Is the Duolingo owl death connected to the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef?
Drake and the Duolingo Owl might be at odds with one another.
If you’re unfamiliar with Duolingo, it’s a lovely tool that teaches you how to speak different languages. It’s really cool because Duolingo tries to make it engaging as people learn.
So, in other words, the company doesn’t take themselves too seriously.
They like to have fun, which might explain their seemingly unhinged posts in the weeks before the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Here’s what we mean.
About two weeks before Kendrick Lamar took the stage, Duolingo dropped a wild post trolling Drake while referencing a song—”BBL Drizzy” (Warning: NSFW language)—that also trolls the rapper.
glad i’m not the only owl with a BBL on this list https://t.co/RY7KS0TCIo
— Duolingo (@duolingo) January 31, 2025
On the day of the show, they trolled him again, very similar to the way Kendrick did during his set.
But they weren’t done. Duolingo cranked out even more jokes, including a viral meme from Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” performance.
"SAY DRAKE" pic.twitter.com/llp9bzEQzG
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
However, it went downhill fast. Duo, the green owl mascot, seen in much of the company’s content, suddenly died.
an important message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
And things got weird. Without much explanation, TSA got involved.
Then, Duo was given a funeral and an obituary a short time later with a sly note that the team was investigating “Jimmy”—a possible nod to Wheelchair Jimmy, the nickname for Drake’s character on Degrassi.
We're currently investigating Jimmy.
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
So many people were distraught over Duo, including Dua Lipa.
Til' death duo part https://t.co/XqVUTK5E0V
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) February 12, 2025
duo the owl has been eliminated pic.twitter.com/Qly2NAYbWH
— Netflix (@netflix) February 11, 2025
https://t.co/m0K8pqgmsM pic.twitter.com/1KzNDUAnMW
— Halo (@Halo) February 11, 2025
However, a cause of death has been identified, with more details on the way.
UPDATE: Officials have identified cause of death. More details to follow.
Thank you for holding space for Dualingo. https://t.co/cecyD6KIHi
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 12, 2025
Was Drake involved? Was it someone else? No one knows.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.