Why Are People Commenting 'Sound of Freedom' Under Ellen DeGeneres Posts?

Ellen DeGeneres' Instagram posts have been flooded with comments suggesting that she watch the hit movie Sound of Freedom in recent days, prompting questions as to why she has been targeted in such a manner.

On Tuesday, media personality Elijah Schaffer, a former host on The Blaze, took to Twitter to share video footage of the comments being applied to one of DeGeneres' Instagram clips en masse as she discussed her love of fruits in her signature comedic style. The comments ranged from people just writing Sound of Freedom's title, to some advising that she watch it and others asking if she enjoyed the film.

The movie is based on the life of former Homeland Security special agent Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel). The plotline follows Ballard as he sets up Operation Underground Railroad, an anti-child-trafficking organization.

Released on the Fourth of July, the film, distributed by Utah-based Angel Studios, opened to positive audience figures, and has become the first post-pandemic independent movie to pass the $100 million milestone domestically.

Amid the film's continued success, it has been accused of pandering to supporters of QAnon. The radical conspiracy theory group previously asserted that former President Donald Trump would expose a secret cabal of high-profile satanic child abusers as president, and then order their arrest and executions.

Both Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ, and Ballard have dismissed accusations that Sound of Freedom is trying to appeal to QAnon supporters.

A number of moviegoers have also claimed that there have been efforts on the part of mainstream Hollywood to suppress the film, sharing video footage of interrupted or aborted Sound of Freedom screenings as apparent evidence of their allegations.

DeGeneres has now been linked to the movie by a faction of social media users, who have swamped her most recent posts with mentions of Sound of Freedom.

Shaffer shared footage of this happening on one of DeGeneres' video posts Tuesday. "Everyone is tagging 'Sound of Freedom' in Ellen Degenerate's posts now!" Shaffer wrote, adding a laughing emoji to illustrate his apparent amusement.

While several Twitter users reacted in a similar fashion to Shaffer, many others asked why DeGeneres had been targeted in such a manner.

Debunked Conspiracy Theories

A minute-long YouTube video shared by the channel Did You Catch This? over the weekend sought to answer this question. In the clip, it is stated that a number of people have subscribed to the unfounded conspiracy theory that DeGeneres is linked to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his private Caribbean island, Little St. James.

Additionally, it was claimed in the video that conspiracy theorists wrongly believe DeGeneres designed the set of her now-canceled chat show to resemble Epstein's island.

It was also stated in the video that conspiracy theorists have attempted to tie DeGeneres' name to a false conspiracy theory, which claims that a swathe of high-ranking Democratic Party officials are involved in a child sex and human trafficking ring, run through the basement of a non-existent pizza shop.

The baseless theory is widely referred to as Pizzagate, and has its roots in QAnon-linked online spaces. No alleged victims have come forward and no physical evidence has been found in relation to the conspiracy, which was widely discredited and debunked by, among others, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times.

When it comes to Epstein, there has been a wave of baseless accusations over the past several months that certain celebrities had visited his island and flown on his jet while he was alive.

Epstein's private jet, which was used to transport guests to the island, was derisively called the "Lolita Express" following allegations that it was used to fly underage girls to some of the late billionaire's properties.

Following Epstein's death by apparent suicide in jail in 2019, lists have been shared on social media purporting to show the high-profile people who had visited the island, which is located east of Puerto Rico in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Several celebrities' names have been baselessly added to the mix of Epstein's guests by a faction of social media users who have targeted public figures as part of an apparent campaign to link them to the disgraced financier's crimes.

A list of 124 purported island visitors—many of them celebrities whose politics lean left—was shared on social media in 2020. Among the other names listed on the supposed flight log were Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Eminem, Tom Hanks, former President Barack Obama, and Chrissy Teigen (whose social media posts have also been targeted with Sound of Freedom comments).

However, a cross-reference of the screenshot list shared on social media with the actual flight logs released in the court record showed that 36 celebrities were named who had never set foot on the aircraft, including all of the above.

Despite this, the erroneous information has continued to circulate. Part of the issue is that some names, such as lawyer Alan Dershowitz and former President Bill Clinton, do show up on real flight logs.

Newsweek contacted representatives for DeGeneres and Teigen via email for comment on Wednesday.

Epstein's personal pilot gave testimony during the New York City trial of Epstein's former partner Ghislaine Maxwell. In June 2022, Maxwell received a 20-year jail sentence for trafficking girls for Epstein to abuse.

Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr. testified that he never saw evidence of sexual activity on planes as he flew Epstein and his high-profile passengers aboard the two jets he piloted for roughly 1,000 trips between 1991 and 2019.

He told the court that he recalled Prince Andrew being a passenger on the jet, as well as actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker. He also remembered violinist Itzhak Perlman and tech mogul Bill Gates, as well as politician and former astronaut John Glenn.