A spokesperson for Tampa International Airport confirmed to Newsweek on Thursday that their publicly announced ban on Crocs and pajama pants was just a joke meant indirectly mock former MTV Real World cast member Sean Duffy’s repeated whining about air travelers’ sartorial choices.

“Tampa International Airport regularly shares lighthearted, satirical social media content as part of our ongoing effort to engage with our followers,” airport officials said in statement. “Today’s post about ‘banning’ pajamas was another playful nod to day-of-travel fashion debates. We encourage our passengers to travel comfortably and appreciate our loyal followers who enjoy the online humor.”

“After successfully banning Crocs and giving everyone the amazing opportunity to experience the world’s first Crocs-free airports, it’s time to take on an even larger crisis. Pajamas. At. The. Airport. In the middle of the day,” the airport’s social media team had written in the post, referencing a 2025 tweet in which they said TSA will be throwing Crocs in the garbage. Which sadly was a joke.

Crocs were invented in Colorado in 2002 and – excepting hospitals and similar settings where doctors and nurses on their feet for 12+ hours a day – were established as the footwear of choice for those who had given up on life. Then, at some point in the latter half of the 2010s, the brand for some reason became cool with zoomers who had evidently been unaware of the footwear’s previous close associations with daytime TV watchers and poor personal hygiene, leading to collabs with Balenciaga and white trash rapper Post Malone earlier this decade. It’s not clear if the second life of Crocs has dissipated yet and the brand has returned to an object of near-universal scorn, however the airport’s non-binding antipathy may be a sign that the other shoe is finally dropping.