Even The Atlanta Business Chronicle fell for it, reporting that the protest was a "bust" since only six people turned out, host Larry Wachs said on Monday's podcast.
Listen to the podcast below:
The Buckhead Neighborhood Coalition was created by the radio show, as was the Facebook page, which amassed more than 600 signatures.
The studio says it was "floored" by the response the prank received from the media: More than 45,000 stories were churned off on the topic. However, in the morning podcast, the guys mentioned that the only media outlet suspicious of the whole thing was Creative Loafing.
What did Bieber have to say about all this? The "Baby" hitmaker took to Twitter to express his frustration:
sad how media doesnt believe in fact checking anymore. report real things not fake things. wow - https://t.co/sRHwulDcs1
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) February 25, 2014
Bieber also added that he never even looked at the house that served as the centerpiece of the whole event.
by the way...never even looked at that house. smh — Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) February 25, 2014
And with all the hate and negative comments, the "Biebs" admits he was a little hurt.
I guess I'm an easy target for some. I'm still human. I will continue to meet hate with love. It's all about the music. Much love
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) February 21, 2014
Worry not, Justin. MTV is reporting that the real Buckhead neighborhood council would be more than happy to have you living in the area.
"Buckhead takes pride in being home to many celebrities such as Sir Elton John, Usher and Shaquille O'Neal, to name just a few. Justin Bieber, like many celebrities, can live almost anywhere he wants, and Atlantans should be proud that he is considering making Buckhead his home," Tom Tidwell, chairman of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods told MTV.
