Transformers director Michael Bay got himself arrested for trespassing at the Vatican. However, it might have just been a publicity stunt.
Michael posted a video on his Instagram of the event, calling it “The Great Vatican Break In”.
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The video showed Bay walking around Vatican grounds and inside the Basilica di San Pietro. He said in the video: “I just broke into the Vatican—I’m in the Vatican grounds right now.” He even mentioned being the “only one in here” when showing the Basilica interior. The video ended with him saying that he was being escorted to a local prison. He also joked about needing to “speak to the Pope” and “go to confession.” Finally, it showed a reporter and the logo of EWTN News Nightly—a real news program that reports on the Vatican.
However, many viewers doubt that Michael Bay was legitimately arrested.
Why People Are Skeptical
According to Comic Book Resources, the main thing that raises doubts is the Lamborghini Huracán police car in the footage. Though real police vehicles, they’re only used for emergency situations like organ transportation and car chases, not minor crimes like trespassing. Additionally, the video seems to lack the signs of an actual arrest, such as being placed in a police car. Bay even proclaimed, “I’ve got handcuffs on right now,” while being escorted.
Michael Bay shows off the Transformers Blu-Ray Set – YouTube, Michael Bay
His saying that while filming makes the arrest even more unlikely. Another inconsistency is how the supposed “officers” handled the situation. In a proper police arrest, the officers would have made him stop filming and physically escorted him off the premises. Instead, they can be seen in the video walking several feet behind him while he continued recording uninterrupted. There is also a single frame in which his wrists can be seen, and they are handcuff-free.
A boom microphone can also be seen when he says “I’m the only one in here.” That alone implies he was lying about being alone, as those mics require at least one person to carry them. This not only contradicts his claim of being alone, but also suggests a that film crew was present, reinforcing the online theory that this event was staged.
A Pattern of Publicity Stunts?
It isn’t the first time he has done so. In 2023, Bay was charged over a pigeon’s death on the set of 6 Underground in Rome. Killing a pigeon is apparently a crime in Italy. Bay claimed he would “prevail in court,” stating that he was never actually charged with killing an animal. The incident gave the film extra publicity, which lends some credibility to the suspicions that this latest “arrest” might also have been planned.
Michael Bay with the Transformers Limited Edition Blu-Ray – YouTube, Michael Bay
Moreover, while the filmmaker is known for dramatics, there was no official police report about Michael Bay being arrested. And all of his current projects—a Skibidi Toilet adaptation, Netflix’s Fast and Loose, and the documentary We Are Storror about seven elite parkour athletes—have no apparent connections to Rome or the Vatican.
It’s hard to say whether or not anything in the video was legitimate or just a PR stunt. There is nothing official to state it as fact.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
The new pope may talk a big game about illegal immigration, but seems to have made zero effort to put those rules into play for his own home.
I can see why the prophecy of the popes does everyone up until Benedict and then doesn’t have anyone until the very last pope.
He’s not new. We’ve had him for years and years now. In fact he may be the “old pope” soon; he’s been hospitalized a lot recently, and is currently undergoing some kind of “procedure”. If you’re the praying sort, pray for the Church. What happens in the Vatican affects all Catholics, and that affects the entire world. We need a good guy in there.
As mentioned with the Prophecy of the Popes, I don’t think we’ll get another good one until Peter the Roman. Benedict was the last legitimate one, I think.