VEGAS MYTHS BUSTED: Chippendales Hired Dancer On an H-1B Tech Visa

A screenshot recently achieved social media virality by claiming to show that Chippendales used an H-1B visa, intended for highly skilled foreign tech workers, to hire a dancer for its male-only adult revue in Las Vegas.

AI renders a photo of a Chippendales dancer coding. (Image: GROK2)

The table, labeled “Dancer’s H1B Salary all years,” lists two employers (Chippendales Las Vegas LLC and Kentucky Dance Council) that appear to have obtained H-1B visas for dancers with base salaries of $900 per week and $20,800 per year.

The table was shared by those trying to demonstrate abuse of the H-1B program, including far-right political activist Laura Loomer, who captioned hers: “H1B Visa. They imported cheaper labor, clearly the only reason.”

This table purports to show approved applicants for highly skilled H-1B visas. (Image: X.com/@LauraLoomer)

H-1Bs have been the subject of heated debate between X owner Elon Musk and supporters of President Trump who oppose programs helping any foreigners to jobs before them.

On December 27, Musk vowed to go to “war” to defend the visa program.

The Naked Truth

What the table shows Chippendales and the Kentucky Dance Council applying for was an E-3 visa in 2019.

This document, designed specifically for Australian nationals, offers them temporary residency for taking jobs that require “theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge.” It also requires applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in their field.

The virally shared table was shared from a website that, though titled “H1B Salary Database,” indexes Department of Labor applications for both H-1B and E-3 visas.

A Chippendales spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that the claims were entirely false.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on Casino.org. Click here to read previously busted Vegas myths. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email corey@casino.org.

 

Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas.

Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city’s history. (For “Fear and Loafing,” he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.)

Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post.

Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook.

Contact Corey at corey@casino.org.

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