“The voice on the phone belongs to a woman — and only that much did she confirm. She declined to verify her identity, and TODAY agreed to grant her anonymity due to her concerns for privacy and safety,”
is how the author describes the founder of @Deux Moi, known as the “Celebrity Gossip Instagram Bible.”
Deux Moi is an Instagram page dedicated to posting about celebrity gossip, sightings, and the latest buzz in Hollywood. Founded in 2013 by two friends who originally dedicated the page to fashion, only one of the founders continued to manage the platform to this day.
The account blew up in March 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, where people were trapped in quarantine and bored to death.
So, what did she do? She posted a story on Instagram, asking followers to share their celebrity encounters and sightings with her. The DMs started flowing in... and Deux Moi was born.
With 1.4 million followers on Instagram and almost 62,000 followers on Twitter, Deux Moi’s followers are a loyal group of people who all share the common interests in celebrity news, fashion, beauty, and the entertainment industry.
What separates Deux Moi from other celebrity gossip platforms is that everything posted on the platform is almost 100% correct all the time. With that said, it is definitely not a journalism news source, which the founder makes clear through the statement in Deux Moi’s Instagram bio:
“Statements made on this account have not been independently confirmed. This account does not claim any information published is based in fact.” - @Deux Moi
The founder of Deux Moi has said in multiple interviews that she chooses to remain anonymous due to the complications of talking about celebrity figures. She doesn’t want to face slander or legal issues concerning the content she posts, and also has no desire to be in the limelight.
Her sole purpose of managing Deux Moi is so people have a way to get to know their favorite celebrity better, outside the PR-spin narrative.
Ironically enough, her anonymity is also the reason why Deux Moi is so popular, drawing parallels between her and the character behind “gossip girl” in the famous show.
Then what makes Deux Moi so reliable? You may ask.
The platform relies heavily on form submissions and messages from followers, many whom are insiders (assistants, publicists, stylists...etc.) that work directly with celebrities in the industry.
This is how it works:
Viewers can submit anonymous or pseudonymous forms on the website about the
following :
1. Tips about celebrities and campaign launches
2. Experiences interacting with celebrities
3. Celebrity sightings and encounters
4. Insider information about celebrities and exclusive events (ex. Oscar’s, Grammy’s)
Or you can choose to message Deux Moi on Instagram and ask her to conceal your identity. The anonymous nature of the platform is how the hashtag #anonpls became the tagline for Deux Moi.
She will then source through the messages and determine which ones are reliable and truthful, based on her expertise.
ANONYMOUS TIPS
Let’s talk anonymous tips.... the first two messages (from the left) were sent in regarding the Vanity Fair party that took place in April. The first photo shows the founder of Deux Moi asking if Jacob Elordi from Euphoria was sitting with the rest of the cast, as there have been speculations that he isn’t that close to the rest of them.
Personally, I am a Kim & Pete stan...so I had to include this hilarious tip (right photo) about a by passer who saw an SNL staff member throwing away the iconic carpet where Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson shared their first kiss on SNL.
WILL SMITH & CHRIS ROCK
Now onto the infamous Will Smith and Chris Rock incident that took place at the Oscar’s this year... these tips were posted almost instantaneously following the slap on-stage.
People who were there said it was an extremely awkward moment, especially because Will Smith was nominated for the “Academy Award for Best Actor” award later in the night— and ended up taking home the award.
SUNDAY SIGHTINGS
Instead of reading the morning paper, I dive into Deux Moi’s Instagram stories every Sunday, where she hosts #SundaySightings, a photo and text compilation of where celebrities have been spotted during the week, mostly in Los Angeles and New York.
Here are #Sundaysightings of some of my favorite celebrities... do I need to say more? If I ran into Kris Jenner filming a commercial at Walmart, I would probably ask her for some business and life advice, seeing as she is the #bosswoman and mother of the iconic Kardashians empire.
Why is Deux Moi so EFFECTIVE?
Everyone knows that companies love working with influencers who have an engaged audience. Likewise, Deux Moi’s success and relevance comes from the founder’s interactive nature with users.
While she gets hundreds of messages a day on Instagram, she tries her best to open and actively respond to her DMs, which forms a close relationship between her and her followers.
The platform itself also makes people feel like insiders, as followers get the inside scoop to celebrity tea and drama.
As opposed to traditional paparazzi who show up to venues to take extravagant photos of celebrities, Deux Moi allows everyone to be their own paparazzi and capture shots of celebrities out in public doing mundane tasks just like the rest of us.
Deux Moi also makes her followers feel like they’re one big family/ kingdom, by coming out with merch that tons of people have been spotted wearing.
The Deux Moi community unites those with a deep passion and interest in celebrities and the entertainment industry, and the founder often posts job openings in Hollywood to help her followers.
Lastly, Deux Moi is powerful in the sense that the platform breaks exclusive celebrity news and information about events much quicker than traditional entertainment news sources, such as E! Online and Page Six.
According to Glossy, Deux Moi’s fans leaked the launch of the Skims x Fendi campaign as well as Billie Eillish’s perfume launch long before the celebrities themselves announced the debuts, by sending tips to Deux Moi’s inbox.
While Deux Moi is not a journalism news source, the celebrity gossip platform is experiencing success due to the founder’s expertise on newsgathering, distribution, and audience engagement.
In all three facets, Deux Moi’s followers are always involved and engaged with her posts, and it is not hard to see why.