DeuxMoi: The rise of Instagram’s anonymous celebrity gossip sharer with 1.7 million followers
On 21 March 2020, the anonymous woman behind the Instagram account known only as DeuxMoi posted a message on an old account that had become dormant.
“Ok, better than… my amazing & captivating commentary… DM me any celeb stories (first or second hand) you are willing to share.” It didn’t take long for the responses to come in, the encounters to be shared, and the followers to rack up.
While those who don’t spend hours on the social media site may never have heard of DeuxMoi, to many it is the go-to source for pop culture, posting behind-the-scenes stories, anecdotes and rumours from insiders, as well as celeb sightings, casting info, and even details of who tips well at restaurants – and who doesn’t. (Tipping, especially the difference between UK and US stars, is a hot topic.)
Followers share their encounters and inside info, DeuxMoi reposts their stories; only moderated to sometimes remove a name or identifying details, should the sender not want to disclose. These are known as “blinds” – leaving followers to do their own detective work.
Speaking to Sky News, the nameless woman behind the account insists her content is mainly innocuous and isn’t presented as fact or as if she is an authority, but “in reality, the audience is on the same journey I am to finding out the truth about a rumour. We’re all in it together”.
DeuxMoi says she makes it clear she is not a journalist, nor a Hollywood insider. “Curators of pop culture,” reads the bio. “Some statements made on this account have not been independently confirmed. This account does not claim information published is based in fact.”
But many of the followers are. From publicists, assistants and nannies to record label workers, TV runners, restaurant workers and even celebs themselves, many are willing to spill the tea. As a result, DeuxMoi has been first with some big celeb stories, such as Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles‘ relationship, and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s break-up.
While some celebs understandably aren’t fans, there are others who can’t get enough. Kardashian herself has reportedly described it as “the Bible”, Cardi B and Chrissy Teigen are among the account’s followers, and Drew Barrymore recently interviewed Deux on her podcast, Drew’s News.
There is now merchandise. A podcast. A recently released novel, Anon Pls – referencing the request by all titbit submitters to keep their names private. And in the works, according to reports, a HBO drama.
More than just gossip?
There is an obvious argument against unverified stories being shared publicly. DeuxMoi appears to have filled the hole left by many celeb gossip mags of the noughties as they toned down – but with a follower count of 1.7m and rising, there is clearly an appetite for it.
Most is low-stakes. The “blinds” are for the content that is less so. In an era in which the rich and famous have almost complete control over the content they put out on social media, the appeal seems to be that this is unfiltered. DeuxMoi says the account is not just about gossip. Growing during the pandemic, as people were stuck at home, it created connection, she says.
“Drew, she understood, like, the humanistic side to it,” she says, speaking about her interview with Barrymore and the A-lister’s love of the site (she is also among its followers).
“In quarantine, when everything was closed down, people were sending in stories from five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, it was almost like a study in like human interaction. Like, how certain celebrities would interact with fans or how they would be at certain points in their career. I felt like Drew understood that aspect of the account and didn’t take it… as just a gossip account, because I do think it’s more than that.”
While there has been much speculation about her identity – with names reported in the US – DeuxMoi says who she is doesn’t matter. “I don’t think it’s an important factor. I’m not posting about myself.”
We know she lives in New York and she doesn’t use anything to alter her voice, she says, so apparently I’m hearing the real DeuxMoi. There are about 20 people in total, close friends and family members, who know her identity. At first, she was holding down a job and running DeuxMoi at the same time – living in constant “anxiety” for fear she might be unmasked. Now, DeuxMoi is the job.
And while she remains nameless, most celebrities are certainly aware of DeuxMoi. In an interview with Rolling Stone around the release of her fourth album in November 2021, Adele joked about the difficulties of dating. “You can’t set me up on a f****** blind date! I’m like, ‘How’s that going to work?’ There’ll be paparazzi outside and someone will call DeuxMoi, or whatever it’s f****** called! It ain’t happening.”
Rihanna headlining Glastonbury (rumours) and the next Bond…
Two rumours the account has posted about recently: Rihanna apparently headlining Glastonbury, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson being named as the next James Bond.
She addresses Rihanna first: “I want to go on record saying I don’t know how reliable that information is, but she has new music, she’s doing the Super Bowl. Her name has been thrown around for Coachella. Somebody wrote in and said she was close to confirming. But I’d like to say I don’t know how reliable that information is, so not to get everyone’s hopes up.”
British actor and Marvel star Aaron Taylor-Johnson she is more confident about. “Someone messaged me yesterday with some information that I can’t share because that would probably give them away. But he’s being heavily considered, if not already chosen.”
The Bond information “came from somebody I’ve been messaging with for years and they’ve given me information about stuff in the past”, she says. “The Glastonbury information came out of the blue from somebody I don’t really know.” This is how she differentiates “something from being reliable to not very reliable”, or not knowingly reliable.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: the next 007? Pic: AP/Lee Jin-man
Most recently, mentions of Styles and Wilde in her messages have been on the rise following their break-up. “People think they are fake broken-up,” she says. “So there’s interest in that.”
As the account has grown, she now has several people she considers trusted sources for information. “I won’t give a number but [I have] a handful of people I trust explicitly.”
With 1.7 million followers, there must be a sense of responsibility? She says there are certain issues, and celebrities, she won’t share information about. “I don’t like to post about somebody’s sexuality unless it’s been discussed publicly. And anything to do with anyone under the age of 18. Also… I really wouldn’t feel comfortable posting about things that have to do with rehab.”
Information that might have legal implications, she says she also passes on – but will sometimes give the information to journalists to investigate. And there are five individual celebrities you won’t see featured in DeuxMoi posts either, she says – two she says have made their feelings clear publicly, and three she has had private conversations with.
But there are celebrities and brands who want to be associated with DeuxMoi; the brand she has built has earned her invites to all sorts of exclusive events. She says she doesn’t accept. “I’ve been out in New York to restaurants that are celebrity-frequented that I post about all the time, I’ve sat very close to celebrities who I DM (direct message) with, and it did not make me feel good.”
The celebs on the DeuxMoi nice list
Pic: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Following the release of Anon Pls, a novel based on the story of DeuxMoi – mixing stories of fictional celebrities with real ones – there is now the TV show to prepare for. “It’s being produced by Greg Berlanti,” [The Flight Attendant, Batwoman, Free Guy, Dawson’s Creek] she says. “They are securing writers right now and the person who was named to me, I can’t say who because it’s not 100% signed, sealed, delivered. But it’s exciting, so cool.”
DeuxMoi ends the interview on the question anyone who works in the entertainment industry always gets asked: which celebs are the good ones? Giving the caveat again that these are not based on her own experiences, but on positive intel, she reels off a list of names: “Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton, Hugh Jackman, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore… I don’t know if this one is going to be controversial, but Will Smith, he was always someone that, stories were submitted about him and he always [seemed] like really, really nice to people he’d meet.
“Tom Cruise, another one who conducts himself very professionally and in that same manner. Oh, and Harry Styles, obviously. Those are the ones I think stand out. Colin Farrell, he’s a name that always comes up. Oh and Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe. The Harry Potter kids, always nice. And the Jonas Brothers.”
But, she adds, you have to take into consideration “what type of environment… is it a red carpet event? Like, of course a celebrity’s going to be nice at a red carpet event!”
And DeuxMoi is diplomatic about the not-so-nice ones, choosing not to name names. “I haven’t had personal experiences with these people. Somebody could have caught them on a bad day, do you know what I mean? We’re all human, right?”
You’ll have to read the posts and decide for yourselves.
Entertainment
‘I recognise the error and upset caused’ – Gary Lineker releases statement as BBC departure confirmed
Gary Lineker has confirmed he is leaving the BBC after this season’s Match Of The Day and will no longer present its World Cup coverage.
It comes after the 64-year-old “apologised unreservedly” for sharing a social media post illustrated with a rat – which has been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda, including Nazi Germany.
Read more: A history of Gary Lineker’s most controversial posts
In a statement on Monday, Lineker said: “Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio.
“I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.
“However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
Analysis: BBC can breathe easier after Lineker leaves
Lineker made no comment as he got into his car on Monday. Pic: PA
Lineker said he deleted the post when he learned about the rat’s symbolism, adding he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic”.
In a separate video posted to Instagram, the pundit added: “I’ve stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all of my life, including, of course, antisemitism, which I absolutely abhor.
“There’s no place for it and never should be.”
He went on to thank the “brilliant, talented” people he has worked with and described his relationship with the BBC as “long and wonderful”.
He added: “But it’s the right time for the organisation and myself to go our separate ways.”
Lineker’s last appearance on the BBC will be on Sunday 25 May, the final day of the season.
‘A defining voice in football coverage’
Also confirming Lineker’s exit, BBC director general Tim Davie said: “Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.
“Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans across the UK and beyond.
“We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.”
Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share the role of presenting Match Of The Day. Pic BBC/PA
Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, said in an email sent to staff that it had been a “difficult” and “emotional” week.
He went on to say: “It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service. As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am.
“Let’s finish the season strongly with Gary’s final show, enjoy an incredible summer of sport and look forward with excitement to what lies ahead.”
Lineker announced in November he would step down from Match Of The Day this year, but was set to return to front the World Cup in 2026, as well as FA Cup coverage.
The former England star was temporarily suspended from the BBC in March 2023 after an impartiality row over comments he made criticising the then Conservative government’s asylum policy.
He will be replaced on Match Of The Day by Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman, who will share the presenting role from the next Premier League season.
Read more from Sky News:
What is in the Brexit reset agreement?
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Lineker has hosted Match Of The Day since 1999 and has been the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years.
He joined the programme having started as a BBC Radio Five Live presenter, also working on the broadcaster’s former flagship sports show Grandstand during his early years in broadcasting.
The Leicester-born presenter is also the co-founder of podcast producing company Goalhanger, which makes the popular The Rest Is History series and its spin-offs about politics, football, entertainment and money.
His parting ways with the BBC also includes the licensing deal for Goalhanger podcast titles on BBC Sounds, which ends this year, the PA news agency reported.
Entertainment
BBC can breathe easier that fallout from Lineker’s social media won’t land at its door
Did having a social conscience force Gary Lineker off the BBC? Or was becoming increasingly vocal politically just too problematic?
The former England captain was given an exemption, as a freelancer working outside of news and current affairs, from impartiality rules the BBC’s staff have to abide by – despite being the broadcaster’s highest earner at £1.35m.
That meant he was even handed BBC primetime coverage recently, in which he critiqued the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East conflict, disputing the news side’s decision-making.
Silence on Gaza, he claimed, equates to complicity.
And Lineker has sought to show empathy with those suffering in Gaza and the mounting Palestinian death toll from IDF strikes, which Israel says are targeted at Hamas.
He has, however, faced accusations of inconsistency by being silent on other conflicts in Sudan and Yemen.
And also for showing little public concern for hostages taken by Hamas during the terror of 7 October – including Emily Damari, a fan of one of his former clubs, Tottenham Hotspur.
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Watch: Lineker confirms BBC exit
Highly-selective commentaries have been shared, often from fringe groups.
And then came last week’s rat emoji, which appeared on an anti-Zionist post shared on Instagram, which Lineker reposted and said he later deleted when he learned about the rat’s symbolism.
Images of rats have in the past been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany.
The incident produced an unprecedented apology from the ex-footballer, who said he was unaware of connotations offensive to Jewish people.
Read more:
Lineker releases statement as BBC departure confirmed
The BBC’s impartiality guidelines explained
A history of Gary Lineker’s most controversial posts
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker outside his home in London. Pic: PA
As BBC Director General Tim Davie said: “The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone, and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.”
The lack of public response from the BBC to Lineker’s apology made his future seem increasingly untenable.
Now, three decades broadcasting on the BBC will end under a cloud of controversy rather than celebration.
Lineker is even freer to give opinions – particularly through his podcast empire – and many do want to listen to him and welcome his status being used to highlight the plight of the besieged.
But the BBC can breathe easier knowing the fallout from social media posts won’t land at the corporation’s door.
Gary Lineker, the BBC’s highest-paid on-air presenter, is to leave the corporation in a matter of days.
The Match Of The Day host will step away from the broadcaster at the end of this month, with his last appearance expected on 25 May, the last day of the Premier League season.
His exit comes after he “apologised unreservedly” for sharing a social media post that featured a rat – used in Nazi propaganda to dehumanise Jewish people – and said he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic”.
It was the latest controversial post by the 64-year-old, who has found himself at the centre of several rows over his social media usage, most of which involve him sharing his political views, which go against the BBC’s rules on impartiality.
In a statement on Monday, Lineker said: “I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.
“However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
Here is a round-up of the pundit’s most contentious comments as he prepares to leave the BBC.
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Gary Lineker to leave BBC immediately
Gaza documentary
Although not via social media, earlier this year, Lineker was one of 500 media personalities who condemned the BBC for pulling the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone after it emerged the child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who had worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
In an open letter addressed to BBC director general Tim Davie, chairman Samir Shah and outgoing chief content officer Charlotte Moore, Lineker joined hundreds of TV and film professionals and journalists who called the decision to remove the documentary “politically motivated censorship”.
The presenter later said the BBC had “capitulated”, adding that he did not see Abdullah as an issue, and maintaining that the corporation should not have admitted to “a number of serious failings in their commissioning and editorial processes”.
The BBC admitted the documentary’s failings were “a dagger to the heart” of the corporation’s impartiality.
Tory migrant policy
In March 2023, Lineker called a Conservative government policy on migration “immeasurably cruel” and compared the language around it to 1930s Germany.
Hitting out at a video of former home secretary Suella Braverman, where she unveiled the Illegal Migration Bill and claimed the UK was being “overwhelmed” by migrants, Lineker wrote on social media: “There is no huge influx.
“We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ’30s.”
His comments sent politicians, pundits and social media platform X into a spin.
As a result, Lineker was removed from his duties as Match Of The Day presenter after claims he had breached their impartiality guidelines.
He later returned to the presenting role after the row prompted a boycott by his fellow football pundits and commentators, hitting TV and radio coverage across the BBC.
Lineker has been consistently vocal on the issue of migration. In 2020 the former England footballer welcomed refugee Rasheed Baluch into his Surrey home.
Mr Baluch, who was from Pakistan, stayed with the presenter for weeks, and spoke out in the pundit’s defence in 2023, describing him as a “very sympathetic, caring and human loving man”.
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From March 2023: Gary Lineker stands by social media post
‘4 chaps Shapps’
Criticising former defence secretary Grant Shapps in December 2023, Lineker posted photos of the politician – who lost his seat in last year’s general election – along with different names he has been accused of using in the past.
It was in response to Mr Shapps defending the government’s Rwanda scheme. The politician said Lineker should stick to football and stop “meddling” in other matters.
Lineker replied on social media, saying: “A tad rich coming from someone who can’t even stick to one name. 4 chaps Shapps.”
Chair of the BBC Mr Shah said at the time the post breached the corporation’s guidelines.
Brexit and Tories
Lineker was a vocal opponent of Brexit and in 2018 backed the campaign for another EU referendum, saying Brexit felt like it was “going very wrong indeed”.
At the time, a BBC source told Sky News that Lineker’s position as a freelance broadcaster, and a presenter who does not front news or politics programmes, meant he was clear of the corporation’s rules on impartiality.
As well as voicing his Brexit opinions, Lineker bemoaned “the absolute state of our politics”, saying “imagine how hopeless you’d have to be to still be behind the Tory party in the polls”.
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew hit back, criticising Lineker for speaking out on politics.
He posted on X: “Gary. You are the face of BBC Sport. Please observe BBC editorial guidelines and keep your political views, whatever they are and whatever the subject, to yourself. I’d be sacked if I followed your example. Thanks.”
Lineker made a barbed reply: “Jonathan, I’m the face of my own Twitter account. I’ll continue to tweet what I like and if folk disagree with me then so be it.”
Russian donors
In February 2022, Lineker tweeted about the Conservative Party taking money from “Russian donors”.
Retweeting a story about the then foreign secretary Liz Truss urging football teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia, he added: “And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?”
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld a complaint and said Lineker’s post “did not meet the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality”.
The ECU said Lineker was “one of the BBC’s highest profile stars” and said while not being required to uphold the same high standards of impartiality as its journalists, he had an “additional responsibility” because of his profile.
“We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters,” the ruling said.
Row over sewage
A senior BBC journalist questioned Lineker’s commitment to the BBC’s impartiality rules after the presenter posted on social media about sewage in August 2022.
At the time, Lineker wrote on social media: “As a politician how could you ever, under any circumstances, bring yourself to vote for pumping sewage into our seas? Unfathomable!”
BBC journalist Neil Henderson asked Lineker whether he had a contract allowing him to breach BBC impartiality, writing: “The BBC lives or dies by its impartiality. If you can’t abide it, get off it.”
He subsequently apologised to the former footballer and deleted the tweets. Under the BBC’s social media rules, criticising colleagues is off-limits.
Read more:
Who are Match Of The Day’s new presenters?
Qatar World Cup
Lineker opened the BBC’s coverage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup with a scathing critique of the host country’s record on human rights and treatment of migrant workers.
The segment analysed the decision to award the tournament to Qatar amid corruption allegations and brought in pundits to discuss workers’ rights and discrimination against LGBT people.
Former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis – who was once found to have breached impartiality guidelines herself – compared that incident to the response to his other social media posts around the same time.
She said: “Curious that Gary Lineker was free to raise questions about Qatar’s human rights record – with the blessing of the BBC – over the World Cup, but cannot raise questions of human rights in this country if it involves criticism of government policy…”
In advance of the tournament, Lineker criticised then foreign secretary James Cleverly after he suggested LGBT football fans should be “respectful” of Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, if they visited for the World Cup.
Responding to the comments, Lineker said: “Whatever you do, don’t do anything gay. Is that the message?”
A pitch invader with a rainbow flag during a Qatar World Cup match. Pic: AP
The time he didn’t speak out
Reflecting on his comments about the Qatar World Cup, Lineker said he and the BBC should have spoken out more during the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
At the time there were calls for Russia to be stripped of the World Cup or boycotted in 2014 after it annexed Crimea and was blamed by the West for supplying arms to pro-Russian separatists suspected of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine.
“I think we were all going how great it was, and this and that and the other, and that’s how sportwashing works,” Lineker said during a BBC Radio 4 interview.
“We’ve seen what Putin’s done subsequently, but he’d done it before.
“I think looking back now in hindsight, I think we should probably have spoken out more.”
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