Shooting conspiracies, breakup texts, and Dana White's cortisol spike

Shooting conspiracies, breakup texts, and Dana White's cortisol spike

From Top Comment by BBC

May 1, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode discusses conspiracy theories surrounding a recent assassination attempt and the online reactions to it, as well as the rise of AI-generated songs based on breakup texts.

Following an apparent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night, dozens of high-profile conservative accounts posted almost identical reactions on X. On this episode, Matt and Marianna explain why some people think these posts are coordinated, and debunk false claims the event itself was staged. Also this week, why are conspiracy theories surrounding the tick-borne infection Lyme disease receiving so much online attention? And, the AI songs TikTok users are creating with texts from their ex. Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The social producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The editor is Justine Lang. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to get in touch about something that's popped up on your feed, our email address is topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

People in this episode

Hosts: Marianna Spring, Matt Shea

Topics covered

  • conspiracy theories
  • Lyme disease
  • social media reactions
  • assassination attempt
  • AI and technology
  • relationship dynamics

Keywords

  • conspiracy theories
  • Lyme disease
  • White House Correspondents' Association dinner
  • social media
  • AI songs
  • breakup texts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Products: AI songs

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