Several persistent myths continue to circulate across Reddit, X, and meme aggregators regarding these crying templates:
Myth 1: Crying Jordan happened after an NBA Finals loss.
Jordan lost playoff series in his early career, but cameras were not capturing high-resolution digital stills in 1989. The image came six years after his final retirement from the Washington Wizards, during a celebration of his life's work.
Myth 2: The crying groom was an actor staging an engagement stunt.
Social media algorithms frequently favor staged content, causing skepticism around viral wedding videos. The Deku family was independently verified by multiple news outlets. Their wedding took place under standard Anglican service conditions with guests who documented the moment from multiple vantage points.
Myth 3: Michael Jordan sued the internet creators behind the image.
Jordan is notorious for protecting his commercial trademark and name-and-likeness rights. However, his representatives confirmed in 2016 that as long as third parties were not monetizing the image to sell commercial products without permission, he viewed the viral explosion as harmless cultural chatter.
