Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
30 Funny Responses By Gullible People That Believed These ‘The Onion’ Articles Were Real
The term 'fake news' has been everywhere - especially on, well, the news. While platforms like Facebook are being forced to take steps to prevent the spread of false information, this does not prevent lazy people from being tricked by satire organizations like 'The Onion.'
'The Onion' is a satirical 'media outlet' that was created by Scott Dikkers in the late 1980s. In a speech at Marquette University in his home state of Wisconsin, Dikkers clarified that satire articles and fake news are completely different. "It's satire. It's totally different from fake news, and it bothers me when those fake news organizations are basically out there printing lies or propaganda label themselves satire." Fake or not the following list of people who allowed themselves to be misinformed by 'The Onion' shows just how little research people do when it comes to their news sources. "If 'The Onion' ever wrote a story that fooled people, that was an accident, and that was because they didn't know better," Dikkers said. Scroll down to see the stories that people somehow bought and their funny comments together. Don't forget to upvote your favs!
This post may include affiliate links.
How does did a small-town satire newspaper grow into an online media presence that caused the lawyer of the U.S president to write an angry letter telling them to remove one of their fake articles? The company was founded by a group of University of Wisconsin students Tim Keck, Christopher Johnson, Scot Dikkers and Peter Haise 1988. "People always ask questions about where the name The Onion came from", said former President Sean Mills in an interview with Wikinews; "and, when I recently asked (co-founder) Tim Keck, who was one of the founders, he told me...literally that his uncle said he should call it The Onion when he saw him and Chris Johnson eating an onion sandwich. They had literally just cut up the onion and put it on bread."
RELATED:
When The Onion was in its early days it was just a popular publication among the universities in the area, primarily made-up of cartoons by Dikkers. They remained a small print publication until 1996 when one of their funny stories titled "Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia" began circulating around the internet but without any attribution. Thus The Onion's official website the onion.com was born (largely so they could get Internet credit for their work).
In 1996 the owners of the publication got their first taste of celebrity when Janet Jackson threatened them with a lawsuit for an article titled "Dying Boy Gets Wish: To Pork Janet Jackson." This could have been the end for the white lies rag but as we know they have gone on to receive plenty more threats.
The Onion website won its first Webby Award for "humor" in 1999 and in fall of 2000 the company had grown large enough to move its offices from Madison, Wisconsin to the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan, NYC. The company has continued to evolve and now is full on production company with video content.
#5
#6
#7
Paul K. Johnson 6 years ago
This is why we need better education and courses in how to think critically.
#9
#10
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 6 years ago
Sad thing is that recently something like this happened in Greece. People who were evacuated from a fire, were directed towards a worse one.
Cute_Angel 6 years ago
It keeps them away from the parts that are going to be affected later..
Sergio Bicerra Descalzi 6 years ago
Take people to the eye of the storm and hide in plain sight. The storm would never expect that.
danielw 6 years ago
look at the nuclear attack warnings in Hawaii. there like two or three false alarms last year. At least one of them was caused by bad lay out on the system (I think it was a computer menu? the option for 'nuclear attack incoming' and 'practice drill' was right next to each other.)
Load More Replies...
Samhhain Cat 6 years ago
There are people IN THESE COMMENTS that think this is real! HOLY F**K!
Load More Replies...
Lil’ Twister 6 years ago
That article is total BS. I bet FEMA is waaaay smarter than “accidentally evacuating” residents to hurricanes. We have computer models and advanced forecasting technology to help us out!
danielw 6 years ago
FEMA doesn't predict weather. their job is to respond to emergencies. NOAA does the weather prediction.
Load More Replies...
#17
Alexandru Bucur 6 years ago
Don't give Beijing any ideas... they might just make that a public holiday... XD
#19
Paul K. Johnson 6 years ago
Maybe it wasn't a hot iron but tattoo needles. Some horses are into that kind of thing. Read 50 Shades of Neigh.
#21
#22
Symbole Simple 6 years ago
Does hating dumb people who believe this group exists is a requirement enough to be part of the group !? I wanna join!
#24
#25
#28
Symbole Simple 6 years ago
How would you like to be a local and not being able to enjoy rides because of too many people !?
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Devin Robinson 6 years ago
Study finds that internet users prefer to laugh at other people's stupidity other than coming to terms with their mortality
fruit_panda 6 years ago
Devin, my man, why did you have to bring us all down like this? :P
Load More Replies...
Wil Vanderheijden 6 years ago
While all the reactions to the jokes prove how gullible a lot of people are, the comments also paint a picture of narrowminded uninformed people that will believe anything. No wonder the Anti-Science groups do so well.
Sandy 6 years ago
This is exactly why i left Facebook. Fed up of the constant eye-rolling at the sheer stupidity of people i know.
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
I find it's usually the baby boomers who would believe this nonsense
Load More Replies...
SykesDaMan 6 years ago
The few times I tried to read the Onion, the articles were not that funny! These ones seem hilarious and I want to read most of them!
JerryWayne A 6 years ago
The main stream media gets most of their information from The Onion. It's TRUE!
Vincent Jay 6 years ago
I was laughing my katunkas off while reading all of these items. I'm gonna make it a point to look at the Onion on a daily basis.
Kiss Army 6 years ago
My parents came over to visit once and my dad picked up a print copy of "The Onion" and started reading. My husband and I didn't say anything and just started watching him... the looks that went across his face were hilarious. We finally bust out laughing and had to tell him the truth...
April Simnel 6 years ago
I still have my copy of issue #3 from when I was at uni in Madison. The headline was to promote a "new board game" called Drunk, Backstabbing Sorority Girls. You had to paste the game, which was two pages in the middle section of the issue, to cardboard and use your own dice. I have it in a plastic sleeve now. Almost all the articles had to do with making fun of stuff on campus back then, and the bottom of most pages were coupons for local shops, but they were only good if you had your UW student ID (and it was recent).
Rose the Cook 6 years ago
Never heard of The Onion but can anyone really be stupid enough to believe this sort of rubbish?
Marnee DeRider 6 years ago
I think one of the main problem is that people just scan down, read the headline, then have an immediate, thoughtless reaction, then move to the next headline. If they are young, they might honestly have never read a satire news site in their life. I have a rule for myself. I am not allowed to react to or comment on any article that I have not actually read. The US would be a different place if we made this the proper etiquette.
Bettye McKee 6 years ago
This was one of the funniest things I've seen on Bored Panda. The Onion strikes again.
Fixin'Ta 6 years ago
There's a hilarious Christian satire site called The Babylon Bee ... though I suppose you'd have to be an "insider" to get most of the posts. But the comments ... oh, my goodness. Most of the readers on Facebook get it, but the ones who don't, who think it's real, are great for your daily belly laugh.
Robert Palmer 6 years ago
Funniest story I ever read "Your going to love my balls" was in the Onion.
Candice Ravel 6 years ago
The fucktards who believe this s**t should be tracked down and sterilized so they cannot make more fucktards. As it stands, it feels like the fucktard apocalypse has begun, so we need to act fast!! Add the flat earth era and anti vaxxers to this cull/sterilization too, before it's too late, lol!!
diane a 6 years ago
I love seeing the sheer supidity - makes me almost proud to be British - and able to able to see right away- the sarcasm and irony. Sign the petition give everyone a second chance now we know what it actually entails. Does anyone remember the Sunday Sport and the "double decker on moon" headline? this would be taken as 100% true in middle America.
2-10-11 6 years ago
The onion is American and started in Chicago, which IS actually Middle America, a few of us here in flyover country might get the sarcasm too
Load More Replies...
Marnee DeRider 6 years ago
They showed exactly one gullible person per post. US population has 327 million people. The fact that a whole lot of people read this post and understood immediately why the gullible responses were stupid and funny shows most people get it. Having said that, I kind of agree with you. I just don't think this proves it.
Load More Replies...
Devin Robinson 6 years ago
Study finds that internet users prefer to laugh at other people's stupidity other than coming to terms with their mortality
fruit_panda 6 years ago
Devin, my man, why did you have to bring us all down like this? :P
Load More Replies... Wil Vanderheijden 6 years ago
While all the reactions to the jokes prove how gullible a lot of people are, the comments also paint a picture of narrowminded uninformed people that will believe anything. No wonder the Anti-Science groups do so well.
Sandy 6 years ago
This is exactly why i left Facebook. Fed up of the constant eye-rolling at the sheer stupidity of people i know.
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
I find it's usually the baby boomers who would believe this nonsense
Load More Replies... SykesDaMan 6 years ago
The few times I tried to read the Onion, the articles were not that funny! These ones seem hilarious and I want to read most of them!
JerryWayne A 6 years ago
The main stream media gets most of their information from The Onion. It's TRUE!
Vincent Jay 6 years ago
I was laughing my katunkas off while reading all of these items. I'm gonna make it a point to look at the Onion on a daily basis.
Kiss Army 6 years ago
My parents came over to visit once and my dad picked up a print copy of "The Onion" and started reading. My husband and I didn't say anything and just started watching him... the looks that went across his face were hilarious. We finally bust out laughing and had to tell him the truth...
April Simnel 6 years ago
I still have my copy of issue #3 from when I was at uni in Madison. The headline was to promote a "new board game" called Drunk, Backstabbing Sorority Girls. You had to paste the game, which was two pages in the middle section of the issue, to cardboard and use your own dice. I have it in a plastic sleeve now. Almost all the articles had to do with making fun of stuff on campus back then, and the bottom of most pages were coupons for local shops, but they were only good if you had your UW student ID (and it was recent).
Rose the Cook 6 years ago
Never heard of The Onion but can anyone really be stupid enough to believe this sort of rubbish?
Marnee DeRider 6 years ago
I think one of the main problem is that people just scan down, read the headline, then have an immediate, thoughtless reaction, then move to the next headline. If they are young, they might honestly have never read a satire news site in their life. I have a rule for myself. I am not allowed to react to or comment on any article that I have not actually read. The US would be a different place if we made this the proper etiquette.
Bettye McKee 6 years ago
This was one of the funniest things I've seen on Bored Panda. The Onion strikes again.
Fixin'Ta 6 years ago
There's a hilarious Christian satire site called The Babylon Bee ... though I suppose you'd have to be an "insider" to get most of the posts. But the comments ... oh, my goodness. Most of the readers on Facebook get it, but the ones who don't, who think it's real, are great for your daily belly laugh.
Robert Palmer 6 years ago
Funniest story I ever read "Your going to love my balls" was in the Onion.
Candice Ravel 6 years ago
The fucktards who believe this s**t should be tracked down and sterilized so they cannot make more fucktards. As it stands, it feels like the fucktard apocalypse has begun, so we need to act fast!! Add the flat earth era and anti vaxxers to this cull/sterilization too, before it's too late, lol!!
diane a 6 years ago
I love seeing the sheer supidity - makes me almost proud to be British - and able to able to see right away- the sarcasm and irony. Sign the petition give everyone a second chance now we know what it actually entails. Does anyone remember the Sunday Sport and the "double decker on moon" headline? this would be taken as 100% true in middle America.
2-10-11 6 years ago
The onion is American and started in Chicago, which IS actually Middle America, a few of us here in flyover country might get the sarcasm too
Load More Replies... Marnee DeRider 6 years ago
They showed exactly one gullible person per post. US population has 327 million people. The fact that a whole lot of people read this post and understood immediately why the gullible responses were stupid and funny shows most people get it. Having said that, I kind of agree with you. I just don't think this proves it.
Load More Replies... 
Related on Bored Panda
