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By Marni Rose McFall
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Confusion quickly spread online after social media videos falsely claimed a bomb had killed dozens at an Atlanta event hosted by popular streamer Kai Cenat, who has since announced a new event location after a Tuesday event was canceled.
Crowds had gathered in the city for in-person auditions for the star's content-focused Streamer University program, which had previously been held in New York City and Los Angeles.
The Atlanta event was canceled hours before it was expected to take place on Tuesday. Cenat had previously warned his fans that events would be “shut down” if “things get out of control.”
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"To help keep things organized and prevent overcrowding ahead of time, the exact location will not be released until tomorrow morning," a post on Cenat's Instagram, which has 17 million followers, said on Tuesday.
After that last minute cancellation on Tuesday, the crowds turned to chaos, ending in several arrests, Atlanta news outlet 11Alive reported.
A post on Cenat's Facebook account on Wednesday morning said the event would take place at 1 State Farm Drive from 1 p.m. ET that day.
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The Claim
Online videos later spread from several TikTok accounts, which falsely claimed that a bomb had struck at the Atlanta event, leaving "49 Dead 17 Critically Injured."
The Facts
Following the emergence of the social media video posts, Google searches spiked for "bomb Atlanta," "Kai Cenat Streamer University bombing," and "49 dead 17 injured," data showed.
In response, the Atlanta Police Department told Newsweek it was "aware of a video circulating on social media that alleges a bomb incident at the Kai Cenat event. This information is inaccurate. The video in question did not originate in the City of Atlanta, and there is no such incident within our jurisdiction."
The statement added that police are "monitoring the crowds to ensure public safety" for Wednesday's scheduled event.
Atlanta police said three people had been arrested near Hank Aaron Drive, a street previously touted as the location of the auditions.
On Tuesday, police advised Cenat fans that auditions would not take place at a street address. "While we know many of you are excited to come to Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department can confirm that Streamer University will not be taking place at 450 Hank Aaron Drive on Tuesday, June 16, 2026," a post on the Atlanta Police Department's Instagram said.
Cenat later on Tuesday confirmed that the event had been canceled. The new location was announced on the star's Facebook account on Wednesday morning.
Atlanta News First reported that crowds began to show up on Monday, and, by Tuesday, the gathering had grown. The report stated that one arrest was due to a mask violation, with the officer asking someone to remove a mask, but the individual had initially struggled to because it was tied up.
Attendee Elijah Bien-Aime told Atlanta News First on Tuesday, “We didn’t come here just for streaming, we came here for that but there’s a lot of people out here, there’s different talents, there’s different people who you could collab with, who has connections that you want to get your name out there, though. Yeah, just make your content. Just because the event got canceled, that don’t mean we got to stop doing what we doing, make content.”
Ruling
False. There was not a bombing at the Atlanta event.
What Are Streamer University Auditions?
Streamer University is Cenat’s free and all-inclusive platform, designed to help creators learn, collaborate and grow their platforms. The program is in its second year.
Cenat confirmed the in-person applications for Streamer University in a post on social media on June 11.
“Introducing Streamer University 2026 IN PERSON APPLICATIONS, come to my office and show me why you should be in SU’26,” he wrote in the post that has been liked more than half a million times as of reporting.
The post listed the following cities and dates for the auditions: New York City, June 12, Los Angeles, June 14 and Atlanta, on June 16. All the auditions were held at 1 p.m. local time.
Entrants were required to be 18-years or older, and attendees were required to only bring clear bags with them if they were carrying personal items.
The post included a message to attendees, which read, “We’re excited to see everyone at the event. Please be respectful of staff, security, law enforcement, local residents, and fellow attendees.”
“Fighting, pushing, vandalism or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Please follow instructions, look out for one another, and help us create a safe and positive experience for everyone. If things get out of control, the event will be shut down. Let’s make this something we can all be proud of."
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