Fox News Flash top headlines for February 2
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Former Los Angeles Instagram model Julia Rose and YouTuber Jack Tenney were among the six people arrested on Monday for altering California's iconic Hollywood sign to read "Hollyboob."
Julia Rose, who was banned from the social media platform last year and previously dated YouTube star Jake Paul, told Fox News on Tuesday that she had met Tenney through a mutual friend and checked out his channel.
Tenney and his "Joogsquad" had previously received widespread attention for their "Megalodon Shark Prank" in Florida, and Rose said that's partially how she determined he was the man for the job.
SIX ARRESTED FOR ALTERING ICONIC HOLLYWOOD SIGN TO READ 'HOLLYBOOB'
"This has been about six months [in the making]...many different variations of the idea, a bunch of different tarps, there was a lot of trial and error, and -- you know -- it took a lot of time to get to the point that we felt confident with our plan," said Tenney. "After two attempts to go and do it again and actually pull it off..."
Tenney had flown to California from Florida twice for two weeks to oversee the project.
He noted that the Hollywood Sign's website had helped make the stunt possible by providing the team of influencers with the exact dimensions of every letter.
"So, we could build our 'Bs' to the exact size of the 'Os.' It was so much help," Tenney said.
Using a covered double stroller, the group pushed the tarps up the Griffith Park hill and jumped the fence. They had changed the sign within 30 minutes.
Both Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and Griffith Park rangers were waiting for them.
Tenney told Fox News had had "full confidence" they were going to get arrested, but that they needed to do everything they could emerge successful in their pursuit.
LAPD Captain Steve Lurie told KTLA on Monday that personnel had observed the group on video surveillance at around 1:15 p.m. PT before a police helicopter responded to the scene.
The incident could be classified as vandalism "because the sign wasn’t damaged," he said, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The Times also reported that police presence would be increased for several days because of the incident.
"A few hours ago, a group attempted to vandalize the Hollywood sign. Los Angeles landmarks are precious to those of us @LAPDHollywood and this was way uncool (not to mention the terrain is quite steep & dangerous)," tweeted Lurie. "Hollywood patrol officers have arrested all six individuals."
The six involved -- whose names were not immediately publicly released -- were reportedly cited with a misdemeanor for trespassing and The Hollywood Reporter said the sign has since been returned to normal.
"The police were so...they let us be cooperative. They were so nice. They made the process really easy," Tenney recalled.
"So, I just have to give a shout out to the Hollywood police and to the LAPD. They were so quick on catching us. You know, they sent helicopters immediately. But, they didn't put themselves in harm's way," he said. "They did everything they could to keep us from hurting ourselves, and they were just extremely helpful through the whole process. So, that was really appreciated."
Following their arrest, Rose tweeted Monday evening that she had just been released from jail.
"[Just] got out of jail....wbu[?]" Rose said in a tweet.
In a post earlier in the day that has since received more than 9,500 likes, Rose wrote that she had "finally fixed the Hollywood Sign."
Shortly following her Monday night tweets, Rose shared a TikTok video in which she is seen being led from the area in handcuffs by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers.
She also retweeted Tenney, who was actively posting on the Joogsquad Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts.
"WE DID THAT S**T!" Tenney wrote in a tweet, also tweeting pictures of his arrest with the caption: "The ultimate Boob job."
In a video, Tenney told his more than 5.57 million followers that he and Rose had worked together to "prank the entire state of California."
In an Instagram story posted early Tuesday morning, Tenney wrote that his followers "have no idea what's coming," and tagged YouTuber Skummy Diener and what looked to be the account of realtor Rick Steiermann. In his own story, Diener tagged Tucker Hennessy -- who had also posted a picture of his arrest.
While initial reporting from TMZ said the group had told authorities they pulled off the stunt to raise awareness about breast cancer, Tenney and Rose said they had a different motive.
"The reason I wanted to do this was [that} I wanted to get Adam Mosseri's attention," Rose explained. "I really truly believe that censorship is an uphill battle right now and I do think that, you know, my personal and business account with over five million followers was disabled even though...I feel like I'm doing safer content than Playboy."
Rose is the founder of Shag Mag, an adult magazine that features Instagram models.
While raising awareness for breast cancer was not their intent, the duo told Fox News they were happy it did.
However, while they pointed out most reaction to the prank has been overwhelmingly positive and bigger than they thought it would, not everyone was amused.
In a statement to Fox News, the Hollywood Sign Trust's chairman Mark Panatier commended both the LAPD and Griffith Park rangers for their assistance.
"Through the efforts of LAPD’s Hollywood Division and the Park Rangers in Griffith Park, the sign’s security and video monitoring system stopped vandalism today," he said.
"It is unfortunate that there are those who think modifying the sign is good sport but this renowned icon is to be appreciated not demeaned," Panatier added.
Rose said that she felt like there would always be critics "no matter what you're trying to accomplish."
Tenney said his main goal was to make people laugh without causing harm or damage to property.
"And, we're able to push censorship and how that's been a real issue with Julia and I've had some issues with my YouTube channel as well," he remarked. "So, everything we do, we always want to make sure we put a positive spin on it."
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"We're never trying to ever make anyone upset, make anyone mad. It's all in light humor...You know, because of what's been happening to Julia, we're trying to push censorship as well," Tenney concluded.
This is not the first time individuals have attempted to alter the 98-year-old landmark.
In 2017, artist Zach Fernandez changed the sign to read "Hollyweed" and in 1987 it said "Holywood" ahead of a visit from the pope.
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