Drake Scared By Haunted Houdini House?

(Getty Images)

Was Drake scared by a haunted house once owned by Harry Houdini? That’s what one of the tabloids wants readers to believe, but Gossip Cop can see right through this report.

The new National Enquirer features a story headlined, “Drake Hits The Brakes At Haunted Houdini House!” The supermarket tabloid writes, “Famed for his trademark cool-as-a-cucumber persona, Canadian-born crooner Drake suddenly turned terrified/chilled to the bone, even though it was hot as hell in L.A., while shooting a hush-hush TV promo at the allegedly haunted estate of legendary magician Harry Houdini!” The article goes on to quote a “gabby ghost buster.” Seriously.

In totally unnatural language, the publication’s purported source contends, “The ‘Hotline Bling’ singer kept freaking that Houdini’s haunt lies smack in the middle of creepy, winding Laurel Canyon, where L.A. lore famously claims ghosts, ghouls and witches have roamed the windswept hillsides for decades!” The gossip magazine’s alleged tipster continues, “Totally terrified, twitching at every creepy creak or chilly draft on his cheek, distraught Drizzy, saying he felt like he was burning in the ‘hotline to hell,’ finally performed his own magic, abruptly disappearing down the path back to his car at a, er… dead run.”

No real person would say “the ‘Hotline Bling’ singer” and then switch to “Drizzy” in conversation. But there are other red flags in the article besides the suspicious language. The piece doesn’t say when this incident supposedly took place or for what Drake was supposedly shooting a TV promo. Nor is it mentioned what happened to the rest of the people at the shoot or how the commercial was completed. Clearly, the tabloid conjured this bizarre tale out of thin air.

Indeed, no one with whom Gossip Cop spoke could confirm the authenticity of this bizarre story. Of course, the Enquirer is the same outlet that falsely claimed last fall that Rihanna was pregnant with Drake’s baby. The dubious publication delivered a completely untrue story back then, and quite obviously did so again now. That’s neither a trick nor a treat.