A GoFundMe page was created by the owners of the Mad Dogs and Englishman Bike Shop in Montecito, California. The page claimed that the shop had given a free bike to Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and that they were raising money to donate bikes to other children in need. The page quickly raised over $100,000.
However, there was soon speculation that the GoFundMe page was a scam. Some people pointed out that the bike shop had a history of giving free bikes to celebrities, and that it was unlikely that they would give a free bike to Archie without any publicity.
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Others pointed out that the GoFundMe page was created just days after Archie's fourth birthday, and that it was suspicious that the shop would wait so long to donate bikes to other children.
In the wake of the controversy, Ellen DeGeneres spoke out about the GoFundMe page on her show. DeGeneres said that she had spoken to the owners of the bike shop, and that they had admitted that they had not actually given a free bike to Archie. DeGeneres also said that the owners had admitted that they had created the GoFundMe page in order to raise money for their own business.
DeGeneres' comments led to the GoFundMe page being taken down. The bike shop owners have since apologized for their actions, and they have said that they will be donating the money that they raised to a local children's hospital.
The controversy surrounding the GoFundMe page has raised questions about the ethics of celebrity endorsements. It has also raised questions about the role of social media in promoting scams.