A conspiracy theory circulating on social media following the Trump-Harris debate claims that Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, was wearing concealed earphones disguised as pearl earrings. The theory alleges that Harris wore a pair of Nova H1 Audio Earrings, created by the German startup NOVA Products, during her debate with Donald Trump at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on September 10.
According to NOVA’s Kickstarter page, the clip-on earrings project sound directly into the ear canal through a pearl and feature built-in microphones for crystal-clear phone calls and noise cancellation. These Bluetooth-enabled wearables were introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2023 and are said to offer private audio output, heard only by the user.
Although video footage shows Harris wearing pearl earrings, many social media users noted their resemblance to Tiffany & Co.’s Double Pearl Hinged Earrings. Newsweek reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment on the claims.
This isn’t the first time conspiracy theories have surfaced regarding hidden earpieces during debates. Similar accusations were made about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign and President Joe Biden in 2020, though both instances were debunked by fact-checkers, and there was no evidence to support these claims.
A search for Nova H1 Audio Earrings shows they are not available for purchase, and the startup’s website redirects to another company, Icebach Sound Solutions. Additionally, Kickstarter backers have left inquiries about undelivered H1 earrings, with the last activity from NOVA Products recorded in May 2023.