# Manti Teos Girlfriend Hoax Teoing > Manti Teos Girlfriend Hoax Teoing is a 2013 photo meme where people pose with invisible girlfriends, referencing Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's exposed catfishing scandal. Manti Te'o's Girlfriend Hoax was one of the strangest sports scandals in internet history, centered on the revelation that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's girlfriend Lennay Kekua never existed. The story broke on January 16, 2013, when Deadspin published an investigation showing no records of Kekua's existence, exposing an elaborate catfishing scheme orchestrated by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo[6]. The scandal spawned "Teoing," a photo meme where people posed with invisible girlfriends, and turned the concept of catfishing into a mainstream cultural talking point[4]. ## Origin In October 2012, Te'o appeared in a YouTube video discussing the recent losses of his grandmother and girlfriend, who he said had died within six hours of each other on September 12, 2012[1]. Te'o described his girlfriend Lennay Kekua as a 22-year-old Stanford student who had died of leukemia after a car accident[6]. He played through the grief, recording 12 tackles in a 20-3 win over Michigan State the weekend after the deaths[8]. Major outlets including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and CBS ran with the story, turning it into the feel-good narrative of the college football season[15]. The hoax unraveled on January 16, 2013, when Deadspin journalists Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey published a detailed investigation titled "Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax"[6]. They found no Social Security Administration record of Kekua's death, no Stanford enrollment records, no obituary, and no record of a car accident[3]. The photos used on Kekua's social media profiles belonged to a 22-year-old California woman who had never met Te'o[6]. - **Platform:** Deadspin (investigative report), Tumblr (meme format) - **Creator:** Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey (Deadspin journalists who broke the story), Ronaiah Tuiasosopo (hoax perpetrator) - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview The Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax involved a fake online relationship between Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o and a nonexistent woman named Lennay Kekua[4]. Te'o, a Heisman Trophy finalist and projected first-round NFL draft pick, had publicly spoken about losing his girlfriend to leukemia on September 12, 2012, the same day his grandmother died[8]. The twin tragedies became central to the narrative of Notre Dame's undefeated regular season and Te'o's rise to national prominence. When Deadspin revealed the entire relationship was fabricated, it triggered a media firestorm and a wave of internet mockery. The meme format "Teoing" involved people standing with an outstretched arm as if wrapped around an invisible partner, often next to an empty chair where a girlfriend should be[4]. ## How It Spread The Deadspin article spread across the internet at breakneck speed. Within 24 hours, USA Today, CNN, the Huffington Post, and TMZ had all picked up the story[15][3]. The article was posted to Reddit's NFL subreddit where it earned 2,374 points, and the News subreddit where it collected 1,329 points[4]. Approximately one hour after the Deadspin story went live, Notre Dame responded via Facebook, calling Te'o the victim of a "cruel hoax" and saying the school would assist in an investigation[8]. The Facebook post was shared over 1,700 times with more than 1,780 comments[4]. Te'o released a statement the same day calling the situation "incredibly embarrassing" and acknowledging that his relationship with Kekua had been conducted entirely online and over the phone, despite earlier claims that they had met in person[15]. This contradicted what Te'o's parents had told the South Bend Tribune in October 2012, describing a romantic first meeting after a Stanford-Notre Dame football game in 2009[11]. Multiple outlets drew immediate comparisons to the 2010 documentary Catfish, which followed photographer Nev Schulman as he discovered his online girlfriend was fictional[10]. Hollywood.com, MTV, and TIME all highlighted the connection[4]. Schulman himself was interviewed by ABC News on January 17, noting he had been contacted by people involved in the hoax before Deadspin's report and suggesting others may have also "dated" Kekua[12]. On the evening of January 16, the single-topic Tumblr blog #Teoing launched, collecting photos of people standing with their arm outstretched around an invisible companion, similar to the Eastwooding meme that had circulated during the 2012 election[4]. The blog expanded to include image macros and parodies about the scandal[7]. ## How to Use "Teoing" follows a simple format: pose as if you're standing next to a romantic partner, with your arm outstretched around someone who isn't there. Common variations include: 1. Standing next to an empty chair or couch with your arm draped over the empty space 2. Taking a "couple selfie" with nothing beside you 3. Walking hand-in-hand with no one 4. Any romantic photo setup with the other person conspicuously absent ## Cultural Impact The Te'o hoax was a watershed moment for the concept of catfishing. While the 2010 documentary Catfish had introduced the term, the Te'o scandal pushed it into the mainstream vocabulary[10]. Nev Schulman's MTV series Catfish, which had premiered just two months earlier in November 2012, saw its profile rise dramatically as every news outlet drew the connection[10]. The scandal proved that even high-profile public figures could fall victim to fake online identities, or at least claim to. The story also exposed how the sports media ecosystem had amplified an unverified narrative without basic fact-checking. No major outlet had attempted to confirm Kekua's existence until Deadspin started digging[6]. "What do you do when you first want to know something? You Google it, right?" Burke said on CNN. "And Google searches for 'Lennay Kekua' only showed up articles about her dying, and inspiring Manti Te'o"[3]. Te'o went on to be drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played in the NFL until 2021[5]. Since 2024, he has worked as an on-air commentator for NFL Network[5]. Tuiasosopo's father, Titus, posted on Facebook thanking friends and family for support during the media storm[4]. ## Fun Facts - Tuiasosopo fabricated the Lennay Kekua identity as early as 2008, five years before the hoax was exposed, and Te'o was reportedly not the first person to "date" her[4][12]. - Former Stanford football player Matthew Masifilo tweeted that Te'o would ask Stanford players if they knew his "mystery girl" after games, suggesting he genuinely believed she attended the school[2]. - Te'o's parents described a romantic first meeting between their son and Kekua to the South Bend Tribune in October 2012, including details about "the touching of hands." Notre Dame later confirmed Te'o had never met Kekua in person[11]. - The woman whose photos were stolen for the Kekua profiles discovered the misuse after noticing a photo she had sent privately to Tuiasosopo appearing as a Twitter background[6]. - Te'o finished second in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting during the height of the fake girlfriend narrative[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax? The Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax was the 2013 revelation that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's girlfriend Lennay Kekua never existed. She was a fictional persona created by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who maintained a fake online relationship with Te'o[6]. ### Where did the Manti Te'o hoax story come from? The story broke on January 16, 2013, when Deadspin journalists Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey published an investigation finding no records of Lennay Kekua's existence, death, or enrollment at Stanford[6]. ### What does "Teoing" mean? Teoing is a photo meme where someone poses with their arm outstretched around an invisible person, as if standing next to a girlfriend who doesn't exist. It launched on Tumblr the night the hoax was exposed[4]. ### How do you use the Teoing meme? Take a photo posing as if you're with a romantic partner, but with no one beside you. Common setups include sitting next to an empty chair or walking hand-in-hand with no one[7]. ### Is the Manti Te'o hoax meme still popular? The meme peaked in January-February 2013 but the hoax itself is a well-remembered cultural moment. The term "catfished" entered widespread use partly because of this scandal[10]. ### Who was behind the Manti Te'o hoax? Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, a former high school football player and friend of Te'o's, created the Lennay Kekua persona. He admitted on ABC News with Dr. Phil that he had romantic feelings for Te'o and demonstrated the fake female voice he used on phone calls[4]. ### Was Manti Te'o in on the hoax? Te'o and Notre Dame maintained he was a victim. However, opinions varied. Deadspin's authors expressed skepticism, while Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel believed Te'o was genuinely duped[3]. A friend of Tuiasosopo said he was "80 percent sure" Te'o was involved[15]. ### Did Manti Te'o ever meet Lennay Kekua? No. Despite earlier claims that they met after a Stanford-Notre Dame football game in 2009, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick confirmed the relationship was "exclusively online"[8]. ### What happened to Ronaiah Tuiasosopo? Tuiasosopo appeared on ABC News with Dr. Phil on January 30, 2013, where he admitted to the hoax and his feelings for Te'o[4]. His father posted on Facebook thanking supporters during the media fallout[4]. ### How did this connect to the show Catfish? Multiple outlets compared the scandal to the 2010 Catfish documentary. Catfish star Nev Schulman said he had been contacted by people involved in the hoax before it became public and believed the scheme went deeper than reported[12]. ### What happened to Manti Te'o's football career after the hoax? Te'o was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played in the NFL until 2021. Since 2024, he has worked as a commentator for NFL Network[5]. ### Why did Maxim put Lennay Kekua on the Hot 100? Maxim listed the fictional Lennay Kekua at #69 on their 2013 Hot 100 list as a satirical joke referencing the scandal[4][16]. ## References 1. [Manti Te’o Overcomes Tragic Loss of Grandma and Girlfriend]() 2. [The Manti Te'o Saga Is Even Weirder Than We Thought | Mashable]() 3. [Manti Te’o: A linebacker, a made-up girlfriend and a national hoax | CNN]() 4. [Manti Te'o's Girlfriend Hoax / Teoing - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Manti Teʻo - Wikipedia]() 6. [Deadspin | Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax]() 7. [#Teoing]() 8. [Story of Manti Te'o girlfriend a hoax - ESPN]() 9. [Каков смысл фразы "Play like your fake girlfriend died today!" - zhenek_1088 | Ответы Mail]() 10. [Manti Te'o -- Notre Dame's Story Sinks Manti]() 11. [Manti Te’o and ‘Catfish’: What’s the Connection to the Fake Girlfriend Scandal? | TIME.com]() 12. [Manti Te'o: Story Attributed To Parents Hard To Reconcile With Hoax Report : The Two-Way : NPR]() 13. ['Catfish' Creators Believe Manti Te'o Hoax Goes Deeper - ABC News]() 14. [2013 Hot 100 List - Maxim]() 15. [The Manti Te'o Saga Is Even Weirder Than We Thought | Mashable]() 16. [Before you continue to YouTube]() 17. [The Manti Te'o Catfishing Story is the Best, Most Bizarre Sports Story. Ever. (2013/01/16)- Tickets to Movies in Theaters, Broadway Shows, London Theatre & More | Hollywood.com]() 18. [Manti Te'o's inspirational girlfriend story a hoax]() 19. [Manti Te'o's Fake Internet Girlfriend is 'Thrilled' About Maxim Hot 100 Inclusion (2013/05/08)- Tickets to Movies in Theaters, Broadway Shows, London Theatre & More | Hollywood.com]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/manti-teos-girlfriend-hoax-teoing Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library