‘Feel played': Coldplay CEO kiss scam we all fell for
The account, calling itself ThatMarinagirll, launched just a day after the Bryon scandal hit headlines, claiming to be Marina Byron, the supposedly 23-year-old daughter dealing with her dad's very public affair.
It already has nearly 200k followers.
In her first clip, warming herself next to an open fire, Marina said she was 'reconnecting with life after your dad's affair makes national news'.
That video alone amassed 36 million views in a few days.
What followed was a steady stream of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek content, including mentions of family group chats and poking fun at rich-kid stereotypes.
One video responded to a comment that read: 'I don't feel bad for rich people,' while Marina ran around on the deck of a private yacht looking carefree.
Others showed screenshots of text exchanges between her and her friends, where they discussed the news.
'I thought it was your dad's doppelganger,' one of the friends says. Marina replies: 'I saw it early this morning … Lord help us'.
In another, Marina claims to be texting her mum, who is allegedly processing the news by doing breathwork and manifestation.
By the fourth video, the account was promoting a company called Triips, a discount travel website.
'Thanks for the $35 flight, I'm basically healed,' the caption read.
The videos were flooded with comments, split into three clear groups.
Some offered sympathy, others criticised her for 'capitalising' on her dad's cheating scandal, and some simply didn't believe any of it was real.
'This is honestly iconic. Making lemonade out of lemons,' said one.
'I'm so sorry that happened to you, your mum and family. Infidelity is traumatising for the whole family,' another commented.
'I hope you are healing in any way you can from all of this,' said a third.
But not everyone was buying it.
'Trying to go viral off your dad's affair is absolutely insane,' one blunt comment read.
'Wow, imagine using your dad's affair to get famous,' said someone else.
Then, scepticism began to surface.
'She isn't his child, y'all,' claimed one.
'It's giving ad,' wrote another. 'Impostor check,' added a third.
One account, LizTheMillennial, even created a video claiming the account was fake and that the profile was banning any comments that attempted to share the truth.
So, does Andy Bryon have a daughter?
According to public records, Andy Bryon doesn't have a daughter.
Bryon and his wife Megan Kerrigan have two sons.
There's no mention of a daughter named Marina Bryon.
Up until the cheating scandal went viral, Kerrigan was posting happy family photos on Facebook, including their two sons.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's xAI's bot Grok also fact-checked the claims on social media.
'Based on extensive review … there is no credible evidence of anyone named Marina being Andy Byron's daughter. Confirmed: He and his wife have two sons only. This claim seems baseless or mistaken,' Grok wrote on X.
Kerrigan hasn't made any formal comment about the scandal, but reportedly removed her married name from her Facebook last week and has since deleted her account.
Adding yet another twist, the videos on the Marina Bryon account were allegedly taken from the social media of a French model and singer-songwriter, Julie Tuzet.
Tuzet came forward over the weekend to clear her name.
'Guys, I am not the CEO's daughter. You probably saw this video of me at a fireplace reconnecting with nature. It's just someone who stole my videos and content from TikTok to create this fake news, and it's going viral,' she said in her own TikTok.
'Please help me report that person because she blocked me, so I can't report it. I also can't comment anything because she is checking each comment so they don't tag my real account.
'But stay safe, don't believe everything you see on the internet, and help me spread this news because it's wild.'
Once the alleged hoax was revealed, many viewers admitted to falling for it.
'Damn, I fell for it, thanks for the truth,' said one comment.
'Makes you really sit down and think what else is fake,' another mused.
Another said they felt like they 'got played'.
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