The Daily Mail apparently went looking for the famously private Meg White and found someone else entirely.
According to a new report from The Guardian, the British tabloid followed and secretly photographed a Detroit woman it believed to be the former White Stripes drummer, then published more than a dozen photos of her in a story promising to reveal White’s “secret new life.” There was just one problem: multiple people close to White say the woman wasn’t her.
In fact, the woman reportedly told the Daily Mail exactly that. When a reporter eventually approached her and identified her as White, she laughed and said they had the wrong person. That didn’t end the investigation. The publication took her subsequent “thank you” after being complimented on The White Stripes’ music as evidence that it had found its target.
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The woman is actually a friend of White’s, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Guardian. One music industry executive close to both women said neither knew they were being followed and photographed. Karen Elson, Jack White‘s ex-wife, also reportedly confirmed the mistaken identity in a since-deleted social media post and criticized the lengths taken to track the woman down.
The Daily Mail quietly removed the story and its photographs last week without publishing a correction or editor’s note explaining what happened. Neither the publication nor reporter Joe Hutchison responded to The Guardian‘s requests for comment.
Meg White has largely disappeared from public life since The White Stripes officially called it quits in 2011, declining interviews and public appearances while remaining in Detroit. Even when the duo were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last November, she stayed home, instead sending a message that Jack White read during the ceremony. Twenty One Pilots performed “Seven Nation Army” in their honor, while Jack delivered an acceptance speech that included a tribute to his former bandmate.
For anyone still wondering what Meg White is doing these days, a source close to her offered The Guardian a less invasive update: she’s doing well and continuing to live the private life she’s spent the last 15 years asking for.
While Meg White continues to keep a low profile, Jack White has been considerably easier to find. He’s currently amid a massive tour in support of his latest album, Frozen Charlotte.
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