Some self-styled Sigma Males are in shambles upon reading a devastating headline that Christian Bale, whose American Psycho character Patrick Bateman has become a semi-ironic masculinity icon in memes, hates the "Sigma Bale" meme and that its appreciators need to "grow up and find a real personality."

well god damn lol pic.twitter.com/Hbj6SN7FUb

— ralph lore updates (@TheRocketRalph) October 24, 2022

The "Sigma Bale" meme has been perpetuated by a gimmick Twitter account by the name of @SigmaMemes_69 in recent months, though many have also taken issue with some of the account's jokes about women and the LGBTQ community.

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU BRUH😭😭😭 https://t.co/4MXxYQuGH9

— 👻𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐲🎃 (@BattleObsessed) October 21, 2022

While some may find it funny to imagine Bale taking shots at the masculinity-obsessed keyboard warriors who've turned his vicious serial killer into a paragon of manliness, the headline is 100 percent a hoax.

The real Insider article from earlier this month, which was doctored to make the eye-grabbing fake headline spread through memes, instead details Bale taking the bare minimum salary in order to play Bateman in the 2000 movie.

While the headline went viral thanks to the above tweet by @TheRocketRalph, it's unclear if he is its creator. Whatever the case, it inspired memes from people who apparently didn't realize the headline was fake.

this is 9/11 for edgy teenagers https://t.co/RdoosTIWlw

— good reddit great reddit and sometimes bad reddit (@GoodReddit) October 24, 2022

pic.twitter.com/8BSNq5PUYu

— Your typical local man (@LocalBateman) October 24, 2022

This isn't actually the first time a fake headline about Bale and his distaste of the "Sigma Bale" meme has spread online. Earlier this year, Redditor ExcuseMeWTF450 posted a different doctored headline with the same story, though that didn't spread quite so far as the hoax was easier to spot.