OMG! KIMMEL HIJACKS TWITTER

The Associated Press
Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

So this is how time-wasting celebrity rumors get started.

Emmy host Jimmy Kimmel instructed people to go on Twitter and Facebook and write something along the lines of: "OMG, Tracy Morgan just passed out at the Emmys. Turn on ABC right now!" as a prank, just to see how quickly the information would spread (and inspire new viewers). Morgan, who was in on the gag, complied.

And, true to the pack mentality that develops instantaneously on social media, untold thousands of people actually did this. Many others simply read the words "Tracy Morgan" and "passed out" and thought Morgan truly had passed out.

Even Stephen Colbert (at)StephenatHome and Rosie O'Donnell (at)Rosie got in on the action, which prompted thousands more retweets.

Morgan was committed to the act, though: Not only did he lie down on stage, he actually stayed there through the commercial break and was hauled away, rambling to himself.

— Christy Lemire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/christylemire

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EDITOR'S NOTE — Show Bits brings you the 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.