Kim Zolciak was criticized by her Instagram fans and followers on Tuesday after posting a link to a clickbait article that seemed to imply her daughter Brielle Biermann was pregnant.
However, anyone who was fooled and clicked on the story discovered that Brielle was not pregnant at all.
The misleading Instagram post featured a fake sonogram image that further confused fans of the former Real Housewives Of Atlanta star.
But the post wasn’t just meant to attract attention, Kim was paid to post it, sources familiar with the situation said TMZ. The eyebrow-raising move comes amid Kim and her estranged husband Kroy Biermann’s ongoing financial troubles, which were exacerbated when Chase Bank sued him for $13,000 in delinquent credit card payments.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Kim and Brielle seeking comment.
Kim wasn’t subtle at all with her post, which included an ultrasound image at the bottom.
It was juxtaposed with a photo of Kim and Brielle together, which could have led her followers to assume Brielle was pregnant, but the fake image had Brielle’s name on it, falsely suggesting it was a real ultrasound of her.
‘I’M SO EXCITED TO BECOME A GRANDMA! [pregnant woman emoji] #LinkInBio,” Kim captioned the post.
But those who clicked on the link in her profile were treated to a clickbait article that made it clear that Brielle was not actually pregnant.
It included quotes about how Kim hoped she would get pregnant, but no actual pregnancy.
According to TMZ’s sources, Kim received a kickback for posting the article, although it is unclear how much she earned and whether it was a flat fee or based on the number of fans she tricked into clicking on it.
The Don’t Be Tardy star eventually disabled comments on her fake sonogram post after receiving many angry responses from her followers, but users were initially able to comment on it.
‘Brok broke as a joke. Get that spending under control,” one angry fan wrote via Page six.
Others wrote that she was “desperate” for money, and others said she did it out of a game for attention.
“Whatever the news, they get paid, at this point they will do anything to stay in the headlines!” wrote one person.
Another user said they planned to report the post as false information.
It is unclear whether Kim’s alleged payment for the clickbait article or post would have required her to list the post as an advertisement, which she did not do.
Kim appears to be in financial trouble as both she and Kroy have been sued for tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid credit card bills.
They also allegedly owe $1 million to the IRS.
The divorcing couple previously argued about selling their home because the former NFL player wanted to put it on the market to help pay their bills — and avoid a less favorable foreclosure — but Kim blocked that move for weeks until they finally agreed used to go. to put the house on the market for $6 million.
She has also repeatedly advertised her expensive clothes and designer handbags on Instagram and urged her fans to buy them.
However, when a fan recently asked if all the items she was trying to sell were proof of the depth of her financial problems, she claimed she simply had too many assets and was trying to reduce the clutter.