Fact Check: Neil Patrick Harris Supposedly Ordered a Cake Made to Look Like Amy Winehouse's Corpse. Here Are the Facts
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Claim:
Neil Patrick Harris requested a cake made to look like Amy Winehouse's body months after she died.
Rating:
What's True:
Neil Patrick Harris faced backlash after a photo went viral on social media showing a buffet platter resembling Amy Winehouse's body at a Halloween party he hosted in 2011, three months after her death.
What's False:
The corpse-inspired Halloween dish was not a cake as initially reported, but rather a meat-based creation.
Neil Patrick Harris, known for his roles in "How I Met Your Mother" and "Gone Girl," stirred controversy after a photo revealed what was described as a "cake" resembling the corpse of Amy Winehouse, which he and his then-fiancé, actor and chef David Burtka, served to guests at a Halloween party three months after Winehouse's death in 2011.
The image surfaced again in early 2024 on social media platforms including Reddit, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). Many commenters condemned the actor for what they perceived as a disrespectful and tasteless portrayal of Winehouse.
Because the claim that Harris had a cake made resembling Winehouse contains elements of truth and falsehood, we rate this a "Mixture."
When the image made the rounds on social media in 2022, various news outlets reported the backlash against Harris, with headlines labeling the platter as a "corpse cake" and documenting the public outrage directed at the actor.
"Ohmigod, this is so much worse than I pictured," one person wrote, while another responded, "Yeah it sounds silly, but if ever a cake needed a nsfw warning, it would be this one. It's ghastly. I forgot how horrible it looks."
However, the Halloween dish was not a cake, as initially reported, but rather a meat-based creation. This distinction is crucial in evaluating the accuracy of the claim.
(Chilipepah/Reddit)
The photo depicted a gruesome meat platter inspired by Winehouse, who died in July 2011 at age 27 due to alcohol poisoning. A small handwritten note visible next to the spread read, "The Corpse of Amy Winehouse." The platter consisted of "beef ribs, pulled pork, chicken sausage in a spicy BBQ sauce," according to the note, and was arranged to mimic Winehouse's body, complete with exaggerated facial features, a beehive hairdo and a cigarette sticking out of the mouth.
In 2022, Rolling Stone published an article addressing the controversy, clarifying that the photo depicted a meat platter, not a cake. Also in 2022, Entertainment Weekly published a statement from Harris in which he acknowledged the backlash and apologized for any offense caused by the photo, explaining that the meat platter was part of a Halloween party he hosted alongside Burtka and admitted that the choice of decoration was in poor taste:
"A photo recently resurfaced from a Halloween-themed party my husband and I hosted 11 years ago," Harris tells EW in a statement. "It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now. Amy Winehouse was a once-in-a-generation talent, and I'm sorry for any hurt this image caused."
Snopes has previously reported on other food-based controversies, including the claim that Bill Gates owns a farm that produces potatoes used in McDonald's french fries, and whether ice sinking in a drink means that it's been spiked.
Sources:
Archive, View Author, and Get author RSS feed. Neil Patrick Harris Photo of Amy Winehouse "corpse Cake" Resurfaces. 13 May 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/05/13/neil-patrick-harris-photo-of-amy-winehouse-corpse-cake-resurfaces/.
"Https://Twitter.Com/_jepchumba/Status/1767581541746495963." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/_jepchumba/status/1767581541746495963. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
"Https://Twitter.Com/Nypost/Status/1525196856103514112?Lang=en." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1525196856103514112?lang=en. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Legaspi, Althea. "Neil Patrick Harris Sorry for Serving Platter of Amy Winehouse's Corpse Months After Death." Rolling Stone, 17 May 2022, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-patrick-harris-apologizes-amy-winehouse-corpse-meat-platter-1354559/.
"Neil Patrick Harris Apologizes for Resurfaced Amy Winehouse Post." EW.Com, https://ew.com/celebrity/exclusive-neil-patrick-harris-responds-resurfaced-amy-winehouse-joke/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Soteriou, Stephanie. "Neil Patrick Harris Is Facing Backlash After A Photo Of His 'Corpse Of Amy Winehouse' Meal Resurfaced Online." BuzzFeed News, 13 May 2022, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniesoteriou/neil-patrick-harris-backlash-amy-winehouse-corpse.
TikTok - Make Your Day. https://www.tiktok.com/@a.a.sweet/video/7360314891732831530?_r=1&_t=8llAzw77EJa. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Urban, Sasha. "Neil Patrick Harris Apologizes for Mocking Amy Winehouse After Her Death." Variety, 17 May 2022, https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/neil-patrick-harris-amy-winehouse-apology-1235268789/.
TikTok - Make Your Day. https://www.tiktok.com/@experiment626xs/video/7358242791450791214. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
