There have been plenty of previous cases of social media mixups involving ESPN host Rachel Nichols (seen at right above, @Rachel__Nichols on Twitter) and actor Rachel Nichols (seen at left above, @RachelNichols1 on Twitter), including when Twitter’s own algorithms repeatedly decided to recommend CBS series Criminal Minds to those who followed ESPN’s Nichols (actor Nichols had been on that show, but wasn’t at the time Twitter did that). The latest one is particularly bad, though. Many people are upset at ESPN’s Nichols over the NYT’s reporting of her comments about Maria Taylor last year, but a lot of those people have instead been yelling at actor Nichols, who had nothing to do with this.
I woke up to HUNDREDS of Tweets YELLING AT ME and I had no idea what was happening! I was horrified and so sad. RT @christilton: @RachelNichols1 As soon as it started happening, I was like… oh no.
— NOT ESPN REPORTER! (@RachelNichols1) July 5, 2021
IT WAS NOT ME! #WrongRachelNichols RT @AliGhezelbash: @blackpower1001 @RachelNichols1 You made a mistake. Just apologize.
— NOT ESPN REPORTER! (@RachelNichols1) July 5, 2021
HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? YOU ARE ATTACKING THE WRONG RACHEL NICHOLS! Why don’t you sit down and get your sh*t together! RT @furiousones92: @RachelNichols1 hating but be flirting with majority of the black players ? sit down
— NOT ESPN REPORTER! (@RachelNichols1) July 5, 2021
This is not the first case of countless Twitter users mixing up who they’re yelling at. It seems to be particularly bad with verified accounts with similar names; apparently, many people see a checkmark and assume that must be the person in question. Please, think before you tag.
[@RachelNichols1 on Twitter; photos from both Nichols’ Twitter accounts]
