Comedian Claims To Be 'Emily In Paris' Creator on Twitter, Fools Half The Platform

On Wednesday, the 2021 Golden Globe nominees were announced, where alongside incredible works of film and television from the past year, including The Queen's Gambit and Lovecraft Country, Netflix's very unremarkable dramedy, Emily In Paris, somehow found itself as an outlier among the other qualified contenders. Despite being absolutely eviscerated by the press, described by The Guardian as an "excruciating exorcism of French cliches" and "embarrassing" by several critics in France, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the mediocre serial managed to snag two nominations, one for Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy, with star Lily Collins one of leading ladies under consideration for Best Performance by an Actress in the same genre category. Amid this shocking news, several users took to Twitter to express their disdain, comparing it to the strange occurrences over the past 30-odd days ...

... analyzing the controversial nod through the lens of systemic racism ...

... and even using it as a positive reminder to help overcome impostor syndrome -- if Emily in Paris, with 63% on Rotten Tomatoes can earn a prestigious award nomination, you can do anything you damn well put your mind to. 

Amid the blowback, the show's writer, Deborah Copaken spoke out about her work's recognition, issuing a statement alleging that critically-acclaimed Hulu drama, I May Destroy You, deserved Emily In Paris' spot at this year's Golden Globes. 

"Dear @MichaelaCoel: I was a writer on Emily in Paris, but your show was my favorite show since the dawn of TV, & this is just wrong," She wrote. "I loved I MAY DESTROY YOU, and I thank you, personally, for giving us your heart, your mind, your resilience, & your humor."

As Copaken's take gained attention throughout the Twitterverse, with the writer going on to pen an entire Guardian OpEd on I May Destroy You's notable award-season snub, Abby Govindan, a 23-year-old comedian based in New York City, according to her website, posted a parody of the original Tweet, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. 

"as the creator of Emily in Paris can I just say.......why the fuck were we nominated for a Golden Globe LOL I made that show as a prank," she wrote, in a post that has since gone viral, garnering more than 210,000 likes and 11,000 retweets. 

Although several Twitter users quickly confirmed she was joking through the extreme fact-checking measure of simply searching "Abby Govindan" or "Emily in Paris" on Google, discovering that Sex and The City's Darren Star served as the series' mastermind, many others clearly couldn't be bothered to use their search bar, taking her statement at face value ...

... addressing Govindan as if she were the show's creator ...

... or even asking her point-blank if she founded the series. 

Some reporters, too, did not verify Govindan's claim's before covering her tweet, despite the comedian's apparent sense of humor and air of general self-awareness raising several red flags over the prospects of her creating a mediocre series surrounding the life and times of a "thin, gently delusional white woman," to paraphrase Vulture's, Rachel Handler. In covering the controversial nod, publications including The Philippine Star, which has since updated the offending article ...

... and The Current, as noted through a retraction, cited Govindan as the show's creator, evidently hitting 'publish' without fact-checking first.

But hey, it could be worse  --  a group of approximately 90 reporters decided an unexceptional Netflix show about an American girl reveling in French stereotypes was somehow superior to critically-lauded offerings like Bridgerton, or I May Destroy You.  Even in light of this confusion, from journalists and netizens alike, the writer stuck to her bit, noting her hidden show credit ...

... sharing tidbits about life as a wealthy creative ...

... discussing how, exactly the show ended up among the Golden Globe nominees ...

... And even peppering in a few well-deserved digs at award shows' long-documented racist tendencies.

That's dedication right there. Emily in Paris may not deserve a Golden Globe, but these tweets sure as hell deserve a damn Pulitzer. HFPA, take note. 

So, folks even 30-odd years into the digital age, the old adage remains -- not everyone is who they say they are on the internet, even when they claim to be celebrated showrunners. 

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram at @HuntressThompson_, on Twitch.tv @HuntressThompson_ on Twitter @TennesAnyone.