When you go into acting, it seems you open yourself up to being attached by gossip mag headlines and paparazzi shots. They’re demeaning, intrusive, and in the case of this recent story about the world’s boyfriend Paul Mescal, hilarious. Via Pride:

Last December, rumors hit the internet that anytime Paul Mescal has a one-night stand, he’ll take the woman on a walk to the park the next morning and then simply run away from her. The idea of it was so strange, and so specific, that TikTok could not get enough of it.

As it turns out, the actor himself found the whole thing pretty hilarious, too.

He was asked about the rumors in a recent interview with GQ, and reportedly responded by “belly laughing and turning red.”

The viral rumors spread while Mescal was with his family for the holidays. He and his siblings, he said, “were looking at the videos and we were pissing ourselves at it.”