Lakers catfish story explained: Who is Vivian Flores? Podcaster accused of fraud scheme

On Monday, the Lakers supporters felt they may have been catfished by podcaster Vivian Flores after a kidnapping scare went viral on Twitter. In a developing story that still has many unanswered questions, Vivian Flores — a Lakers podcast host — is at the centre of catfish allegations, following a claim that she went missing on Sunday. The situation began when Lakers fan and 'The Laker Point' podcast co-host Josh Toussaint announced on Twitter that Flores was missing in the Los Angeles area. When she was found a short time later, it ignited a discussion of whether she actually exists in the first place.

Lakers catfish story explained as NBA fans left confused over Vivian Flores

Earlier on Monday, 'The Laker Point' podcast co-host Josh Toussaint took to Twitter and revealed that his co-host Vivian Flores had gone missing. He called on other members of the Lakers fan community to help find her and was even allegedly contacted by the Lakers organisation who offered to help look for her. He wrote that because she was going through 'leukaemia treatment', she “may or may not be wearing a wig.”

Even Ice Cube's son, O’Shea Jackson Jr. retweeted the post to his 164,000 followers. Later on Monday night, Toussaint tweeted that Flores was found safely but the story grew bigger as Lakers fans demanded answers to the question 'Where is Vivian Flores now?'

Who is Vivian Flores?

Toussaint claimed he first interacted with Flores, via Instagram, in February 2020, following Kobe Bryant’s public memorial at Staples Center. He said he’s never met or seen Flores in person, and when they worked together she wouldn’t communicate via FaceTime or video because of her “self-esteem” — all “red flags” of a catfish, according to Twitter critics.

Flores is believed to be a prominent member of Lakers Twitter. She writes and works on social media for Laker Fanatics and co-hosts 'The Lakers Point' Podcast with Josh Toussaint. Flores, who has nearly 16k followers on her Twitter account — which currently does not exist on the social media platform — has become somewhat of a known figure among Lakers fans on social media.

However, the story took a wild left turn when people tracked down an old friend of Flores’ online, who goes by the name Chum Zilla. That person responded to inquiries about Flores, calling her account a “big catfish.” In a series of tweets, Toussaint later claimed he was “duped” by Flores, who he feels “betrayed” by after he thought they had become close.

 

 

Image Credits - AP, Vivian Flores Twitter