How a Podcast Joke Made Millions Think Garth Brooks Is a Killer

A comedian called Garth Brooks a serial killer in 2018. By 2024, millions were posting 'where are the bodies?' — and then a real lawsuit blurred the line between meme and reality. This is the story of the internet's wildest conspiracy theory and the psychology that makes it stick. Topics covered: - The Tom Segura joke that started it all (YMH Podcast, Episode 476) - TikTok 'evidence': tour date maps, out-of-context quotes, and Chris Gaines - The psychology: apophenia, confirmation bias, and the irony pipeline - How the 2024 sexual assault lawsuit collided with the meme - What the Garth Brooks theory reveals about how disinformation actually spreads Timestamps: 00:00 - Two images of Garth Brooks 01:15 - Patient zero: Tom Segura's joke on YMH Podcast 03:00 - The 'Where are the bodies?' comment invasion 04:00 - TikTok detectives and the missing persons maps 05:30 - Why the maps prove nothing (it's just a population density map) 06:30 - The Chris Gaines alter ego and why it's the theory's linchpin 08:15 - The psychology: apophenia, irony pipeline, and proportionality bias 10:00 - The 2024 lawsuit and how the meme swallowed a real allegation 11:45 - How Garth handles it (hint: he shows people Tom breaking his arm) 12:30 - Segura's Netflix show and the Rex Henley character 13:15 - The bigger lesson about pattern-seeking and disinformation This episode was produced with NotebookLM from research by Claude. This podcast episode was generated using NotebookLM's audio overview feature. The source material was researched and curated by the host, with AI assistance in audio production.