King Bach Returns to Bill Gates Anti-Vax Mockery 10 Months After Lewis Hamilton Backlash

Social media influencer King Bach has based a comedy skit on anti-vaccine conspiracy theories surrounding Bill Gates, the second time he has found humor in the internet's response to billionaire philanthropist's support of COVID-19 response efforts.

Andrew Bachelor—widely known as King Bach—has amassed a large following since posting comedic content on now-defunct video-sharing platform Vine. Bachelor's fame has since earned him acting credits in shows such as The Mindy Project and Key & Peele, as well as films including To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Babysitter.

Since Vine's demise, Bachelor's internet fame has migrated to TikTok and Instagram, where he boasts at least 22.5 million and 20.5 million followers, respectively.

On Tuesday, Bachelor posted a video captioned "Conspiracy Theories" on TikTok and "Bill Gates put a microchip in the vaccine??" on Instagram.

In the skit, Bachelor and fellow comedian LouLou Gonzalez are seated in front of a desktop computer. Bachelor asks Gonzalez whether she heard "the conspiracy with Bill Gates." When Gonzalez says she did not, Bachelor points at online news stories on the computer and claims: "Okay look, so he started COVID-19 so he can make the vaccine and make trillions of dollars."

"Sounds like something he would do, with his goofy, ugly a**," Gonzalez answers.

Nina Marie Daniele, a model who frequently appears in Bachelor's videos, then interjects "I like Bill Gates," to Bachelor and Gonzalez's shocked expressions.

In a robotic tone, Daniele continues: "Bill's really kind. Bill's really smart. Bill Gates is single and available now. Bill's really generous. Bill is amazing. I like Bill Gates."

As Daniele talks about kissing Microsoft's co-founder, Bachelor lifts her t-shirt sleeve to reveal a band-aid on her upper arm—implying she had received a COVID-19 vaccine—before recoiling in horror.

Like a broken machine, Daniele then repeats "Bill, Bill, Bill," before opening her mouth and emitting the Windows shut-down tune, as Bachelor and Gonzalez act frightened.

The video is as play on disinformation spread by adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory, who claim Gates created the COVID-19 vaccine to implant microchips in people's bodies. In reality, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's vaccine initiative seeks to improve access to immunization for millions in developing countries.

A Newsweek review of QAnon Telegram channels found several to have shared Bachelor's video, which was received positively. Many enjoyed the joke implying the COVID-19 vaccine renders Gates irresistible to women.

Newsweek has contacted Bachelor for comment.

In July 2020, Bachelor uploaded an Instagram clip of Gates being interviewed by CBSN, during which he discussed COVID-19 vaccine trials and addressed the conspiracy theories targeting him. In the caption, the Vine star wrote: "I remember when I told my first lie."

Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to apologize after sharing Bachelor's video, saying he had not seen the caption and has "a lot of respect" for Gates' philanthropic work.

"I also want to be clear that I'm not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fights against coronavirus, and I'm hopeful for its development to help save lives," Hamilton wrote in an Instagram story at the time. "However after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side effects most importantly and how it is going to be funded."

Bachelor is not the first Vine star to have engaged with pandemic-related conspiracy theories. In November 2020, controversial social media personality Jake Paul told The Daily Beast he believed COVID-19 to be a "hoax," later walking back his comments and claiming the outlet misquoted him.

Senior entertainment editor Marlow Stern, who conducted the interview, subsequently published a recording of his call with Paul, in which the influencer expressed the very statements he denied making.