A video of American rapper Kanye West seemingly eating his earwax has earned an overwhelming “eww” from all corners of a horrified internet. Filmed at a Sunday service, the eight-second clip was posted on Twitter by a photographer who calls himself Jorge Castro – and has the potential to make or break a man’s sanitary reputation on the world wide web.

Shot on a mobile camera, the video shows the rapper retrieving something from an ear, after which he appears to either extract something from his mouth, or push something into it. It is this choice of verb that has the social media jury divided.

Naturally, entertainment journalists were called in and a great many investigations were launched.

Esquire and Dazed Digital asked if this was even happening. Business Standard and Cosmopolitan said the internet was disgusted. The Rolling Stone, meanwhile, launched a “frame-by-frame investigation”, and concluded that Kanye West Probably Wasn’t Eating His Own Earwax.

Meanwhile, social media users also posted their analyses, justifications and varied theories.

A statement from the esteemed Mr West, though, is still awaited.