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Two years ago, in July 2009, Joe McElderry (winner of the UK’s X Factor 2009) was visiting gay bars and having an affair with a man. One year ago, on 7 July 2010, the operation to cover up this affair began. Joe’s affair with Sean Ryan began soon after X Factor 2009 started but when Sean asked Joe if they could have a long-term relationship, Joe dumped him by text. Joe did NOT say anything about being unsure of his sexuality: the ONLY reason he gave Sean was that he wanted to concentrate on winning the X Factor competition. Joe was acting entirely in character here, putting his career before love - and he continued to do so a few months later.
In December 2009 Joe won the X Factor and was looking forward to releasing his winner’s single for the Christmas Number 1 position. But there were rumours about his sexuality, made worse by RATM campaigners trying to keep Joe’s single off the top of the charts. Worried that his chances of selling the single would be affected if people continued to say that he was gay (a worry which would have been shared by his recording company’s bosses), Joe McElderry took a bold step.
On 15 December 2009, he told a bare-faced lie on the front page of the UK’s biggest selling paper, the Sun: Joe chose to expressly deny he was gay, despite the gay affair he had just a few months earlier. This PR stunt was doubly deceptive because the story opened with the claim that Joe was ‘opening his heart to The Sun about his love life’. Joe also told the Daily Star that “I am not gay.” and “I don’t know where that came from". Unfortunately for Joe, this cynical deception failed and his single was indeed beaten to the Number 1 spot by RATM’s 'Killing In The Name'. Joe kept up the lie throughout the subsequent X Factor tour however, as his fanbase was predominantly young and female and it suited him – and his record company bosses - to make them think he was available.
Now we move forward to July 2010 and the next step in Joe’s cover-up of his sexuality. Joe needed more fans and a wider fanbase for his album, soon to be released. He was also running a risk in continuing to deny that he was gay as the secret would come out sooner or later. But if he did come out and admit he had been having a gay affair a year before, Joe would be exposed as a liar because of the Sun denial (a denial by Joe repeated in other papers). So how could Joe exploit a new gay male fanbase, escape the risk of being condemned for being gay AND pretend to be an honest person – always a problem for compulsive liars like Joe, who cannot admit that they are liars.
The answer was breathtakingly simple, or so Joe thought: on 7 July 2010 a tweet was sent from Joe’s Twitter account. It said “I want you all to know, before it comes out, I’m gay. I’ve been living a lie for so many years but now I feel the times right”. The reaction to this from Joe’s fans was overwhelmingly positive so Joe and his PR team knew he was safe to come out.
But to admit the tweet was his would still leave him open to charges of lying in December, so Joe simply claimed that his account had been hacked. Then came the masterstroke of deception: just 3 weeks later, Joe again appeared on the front page of the Sun, this time to say he was gay and that he had only realised he was gay because of the hacked tweet! He tried to airbrush Sean Ryan out of his story and claimed to have had only a single kiss from a boy, while at college.
Joe’s fanbase immediately grew, with predominantly young gays now being enticed on board, seeing Joe as a role model for the ‘bravery’ he showed in coming out. Operation Cover-up had been a success as far as Joe and his PR team were concerned and the road was open for Joe to continue deceiving his fans about his history while reaping the financial benefit from them.
Now, a year after the “hacking”, it’s clear that no action was taken by Joe to find out who the hacker was and no evidence has ever been produced to say his account was hacked. Indeed, Joe even admits that most people think he wrote the tweet himself. Thus began Joe McElderry’s descent into the black fog of deception and he has to continue to lie to this day in order to stop both himself and his fans from realising that his entire career has been built on a trick.
Full details of Joe’s cynical stunt with references, together with examples of other blatant lies Joe has told are here: http://jmb.tw/3t8s.
In December 2009 Joe won the X Factor and was looking forward to releasing his winner’s single for the Christmas Number 1 position. But there were rumours about his sexuality, made worse by RATM campaigners trying to keep Joe’s single off the top of the charts. Worried that his chances of selling the single would be affected if people continued to say that he was gay (a worry which would have been shared by his recording company’s bosses), Joe McElderry took a bold step.
On 15 December 2009, he told a bare-faced lie on the front page of the UK’s biggest selling paper, the Sun: Joe chose to expressly deny he was gay, despite the gay affair he had just a few months earlier. This PR stunt was doubly deceptive because the story opened with the claim that Joe was ‘opening his heart to The Sun about his love life’. Joe also told the Daily Star that “I am not gay.” and “I don’t know where that came from". Unfortunately for Joe, this cynical deception failed and his single was indeed beaten to the Number 1 spot by RATM’s 'Killing In The Name'. Joe kept up the lie throughout the subsequent X Factor tour however, as his fanbase was predominantly young and female and it suited him – and his record company bosses - to make them think he was available.
Now we move forward to July 2010 and the next step in Joe’s cover-up of his sexuality. Joe needed more fans and a wider fanbase for his album, soon to be released. He was also running a risk in continuing to deny that he was gay as the secret would come out sooner or later. But if he did come out and admit he had been having a gay affair a year before, Joe would be exposed as a liar because of the Sun denial (a denial by Joe repeated in other papers). So how could Joe exploit a new gay male fanbase, escape the risk of being condemned for being gay AND pretend to be an honest person – always a problem for compulsive liars like Joe, who cannot admit that they are liars.
The answer was breathtakingly simple, or so Joe thought: on 7 July 2010 a tweet was sent from Joe’s Twitter account. It said “I want you all to know, before it comes out, I’m gay. I’ve been living a lie for so many years but now I feel the times right”. The reaction to this from Joe’s fans was overwhelmingly positive so Joe and his PR team knew he was safe to come out.
But to admit the tweet was his would still leave him open to charges of lying in December, so Joe simply claimed that his account had been hacked. Then came the masterstroke of deception: just 3 weeks later, Joe again appeared on the front page of the Sun, this time to say he was gay and that he had only realised he was gay because of the hacked tweet! He tried to airbrush Sean Ryan out of his story and claimed to have had only a single kiss from a boy, while at college.
Joe’s fanbase immediately grew, with predominantly young gays now being enticed on board, seeing Joe as a role model for the ‘bravery’ he showed in coming out. Operation Cover-up had been a success as far as Joe and his PR team were concerned and the road was open for Joe to continue deceiving his fans about his history while reaping the financial benefit from them.
Now, a year after the “hacking”, it’s clear that no action was taken by Joe to find out who the hacker was and no evidence has ever been produced to say his account was hacked. Indeed, Joe even admits that most people think he wrote the tweet himself. Thus began Joe McElderry’s descent into the black fog of deception and he has to continue to lie to this day in order to stop both himself and his fans from realising that his entire career has been built on a trick.
Full details of Joe’s cynical stunt with references, together with examples of other blatant lies Joe has told are here: http://jmb.tw/3t8s.