Following Tuesday night’s presidential debate, misinformation spread across social media claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris wore clip-on audio headphones disguised as pearl earrings. This narrative was pushed by notable users on platforms such as X, including conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, whose post garnered over 1.3 million views by Wednesday morning.
Users alleged that Harris’s earrings were Nova H1 audio earphones designed to resemble pearls. However, the two accessories do not resemble each other; photographs of the Nova H1 earphones indicate they wrap around the earlobe, while Harris’s earrings are designed to dangle and are meant for pierced ears.
Harris’s earrings are identified as Tiffany & Co. South Sea Pearl Earrings from the Hardwear collection, which she has sported at various events, including a rally in Pennsylvania on August 6 and a White House Juneteenth concert this summer.
The rules for presidential debates prohibit the use of earpieces. Candidates at the recent ABC debate were also forbidden from bringing any notes or props. The Harris campaign has been contacted regarding the false claims.
Search interest surged for “nova h1” and “nova earrings” shortly after the debate. Advertisements for the earrings on Kickstarter promote them as “the first clip-on earphones on the planet,” claiming they incorporate technology within actual pearls to deliver sound directly via the earlobe.
Historically, allegations about candidates wearing earpieces have surfaced during debates. In June, social media users claimed, without proof, that President Biden wore an earpiece when he faced Trump in an NBC debate. During the September 2020 debate, Trump’s campaign ran Facebook ads asserting Biden wore an earpiece, which were widely circulated, but high-resolution images revealed the supposed wires were likely just fabric creases or a watch.
In 2016, the conspiracy site True Pundit claimed Hillary Clinton wore an earpiece for covert communication during an NBC forum, which was refuted by fact-checkers.
Such claims are not exclusive to the right-wing sphere. In 2004, rumors circulated that a bulge on then-President George W. Bush’s shoulder was a radio receiver linked to strategist Karl Rove, although a campaign spokesperson later attributed it to a wrinkle in his suit.