Rumors are swirling about the owner of one of Australia’s original Instagram watch accounts, Celeb Spellcheck.
The popular “snark” account, run by an anonymous user believed to be a Melbourne PR worker in her 20s, corrects spelling mistakes from influencers and reality TV stars and often spreads salacious gossip.
Now, a bizarre and false new conspiracy is circulating, claiming the account is run and managed by country music singer Keith Urban.
The rumors started after another snark account, Aussie Influencer Opinions, responded to a fan during a Q&A by saying they thought Nicole Kidman’s husband “100%” ran the page Instagram.
Several subscribers responded to the opinions of Australian influencers in shock and surprise.
Rumors are swirling about the owner of one of Australia’s original Instagram watch accounts, Celeb Spellcheck. Now a bizarre and false new conspiracy is circulating claiming the account is run and managed by country music singer Keith Urban.
“WTF mind blowing,” one user wrote, while others responded: “Wait what?
The account then shared in its story that “celebrity spell check Keith Urban” is the second option that appears when simply searching for the name “Keith” on TikTok.
Celeb Spellcheck has amassed a huge following over the past few years for calling out notable Australian influencers, celebrities and reality TV stars.
More recently, the account simply posts nostalgic throwbacks to pop culture, fashion trends, and celebrity romances from the 2000s and 2010s.
The popular “snark” account, run by an anonymous user believed to be a Melbourne PR worker in her 20s, corrects spelling mistakes from influencers and reality TV stars and often spreads salacious gossip.
The rumors started after another Aussie Influencer Opinions account responded in a Q&A that they believed Nicole Kidman’s husband “100%” ran the Instagram page.
But in the past, the admin has shared scandalous moments from influencers, including a video of former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure sniffing a white substance off a counter at a party.
They also accused model Steph Claire Smith of undergoing breast augmentation and questioned mom blogger Sophie Cachia’s movements during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown.
Due to its content, several influencers and reality TV stars publicly condemned the account and accused it of “harassment.”
However, a prominent Sydney lawyer has claimed it would be almost impossible to successfully sue an account like Celeb Spellcheck for defamation.
Speaking to the Outspoken podcast, employment and media lawyer John Laxon explained that it is very difficult to pursue someone who is hiding behind an anonymous Instagram account.
“(Social media platforms) will never say who is behind (accounts like Celeb Spellcheck). You have to use legal procedures to force the platforms to tell you,” he said.
The account then shared in its story that “Keith Urban Celeb Orthocheck” is the second option that appears when simply searching for the name “Keith” on TikTok.
“It’s really difficult in the face of multinational platforms like Google or Facebook,” he said, adding that such legal procedures are both very expensive and time-consuming.
Even if you can identify the anonymous user behind accounts like Celeb Spellcheck, they may not even be worth suing if they have no assets, Laxon added.
“What if it was a teenager operating from his bedroom? There’s no point in going after someone who doesn’t have assets because you won’t be able to get anything out of them once you have them,” he said.
Mr. Laxon also highlighted another challenge: proving that the post is actually defamatory (in the sense that it would damage someone’s reputation) and also false.
If the post is true, it cannot be defamatory, so it stands to reason that simply reposting someone else’s typos does not fall under the definition of defamation.
Celeb Spellcheck has already shut down rumors that they are facing legal action or that their identities are about to be revealed.
The administrator also accused model and influencer Steph Claire Smith (above, in two photos taken years apart) of having undergone breast augmentation.
“So, assuming you have identified the person, then you need to be absolutely sure that you have been defamed and that what they have posted is defamatory and false,” he said.
“If a publisher can easily rely on the defense of truth, he would be crazy to sue for defamation,” he said.
Mr. Laxon noted that a “photo usually speaks for itself,” so simply reposting an undoctored image or video of a celebrity would fall under the defense of “truth.”
In 2021, Celeb Spellcheck revealed that a celebrity once attempted to sue her for defamation for uploading a video of them “taking drugs”, insinuating that the celebrity’s attempt had failed.
“They said it was his ‘acne medicine’ lol,” she added wryly.
On March 20, Celeb Spellcheck shocked its loyal followers by deleting its content archive following a wave of backlash from influencers and reality stars.
In a message to his followers on March 20, 2021, the admin shut down rumors that he was facing legal action or that his identity was about to be revealed.
Wiped: On March 20, Celeb Spellcheck shocked its loyal followers by deleting its content archive following a wave of backlash from influencers and reality stars.
Instead, they said they were taking a break to determine the future of the account.
After assuring fans that they were “completely fine,” the account owner explained his sudden decision to delete the profile.
The person behind the account admitted that they were considering whether or not to reveal their identity and whether or not to monetize the page.
They also said they were wondering if they should “get into gossip” in the future.