After the recent presidential debate, false allegations surfaced on social media suggesting that Vice President Kamala Harris was using clip-on audio headphones disguised as pearl earrings. These claims were shared by several notable accounts on platforms like X.
Among those amplifying the rumor was conspiracy theorist and far-right activist Laura Loomer, who alleged that Harris’s earrings were actually Nova H1 audio earphones designed to resemble pearl earrings. By Wednesday morning, Loomer’s post garnered over 1.3 million views.
However, a closer examination reveals that the Nova H1 earphones and Harris’s earrings do not match. The Nova H1, according to product images, wraps around the earlobe, while Harris’s earrings are distinctively dangling pearls meant for pierced ears.
The earrings worn by Harris appear to be Tiffany & Co. South Sea Pearl Earrings from the Hardwear collection. She has previously donned these gold earrings at various events, including a rally in Pennsylvania on August 6 and the White House Juneteenth concert earlier this summer.
It is important to note that earpieces are prohibited during presidential debates. In the recent ABC debate, candidates were explicitly banned from bringing notes or props onto the stage. CBS News sought a response from the Harris campaign regarding these allegations.
Following the debate, Google data indicated a surge in searches for terms like “nova h1” and “nova earrings.” The Nova H1 earphones are marketed through a Kickstarter campaign as “the first clip-on earphones on the planet,” claiming that their technology is embedded in real pearls designed to project sound into the ear and include high-end microphones.
The notion of candidates wearing earpieces has recurred in various presidential debates. Social media users previously claimed, without substantiation, that President Biden had an earpiece during his debate with Trump in June.
In the 2020 election cycle, Trump’s campaign released Facebook ads suggesting that Biden wore an earpiece in the September debate, a claim that circulated widely online. The Biden campaign refuted these assertions, and high-resolution images from the debate indicated that what appeared to be wires were likely just creases in Biden’s clothing or components of a watch or rosary.
In 2016, the site True Pundit and others falsely accused Hillary Clinton of using an earpiece for secret communications during an NBC News forum, a claim which was debunked by fact-checkers.
Such allegations are not exclusive to right-wing narratives. In 2004, rumors circulated that a bulge seen on then-President George W. Bush’s shoulder was a communication device connected to strategist Karl Rove. However, a campaign spokesperson later clarified that it was likely just a wrinkle in his suit jacket.