There Is Not A Man Trapped Inside The Bean, So Please Stop Calling The Downtown Alderman

DOWNTOWN — Is there a man trapped inside The Bean?

No, there isn’t. But that hasn’t stopped a group of dedicated pranksters from saying there is — and the claim has spread like wildfire on social media.

In recent days, videos of people calling for the release of “the man trapped in The Bean” have been shared thousands of times on TikTok and Instagram. The chaos started on July 31, when a group dressed all in black gathered near the Bean (the more familar moniker of the officially titled “Cloud Gate”) in Millennium Park. They held up signs calling for the release of “the man in the Bean.”

The videos caused many to laugh — and others to become very confused. Ald. Brendan Reilly, whose 42nd ward is home to the Bean, said his office has been inundated with calls about a man trapped in the s