Former rugby league player Johnathan Thurston poses with Quaden Bayles before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Maori Kiwis All-Stars. Photo / Getty Images
Former rugby league player Johnathan Thurston poses with Quaden Bayles before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Maori Kiwis All-Stars. Photo / Getty Images
False claims about Quaden Bayles age have caused the internet to leap to his defence, many providing "proof" the claims are completely fake.
The young Australian boy living with dwarfism captivated people all around the world after his mum posted a heartbreaking video showing the impacts of bullying.
Yarraka Bayles, who has long been an advocate for indigenous issues and dwarfism, shared the video of her son Quaden to her Facebook on Wednesday, after picking him up from school "in hysterics".
The footage shows the distraught nine-year-old boy in tears, saying he wanted "to die" because of the bullying he receives at school.
Quaden Bayles had been distraught after suffering bullying at school. Photo / Supplied
The video quickly went viral and since then people from around the world, including celebrities, have reached out and offered immense support to the young boy.
A GoFundMe page to send Quaden to Disneyland has raised over A$656,000 ($684,400).
But just days after the video was uploaded a strange rumour started spreading on social media claiming Quaden and his mum were lying about his age and he was actually 18.
The false claims appears to have originated from a post on Facebook circulating on Twitter claiming the boy's plight was a scam.
"Just so you know he scammed everybody … he's 18, has plenty of money and yeah everyone fell for it," the person wrote.
Part of the so-called proof the Facebook user offered up was his vast following on Instagram and claims he had a post about his 18th birthday.
The rumour instantly took off, forcing Quaden's mum to share a post on Facebook that shuts down the reports, written by a woman who said she has "known Quaden since before this s**t blew up".
"Ima (sic) say this once and that's that. I've know about Quaden since before this s**t blew up. Yes, he's 9! Dwarfism is not a joke, is he a model or actor?
" … so are a lot of kids … That doesn't mean s**t!"
Numerous social media users have also jumped to the boy's defence, shaming the people spreading this vicious rumour and saying there is plenty of "proof" against it.
Celebrity gossip columnist Perez Hilton recently tweeted "facts" about Quaden's Bayles age for those "doubting" — providing evidence the rumours were false.
Even rapper Cardi B has weighed in on the claim, telling her 53.9m followers that people "everyday" act up for Instagram, adding she saw the video and she was "so sad".
Here's some of the evidence being shared online that completely shuts down this bizarre claim.
Photos of Quaden at an 18th birthday party have been used as one of the main reasons for his age being called into question.
The photos are clearly from an 18th birthday party of one of Quaden's friends. Photo / Twitter
However, as many people have pointed out, those photos were taken at the birthday party of one of a person named Garlen, one of Quaden's friends.
A printed out photo of the nine-year-old posing with a group of older boys has the words, "Garlen's 18th birthday" written underneath it.
PREVIOUS TV APPEARANCES
This is not the first time Quaden has been in the spotlight, having previously appeared on news programs and TV documentaries when he was younger.
It is so weird and wrong to even need to prove this but for anyone who still believes the ridiculous conspiracy theory Quaden Bayles is an adult, here he is on @Studio10au in 2015, aged four. NB No front teeth. We will blow this open next week: https://t.co/kgSLoHsh1c
Another common aspect of Quaden's life that people are using the fuel the rumour is his vast online following and his past experience in acting and modelling.
People have attempted to use Quaden's past acting and modelling experience to fuel the vicious rumour. Photo / Supplied
A talent profile for the young boy lists him as an actor, extra, model and influencer.
Though people have claimed his past experiences in these fields somehow prove he is older than he says, his profile appears to prove the exact opposite.
In his bio it states he is eight years old, though it is unclear when this was last updated.
His past experiences in acting and modelling are listed as "previous unpaid speaking roles" and "beginner" modelling experience, which makes sense for his young age.
The page also links to his past TV appearances which both state he filmed when he was four.
DRINKING OUT OF A WINE GLASS
A photo showing Ms Bayles and her son each holding a glass with what some people have claimed is wine has also fuelled the rumour of Quaden's age.
Appletiser is a brand of sparkling fruit juice that contains no alcohol. Photo / Instagram
Conveniently, the photo, which was taken from Ms Bayle's Instagram page, had been cropped to cut out the bottle sitting on the table that clearly shows they are drinking sparkling apple juice, not wine.
MUM'S PHOTOS
Just like many other parents, Ms Bayles has documented her son's milestones on Facebook and Instagram.
