Celeb April Fools Day pranks that have backfired including Ant and Dec and Kelly Brook
April Fools' Day is a time where celebs – especially comedians – can really come into their own.
Over the years, there have been many pranks, set-ups, and general tomfoolery all in the name of good fun – some of which have gone according to plan – and some, well, not so much.
So, in the spirit of the practical jokes day, here are some of the most hilarious pranks that have backfired, from Ant and Dec’s ‘Toon Coin’ to Rylan Clark’s Alexa hoax…
Ant and Dec’s Toon Coin
Ant and Dec are the ultimate pranksters. Like, they literally have a prank section on Saturday Night Takeaway called ‘Get Out Me Ear.’
Last year, the Geordie duo tried to trick their fans into thinking they’d launched their own crypto currency called Toon Coin.
The TV icons claimed they first came up with the idea back in the 90s and thanked someone called Safri Pollo for helping them make it a reality.
“Big news! We have joined the crypto revolution and launched Toon Coin,” the pair captioned their ‘promotional’ photo on Instagram.
"This project has been in the works for a while having started it all the way back in the early 90s! Huge thanks to Safri Pollo for making it possible. Link in our bio for more info…" they added.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll realise that Safri Pollo is actually an anagram for April Fool, and while some fans probably believed it at first, the majority caught on in the end, with many contributing to the joke.
“Do Greggs accept the toon coin?" one user joked.
Good Morning Britain’s weather presenter Laura Tobin
Laura Tobin was the butt of the joke during an April Fools' Day prank, too.
Last year, the Good Morning Britain weather presenter was chatting live on TV with Matthew Pottage, curator at RHS when she unknowingly provided all the laughs.
During the segment, Matthew showed Laura a “special plant” that had reportedly been created through a lengthy five-year breeding process.
He then told Laura how “unique” the potted plant was, and that he was going to name it after her.
Shortly after the spiel, Matthew handed the plant to Laura so she could look at it close up, only for her to drop it and smash it all over the floor.
Naturally, Laura was shocked – but it was Matthew’s reaction that made viewers feel sorry for the presenter, them also not realising it was a prank until later.
He appeared to be fuming at what had happened, and almost swore as he stormed off out of sight.
Rita Simons joked she was returning to EastEnders
Another memorable 2022 April Fool’s prank saw ex-EastEnders actor Rita Simons announce that she was reprising her role as Roxy Mitchell, despite being killed off in 2017 with her sister, Ronnie.
The actor posted a promo shot of the on-screen sisters, with the caption: “Guess who’s back?!” and sent fans into a frenzy.
“"That would make 2022 slightly more bearable! Two of @EastEnders best characters, when EE had iconic characters in the show! We miss Ronnie & Roxie,” one fan typed as someone else caught onto the prank and joked: “Back from the dead.”
Rylan Clark’s new deal with Amazon Alexa
TV presenter Rylan Clark came up with a genius April Fools when he claimed to have teamed up with Amazon Alexa to announce he was the new voice of the device.
The X Factor star – who has recently teased a huge hair transformation – posted a video of himself saying good morning to his Alexa, which replied back in his own voice.
“Morning, gorgeous!” it said. “It's Rylan, and guess what: I am here to say I'm the hot new voice of Alexa today. Oh yes, I'm in the cloud, I'm feeling proud, better turn it up 'cause I'm gonna get loud."
Unfortunately for many fans, this proved to all be a joke, as they tried it on their own devices and were disappointed at what came after.
After Rylan’s commentary, Alexa’s real voice pipes in and says: “April Fool, I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Rylan captioned the stunt on his Instagram: “INTRODUCING #RYLEXA !!! CAN'T BELIEVE I’m the the voice of #Alexa ! Been wanting the job for ages.”
"You can ask me so many things, “morning”, “how are you” “I love you” whatever u want! So happy to bring #Rylexa to you all! X @amazonuk #ad"
“So wanted to believe this,” one fan typed as another said: “OMG – you should be the permanent voice #rylan.”
Kelly Brook’s Brussels Sprouts SlimFast flavour
Some April Fool’s are easier to spot than others, and model Kelly Brook’s offering wasn’t fooling many fans.
The 43 year old tried to convince her followers that she was promoting a new SlimFast flavour – Brussels Sprouts, posting a photo to her social media of her posing with the product.
"You heard it here first….NEW @SlimFastUK Brussel Sprout flavour! As with all @SlimFastUK shakes, it has 23 vitamins and minerals, high protein and no added sugar. Available from today – just in time for Christmas! #ItMightSurpriseYou @SlimFastUK #worksforme #AD"
Luckily, the joke (and the flavour) didn’t catch on, and many people commented that they clearly knew it was a prank.
Tom Daley’s willy warmers
Tom Daley is as wholesome as you can get, so when he announced that he’d started a side hustle selling knitted willy warmers, some fans were quick to catch onto the April Fool’s theme.
The Olympic diver shared a series of snaps to his social media, demonstrating the different ways you could use the handmade pouches.
“So excited to launch the official #MadeWithLoveWillyWarmer,” he captioned the post.
“With fuel prices on the up, this’ll keep your (or a loved one’s) pecker perky and piping hot all year round.”
"It’s also completely universal!” he added, before detailing the five different ways you could wear the product:
"As a naughty necklace, as extravagant earrings, as a beautiful headband, as a wondrous pouch or Christmas tree bauble,” before joking: “Buy all five and you’ve got yourself a glove! I hope you love as much as I do Tom x"
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