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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Kaleigh Werner

Fans question Glen Powell’s story about his sister’s friend and flesh-eating lotion

Getty Images for Netflix

Fans are questioning the validity of Glen Powell’s dating horror story after he recounted the tale on a recent podcast appearance.

The Anyone But You lead left listeners scratching their foreheads after he sat down with Jake Shane to record an episode of Therapuss, revealing an unexpected tale about a date gone wrong. Powell, 35, admitted his sister’s friend nearly avoided cannibalism while out with a man she barely knew.

“My little sister was friends with a girl who went out on a date with a guy,” the actor started. At first, his sister’s friend thought the man was “super charming.” However, the night allegedly took a turn for the worse when they went to his apartment.

Powell continued: “She goes back to his apartment that night and he’s like: ‘Hey, can I give you a massage?’ She just started getting a weird vibe. She’s like, something feels off.”

Regardless, Powell said the man began to massage the woman’s shoulders, lathering her with lotion. At this point, the friend felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to leave immediately.

“She’s like: ‘I gotta get outta here.’ And he gets a little weird, like: ‘No, please don’t leave,’” Powell claimed.

His sister’s friend safely left the man’s apartment, but her body allegedly had a bad reaction, according to the actor.

Powell said: “She leaves, her skin starts itching like crazy. The next day she goes to the doctor and he does a test on her skin.”

The results were nothing that she’d expected. “And it turns out that it’s like a black market lotion that breaks down skin for human consumption,” the Hollywood favorite claimed.

Powell told Shane that the doctor requested the address of the man his sister’s friend went out with. The medical professional then called the cops and sent them to his house. According to Powell, there, they found “several girls’ bodies.”

Upon hearing Powell’s story, Shane’s jaw dropped, prompting him to clarify that it wasn’t Powell’s sister who went on the date. “No, it was like her friend,” Powell clarified.

Though the story was entirely astonishing, Shane seemed to believe Powell. But online viewers speculated whether the Twisters star was being honest.

Listeners took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to point out holes in Powell’s story, while others accused him of fibbing entirely.

“How was he applying the lotion to her shoulders without having it on his own hands? Was he giving her a massage while wearing latex gloves?” one individual asked. “This sounds like a made-up story. Too many pieces are implausible.”

Another added: “I’m also skeptical just because we would have heard about this if it was true. ‘Man tenderizes womens’ skin before eating them’ is a pretty irresistible headline. It would be national news.”

“Sounds crazy. Wonder if there’s a news article to refer to? Reminds of the game of gossip. Starting story ends up totally different at the end,” another woman wrote.

Meanwhile, someone else said: “This is obviously not real / didn’t happen.”

“I need to know what this lotion is exactly. What does it mean that it ‘breaks down skin for human consumption’??? It eats human flesh but it’s safe for human consumption??? What?” another listener remarked.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Powell for comment.

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