Klay Thompson
An AI-generated ‘Free Tory’ screenshot falsely linked to Klay Thompson fuelled Megan Thee Stallion breakup drama, despite no evidence he ever posted it. By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Klay Thompson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Klay Thompson did not post a 'Free Tory' message on Instagram following his breakup with Megan Thee Stallion, despite a viral claim to the contrary that spread across X on Sunday, according to checks of the NBA star's social media accounts and an AI image analysis.

The news came after a turbulent few days in Megan and Klay Thompson's relationship, which had already been under intense scrutiny. The pair, who went public in July 2025, appeared to have quietly split before the rapper took to Instagram last weekend, accusing the Dallas Mavericks guard of cheating and wavering over whether he could be 'monogamous.' Her posts set off a predictable chain reaction online: fans taking sides, old controversies resurfacing and, inevitably, fabricated receipts starting to circulate.

'Free Tory' Claim Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

The latest storm began when X user @backndfendi shared what looked like a screenshot of Klay Thompson's Instagram Story, showing a black screen with white text reading '#FreeTory,' a reference to rapper Tory Lanez. The image, posted on Sunday, rapidly picked up traction, racking up more than 1.6 million views and nearly 27,000 likes as users tied it to Megan Thee Stallion's long-running legal battle with Lanez.

On its face, the supposed story played into a neat narrative: Thompson, freshly accused of infidelity by Megan, suddenly appearing to side with the man convicted of shooting her. It was exactly the kind of explosive crossover between celebrity relationships, criminal justice and NBA gossip that social media thrives on.

A closer look, however, unravels it almost immediately. Thompson's current Instagram profile picture does not match the one shown in the circulating screenshot. There is no trace of the 'Free Tory' story in his highlights or any evidence it was ever posted. When the image was run through an AI image detector, the tool flagged it as artificially generated, indicating that the screenshot itself was created with AI rather than captured from a real account.

A similar doctored image then appeared in the comments beneath the original post, purporting to show Thompson writing 'TORY IS INNOCENT, My h*e just be lying.' That, too, does not exist on his real account.

The Weight of #FreeTory

The phrase 'Free Tory' carries heavy baggage in Megan Thee Stallion's story. She accused Tory Lanez of shooting her in the foot in July 2020, after a party at Kylie Jenner's home. Lanez was charged with felony assault and two additional counts, and the case went to trial in December 2022.

He was found guilty on all three charges and, in August 2023, sentenced to 10 years in prison. Supporters of Lanez have long questioned Megan's account, seizing upon inconsistencies in her retelling of the night. Under the hashtag '#FreeTory,' they have accused her of lying and ruining the Say It singer's life.

The online divide means any perceived endorsement of Lanez from a figure as high-profile as Klay Thompson would be hugely inflammatory. In that sense, the fake screenshot was perfectly engineered for outrage: emotionally charged, easily shareable and just plausible enough for people who already distrusted Megan to believe it without checking.

But the basic facts remain straightforward. Megan has never said Thompson supported Lanez. Thompson has not, in public at least, weighed in on Lanez's conviction. And the only images tying him to the 'Free Tory' slogan are provably fabricated.

Breakup Statement and Broadway Exit

The fake Klay Thompson 'Free Tory' story came on the heels of Megan's very real breakup announcement. On Saturday, she used Instagram Stories to accuse Thompson of cheating and pulling back from their relationship, writing: 'Cheating, had me around your whole family playing house...got 'cold feet.''

In a follow-up message, she added: 'Holding you down through all your HORRIBLE mood swings and treatment towards me during your basketball season now you don't know if you can be 'monogamous'??? b*tch I need a REAL break after this one.'

She later issued a formal statement to outlets including Complex, confirming the split and stressing that 'trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable' for her. 'When those values are compromised, there's no real path forward,' she said, explaining she planned to prioritise herself and move ahead 'with peace and clarity.'

Within days, Megan also announced that she would be cutting short her stint in the Broadway production of Moulin Rouge! at New York's Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Having joined the show as Zidler in March 2026, she had been scheduled to perform until 17 May. Instead, she told fans in an Instagram post on Monday that her final performance will be on 1 May.

'It's been such an honor to be part of thee Moulin Rouge family and I've met so many amazing people in this theater!' she wrote, praising the cast and crew's 'dedication' and 'stamina,' and thanking fans who had supported her Broadway turn.

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