Overview
- In the video, Associate Professor Matthew Pittman announces a supposed BioChem midterm and class are canceled after the couple’s engagement post, prompting students to rush out.
- Pittman and the University of Tennessee’s Tombras School later clarified the moment was scripted, with Pittman telling USA TODAY it was recorded before class with students volunteering for roles.
- The clip, first posted by the UTK Social Media class, drew roughly 230,000 likes on Instagram within a day, and reposts on TikTok surpassed 2 million views.
- Swift and Kelce’s joint Instagram announcement amassed more than 30 million likes in about 24 hours, giving the class real-time data to analyze platform engagement and timing.
- Reaction online ranged from praise for inventive teaching to criticism over authenticity, fueling conversation about fact‑checking and how pop culture is used in coursework.