14 DAY TRIAL // For about a month now, several photos that claim to be artwork for Janet Jackson’s 2010 music album have been making the rounds on the Internet. Intrigued just like Janet fans who did not know what to believe, Wendy Williams did her research and found out the pics came from the “Beyonce Hoaxer,” 26-year-old computer arts student Matthew Zeghibe. The only thing that Williams forgot to do, though, was to actually do her research on how come those pictures got out in the wild, Matthew tells Softpedia.
Williams appeared on her show (video of it below) to say that she saw the photos on the Internet on many celebrity blogs and decided to find out whether they were official artwork for the album or fanmade. She learned they were a hoax coming from the same person who altered Beyonce’s performance of “If I Were a Boy” a while ago and made headlines because of it, she said. Well, Matthew believes, Williams should have done her research and she would have found out that the so-called “hoax” was actually a fan’s way of showing his appreciation, with no malicious intent whatsoever.
“I’m a HUGE fan of Wendy, she pretty much raised me through her radio show. Sadly, she got it all twisted, as many journalists do these days. So first, I’m a huge fan of Janet. […] I have always photoshopped Janet for fun, and shared them with the Janet community... it’s fun, and it’s what fans do in 2009. I did about 6 pictures and posted them on the message boards. The fans LOVED them so much... and they spread like wild fire. It was fans who sent them to ‘all the blogs’ and lied about the source... not me. One fan chopped off my watermark (which I had over Janet’s chest in the Wendy Williams photo) and sent it to Perez. So without a watermark, no one knew the true source. That same picture made it all the way to Billboard Magazine, and was used... I couldn’t believe it.” Matthew explains for Softpedia.
So, while it’s true that he’s behind the photos that are being circulated as genuine, he’s not the one to have lied to the fans by claiming so, Matthew stresses. When Williams said it was the “Beyonce Hoaxer” who doctored the photos, she also hinted he put them out there and stated they were official artwork for the album. Deceiving fans is actually the last thing Matthew would do, as he said on a previous occasion as well.
“Janet has done SO MUCH for my future as an artist, the last thing I want is for her, or her fans to think I did some shady business behind her back... at a very delicate time in her life. I appreciate Janet so much, and Wendy made me out to be some malicious hoaxer. For Wendy’s ‘investigative report,’ she simply went to the Janet message board... found some jealous, obsessed 15yo Janet Fan who did it.... and there’s the source of the video you saw! I just do these things for humor and/or enjoyment... and share them with my online communities. I’m thankful I have skills to do this, and that my work is conceptually strong, and has a life of its own. Like I said... it’s what fans do in 2009... I just do it better than them.” Matthew also tells us.