Bizarre celebrity rumors we believed in the '90s -

The internet wasn't widely accessible yet, so there was very little fact-checking going on—unless, of course, you had the patience to wait for everyone to get off the phone so you could use the dial-up.

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The Gere-bil - This is where it gets weird(er). During the 1990s, rumors of a bizarre fetish began to spread and Richard Gere was inexplicably caught up in the wave.

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The Gere-bil -

It was rumored that some people may insert a gerbil into their rectum via a tube for gratification. Somehow, word got around that Richard Gere was an enthusiastic participant of this fictional fetish. It was even said that he once had to go to the hospital for an emergency "gerbilectomy."

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Mariah Carey -

Mariah Carey is well known for a comment she supposedly made in the '90s, suggesting she was jealous of starving children she saw on TV ads because they were so skinny. 

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Mariah Carey -

The quote actually came from a parody interview, but unfortunately it spread through the news like wildfire and has haunted her ever since! 

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Marilyn Manson -

One of many strange rumors surrounding shock rocker Marilyn Manson was that he had one of his ribs surgically removed. 

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Marilyn Manson -

For what reason? So he could perform a certain intimate act on himself that would require him to bend over pretty far. Manson has never directly addressed the claim, but that's most likely because it adds to his disturbing mystique. 

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Tupac's death - You'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard the rumor that Tupac Shakur isn't really dead. Nowadays there are all sorts conspiracy theories online, but in the '90s there was even less evidence to support this claim!

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Tupac and Biggie's wife - Tupac and Biggie Smalls were the greatest rivals in rap history. In one song, Tupac says he slept with Smalls' wife, Faith Evans. Evans denies the claims. It was most likely just a jab at Smalls' ego.

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Kurt Cobain's death -

Kurt Cobain's death in 1994 was a terrible blow to the world and to his fans. His wife, Courtney Love, was a controversial character much discussed in the media as she was not your average female celeb.

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Kurt Cobain's death -

After Cobain died, devastated fans looked for someone to blame, and decided on Courtney Love. Rumors circulated that she killed him and staged it to look like Cobain took his own life, but it was ultimately determined that it was Cobain's own doing.

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The blood vials - Back in her wilder days Angelina Jolie got into an intense public relationship with Billy Bob Thornton. She even got his name tattooed on her arm! Rumors circulated that she wore a vial of his blood around her neck.

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The blood vials -

While that isn't strictly true, they did wear lockets with a small smear of blood of each other's blood inside which the media exaggerated. Totally normal...

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Jack and Rose forever -

As co-stars and romantic leads of 'Titanic,' one of the greatest love stories of all time, it's inevitable that rumors of an off-screen romance began to spread about Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

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Jack and Rose forever - The actors maintained a close friendship since their collaboration, but the story of their affair is completely unsubstantiated.

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The death scene -

Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, had a budding acting career in the 1990s. He tragically died during the filming of a scene for the movie 'Crow' in 1993. 

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The death scene -

The prop gun fired a real bullet instead of a blank, seriously injuring Lee on camera. He was taken to hospital and later died. Rumors began to circulate that the real scene of his death was kept in the movie, but it's untrue. 

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Oprah and Gayle -

Back in the day, rumors were running rampant that Oprah was in a secret romantic relationship with her best friend and CBS TV host, Gayle King. The pair may be inseparable, but the rumors are baseless.  

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The 'Saved by the Bell' saga - The cast of the '90s high school sitcom 'Saved by the Bell' were plagued by rumors after the show ended.

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The 'Saved by the Bell' saga -

The first was the false claim that the actor who played Zach, Mark‑Paul Gosselaar, died in a car accident. Nope! He's still going strong, although he looks totally different now. 

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The 'Saved by the Bell' saga -

Another rumor that circulated was that actor Dustin Diamond, who played Screech, became an adult film star. In reality, only one questionable video was made. He heard that Paris Hilton's infamous tape made her millions. He decided to fake his own tape with a stunt double, and certain fake body parts, in an attempt to make some money. 

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'Blue's Clues' death hoax -

Steve Burns was the original host of the hit kid's TV show 'Blue's Clues.' When the show ended there were persistent rumors that he died in variety of horrible ways. Burns has actually been working as a voice actor and musician for the past 20 years. 

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The Vanilla Ice incident -

Vanilla Ice's song 'Ice Ice Baby' was a smash hit back in 1990. He signed away a percentage of the credits for the song to famous music producer Suge Knight, which sparked outrageous rumors. 

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The Vanilla Ice incident -

It was said that Knight had grabbed Vanilla Ice and hung him over the side of a balcony by his ankles until he agreed to pay him. In reality, according to Mr. Ice, they simply had a frank conversation on the balcony which ended in him cordially agreeing to pay up. 

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Marisa Tomei didn't win the Oscar -

In 1993, Marisa Tomei won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'My Cousin Vinny.' Tomei was relatively new on the scene and was not a favorite to win. 

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Marisa Tomei didn't win the Oscar -

This sparked rumors that the presenter actually read out the wrong name and the Academy just went with it to cover up his mistake! The theory has been widely debunked and denied by all involved. 

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Michael Jello Fox -

Actor Michael J. Fox was the star of the 'Back to the Future' movies, making him one of the biggest stars of the '80s and '90s. During that time, people began to speculate about what the 'J.' in his name stood for. 

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Michael Jello Fox -

A rumor spread that his parents allowed him to choose his own middle name when he was six years old, and he chose Jello. His middle name is actually Andrew, but he thought Michael J. Fox sounded best. 

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Barney's substance habit -

Ever heard that beloved kid's show host Barney the dinosaur stored banned substance in the tail of his suit? Apparently, many people heard that one! There's nothing to support this claim, but it may have been mixed up with other news stories which revealed that smugglers had stuffed a Barney plushie toy with contraband as a method of concealment. 

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What next? -

Now all the celebrity myths have been cleared up, let's take a look at conspiracy theories! These are the biggest conspiracy theories that turned out to be true.

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