Rumors spread fast online on January 3 after a video showed a large crowd cheering and waving flags. Many posts claimed people in Venezuela were celebrating the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. The claim gained attention after YouTuber Nick Shirley shared the clip on X and said the video showed “World Cup style celebrations” happening across Venezuela.
The timing made the claim grow even faster. The video appeared soon after U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about Maduro and his wife being captured. With emotions already high, many users believed the clip without checking where it came from.
But the key detail came out quickly. The video was real, but the location was wrong. The cheering crowd was not in Venezuela. The clip was filmed in Doral, Miami-Dade County, Florida, where many Venezuelans live in exile. This fact changed the entire story.
Local news outlets Local 10 and The Miami Herald confirmed the footage was from Florida. X later added a Community Note to Shirley’s post, clearly saying the video was not from Venezuela. As more people saw this, criticism followed.
Nick Shirley faces backlash after Venezuela celebration video is linked to Miami, not Caracas
After the Community Note appeared, many journalists and social media users spoke out. Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo, responded with a sharp post. He wrote,
“This is Miami not Venezuela but don’t expect to ever get facts or truth from the Somali daycare influencer guy. He has had hours to take this down and the fact that he hasn’t tells you everything about his reliability on everything else he shows you.”
Other users also corrected the claim. One wrote,
“In case you were wondering about this kid and whether he is a total tool, he is. This video is in Miami.”
Podcast host Clint Russell added,
“The intrepid reporter who broke the Somali fraud story in Minnesota is now pushing regime propaganda by falsely attributing footage in Miami as being from Venezuela. Very cool, Nick.”
As pressure grew, Shirley posted a follow-up tweet. He said,
“Venezuelans across the world, this video appears to be from Miami. Regardless the Venezuelan people are feeling liberated, good for them!”
The response did not stop the backlash. Brian Krassenstein replied,
“This tweet is almost as haphazard as your video of daycares.”
Another user mocked the correction, saying,
“Even though I made it up, it’s still true. I’m a journalist.”
Despite the Community Note and wide criticism, Shirley has not deleted the original post. According to X data, the tweet crossed 3.1 million impressions in just 17 hours.
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Read MoreSehjal Gupta is a sports journalist covering US and international sports, with a specialization in the NFL. She has been writing about sports since 2025, reporting on leagues, tournaments, and athletes who shape the game. A Master’s in Management adds depth to her analysis, while her love for Hollywood movies and pop culture sparks her storytelling voice, a flair that also shapes her entertainment writing, giving it the same energy and creativity she brings to sports.
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