Kamala Harris was not wearing ‘audio earrings’ at debate, but false claims took off anyway

During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, viewers zoomed in on more than just the candidates’ words and body language. Some saw grounds for a conspiracy theory in Vice President Kamala Harris’ jewelry choice. 

They claimed her pearl earrings helped her debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

"BUSTED! SHE’S WEARING EARPHONE EARRINGS," a Sept. 10 Instagram post said. "NOVA H1 Audio Earrings - the first and only wireless earphones embedded in a pair of pearl earrings on a gold- or silver-plated clip."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Conservative activist Laura Loomer also amplified the claim on X, saying, "Interesting choice of earrings tonight, @KamalaHarris."

But the claim that she was covertly wearing headphones is wrong. The NOVA H1 earrings and the earrings Harris wore during the debate may look similar because of a pearl in both designs, but upon closer inspection, they have important differences.

The Nova H1 Audio Earrings were introduced by the company as the first wireless earring headphones. Unlike traditional earphones, the audio earrings are clipped on the earlobe, not placed in the ear, and use "directional sound technology" to carry audio to the ear, the company said.

The product’s website shows two versions, one in silver and one in gold. Both versions have a pearl and one thick stem that clasps around the earlobe.

Malte Iversen, CEO of Icebach Sound Solutions, which produced the NOVA H1 earrings, told PolitiFact in a cheeky email that "we do not know" whether Harris wore one of his company’s products. The Icebach Sound Solutions’ homepage says that a "special edition for presidential debates" will soon be available; Iversen told PolitiFact the product is currently out of stock.

The website also said that given the attention it received post debate, it would grant an interview to The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon to "clarify the rumours and myths surrounding our wonderful products."

There is no evidence Harris was wearing those earrings. Harris was wearing earrings with two thinner lines — sort of like a safety pin folded in half, with the pearl as the head.

It cited a page from "What Kamala Wore," a blog by "What Kate Wore" founder Susan E. Kelley, that said Harris wears a pair of South Sea pearl earrings from the Tiffany HardWear collection "with some frequency." (They are no longer on the Tiffany website.) Kelley said on her blog that Harris wore the same earrings during the presidential debate.

Featured Fact-check

Instagram posts

stated on November 12, 2024 in an Instagram post

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are “part of the World Economic Forum.”

"There was a bizarre narrative being pushed last night claiming the Vice President wore earrings with an audio receiver," she wrote in her recap of Harris’ debate look. "I am comfortable stating that was clearly not the case; these are the same Tiffany earrings she has worn for months."

Kelley’s blog includes Harris’ Aug. 6  first joint appearance with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in Philadelphia as one of the occasions when she wore the earrings.