A comedian has landed himself in some hot water after promoting a product on Instagram that both shocked and offended parents everywhere. It's called the "Baby Mute," and it claims to be "a soundproof, breathable device to silence your baby's cries during long flights and movie nights."
The device, which looks like a cross between a muzzle and a gas mask, is understandably horrifying at first glance. But there's just one catch that not everyone has picked up on: It doesn't actually exist.
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The fake product was posted earlier this week by Brad Gosse
The comedian, who lives in Toronto, Canada, is perhaps best known for his "cringeworthy humor," according to his Instagram bio.
"You might like my jokes. You might be butt hurt," the bio warns. He's also authored a ton of humor books that are definitely NSFW.
But despite Gosse's reputation as a boundary-pushing comedian, people still thought his recent post about the "Baby Mute" mask was real. And they were BIG MAD about it.
The ad, which was also shared on Twitter, drew a wide range of replies
And, as you might imagine, many of the initial comments were negative — especially when users went to the Baby Mute website and saw what appeared to be a legit product which has since been deleted, per the New York Post.)
Who’s getting this for their next flight? pic.twitter.com/cpJZ0V9iAf
— Brad Gosse (@bradgosse) April 18, 2023
One person angrily declared the device to be "child abuse," while another said, "This can’t be legal."
"Wtf," wrote someone else. "Use a condom. Equally silent/final."
Some were so mad, they wanted to seek revenge on the people behind it.
"Let’s find the person who made this and f–k them up," one person snapped.
Others worried about the long-term psychological and emotional impacts this would have on a child.
"I’ll be damned if I put a muzzle on my children," someone else concluded.
But many others apparently "got" the joke right away
As a result, they left their own off-color jokes in the comment section.
"I want one for my wife," one man shared.
"Two words," said another. "Ny … Quil."
"18 years later he will try to blow up Gotham," someone else joked.
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For days, confusion swirled as to whether the product was "real"
Not only did people start Googling the product, but some even hopped onto anonymous forums like Reddit to get answers.
However, it's safe to say that the device is not real. And, as many assumed, it would probably not be legal even if it were a real product.
"#BabyMute is taking over," Gosse wrote in a recent Instagram update. "I trolled millions with my low brow #comedy and I'm gonna stoop even lower next time."
The online gag comes at an interesting time
Earlier this week, a man went viral for loudly complaining about the crying baby on his Southwest Airlines flight.
"That child has been crying for 40 minutes," the man reportedly said to crew members last week. "Calm that child down, please."
Then, when asked to stop screaming himself, the man replied, "I'm not screaming. Do you want me to scream? I'll [expletive] scream. Please stop the baby."
The incident has sparked renewed discussion around plane etiquette, unruly passengers, and crying babies in public. And, presumably, Gosse was inspired by the man's viral rant before he came up with the whole Baby Mute thing in the first place.
But however "timely" the joke was, parents should rest assured that the device is most certainly not a thing. (Though we're willing to bet the man flying Southwest would love it to be.)
