Rihanna is pregnant?! Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian are a thing?! Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are no longer?! Jack Harlow is retiring from music?!
If you want a sure-fire way to be the first one informing your friends of pop culture news like this, excluding my lie about Jack Harlow, look no further than @deuxmoi on Instagram.
DeuxMoi, best pronounced in a French accent “doo-mwah”, has birthed gossip such as, most recently, the romance of Euphoria’s Dominic Fike and Hunter Schafer, an upcoming Gucci and Adidas collab and a Super Bowl commercial featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Succession’s Nicholas Braun (i.e., cousin Greg from Succession). A “Sunday spotted” series — where DeuxMoi posts user submissions of celebrity sightings from the past week — recently featured Kanye West at a Kinko’s in Houston and newly split co-parents Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik snowmobiling in Aspen.
DeuxMoi utilities the Instagram story; they mainly posts direct messages or emails, usually anonymous, of celebrity sightings, relationship rumors, upcoming projects and shady business. Many posts are “blinds,” where the names of those involved are blocked out, but most avid followers can easily guess these names.
I describe DeuxMoi to friends, specifically those at Northwestern, as if Gossip Girl went to Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, at least for a quarter or two. The account may rely on gossip, but the anonymous administrator usually accompanies posted submissions with their insight on the claim’s validity. The account operates under the same rumor-centric model as Gossip Girl but with the expertise of the administrator who can see who is sending in what.
DeuxMoi admits to the unreliability of user submissions. When questioned about the reliability of information provided in anonymous emails, they posted a snippet of Kanye West’s 2005 Grammy award acceptance speech: “I guess we’ll never know.” This honesty is what sets DeuxMoi apart from the tabloids. The content is simply presented, usually with commentary, and the reader can make their own assumptions about its truthfulness.
There is definitely something to be said about the invasive nature of celebrity-focused accounts like DeuxMoi. Celebrities are people at the end of the day, and there is something icky about knowing Timothee Chalamet’s favorite bagel place in NYC (Tompkins Square Bagels, if you’re curious). But, I would say that DeuxMoi is more the product of a celebrity-fixated society rather than an enabler. And, it is definitely on the upper end of the ethical spectrum compared to outlets like TMZ and Perez Hilton.
As a journalism major, I look at DeuxMoi as a break from the more serious, sometimes depressing news I keep up to date on. DeuxMoi’s content is distance enough from your personal circle that it doesn’t feel wrong to hear someone’s dirty laundry. It’s entertaining without crossing the moral line; I enjoy spending my Sunday mornings viewing the week’s spotted.
If you have any interest in the insider secrets of public relations, marketing, production, etc. in the celebrity sphere, DeuxMoi posts career advice from insiders and job postings. For those interested in seeing their name in lights, they can find casting calls on the account. DeuxMoi is your hub for getting into the industry the insider’s way.
Instagram might not be your thing, and that’s fine. DeuxMoi recently launched a podcast, with their voice masked, of course, where they give a recap of what’s hot in celebrity news.
Now, what are you waiting for? Go see what Harry Styles has been up to.