Chuck E. Cheese’s denies YouTuber conspiracy theory

Family entertainment chain Chuck E. Cheese’s in a statement on Tuesday denied a conspiracy theory amplified on YouTube this week.  

Chuck E. Cheese’s is responding after mega-popular YouTuber Shane Dawson mentioned the conspiracy theory – which claims Chuck E. Cheese’s serves reheated leftover pizza – in a video on Monday.

{mosads}“The claims made in this video about Chuck E. Cheese’s and our pizza are unequivocally false,” a spokesperson for the company told People Magazine. “No conspiracies here – our pizzas are made to order and we prepare our dough fresh in restaurant, which means that they’re not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious.”

{mosads}Dawson in the hour and a half-long video on Monday explored a range of conspiracy theories, including the evidence-free claim about Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza. Dawson in the video went to a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant to test the theory, and himself said that it could be true. 

Dawson is one of of YouTube’s most popular creators, boasting a devoted fanbase and more than 20 million followers. The video about conspiracy theories by Tuesday had accrued more than 10 million views.

Following the release of Dawson’s video, “Chuck E. Cheese’s” became a top-searched phrase on Google, with hundreds of thousands of people seeking more information about the theory. Other YouTubers made videos expanding on Dawson’s segment about Chuck E Cheese.

YouTube in recent weeks has been seeking to fight the rapid-fire spread of conspiracy theories on its platform. The Google-owned company at the end of January announced that it will no longer recommend videos that promote conspiracy theories, or “content that could misinform users in harmful ways.” 

Critics have long pointed out that YouTube’s recommendation feature oftentimes leads users into shady parts of the site that are rife with misinformation. Previously, if a user watched one conspiracy theory-related video, YouTube would recommend a host of others. Now, it says this will happen less often, though some users have pointed out that the issue appears to be persisting. 

YouTube has declined to ban conspiracy theory videos outright unless they promote hate speech, citing concerns about freedom of expression.