A CITY official has declared that there is no man trapped inside the Chicago Bean – despite a viral online hoax claiming otherwise.

The fictional rumor suggests that a person is trapped within the Cloud Gate sculpture, leading to a group of protesters advocating for his supposed release.

Brendan Reilly, a Chicago alderman, said the conspiracy about the city’s sculpture had left his office flooded with calls from alarmed citizens.

Earlier this month, a small group of protesters started gathering at the iconic stainless steel artwork.

Demonstrators were heard chanting: “There is a man in the Bean” and “What do we want? The man to get out.”

Enthusiastic demonstrators even handed out leaflets claiming the man’s existence was a cover-up – kept secret from locals for more than two decades.

They waved banners calling for officials to “unlock Cloud Gate” so that they could recover the trapped individual.

Unbelievable footage showed the movement congregate in front of the landmark, holding up pieces of cardboard with messages like: “GET HIM OUT NOW!”

This conspiracy theory, which even has a dedicated Instagram page, alleges that observers can spot a faint outline of the trapped individual when sunlight hits the sculpture at just the right angle.

The social media account uploaded a poster which says: WE CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE MAN INSIDE THE BEAN.

“However, when the sun hits the Bean just right, YOU CAN SEE A FAINT OUTLINE OF THE MAN.”

The notice concludes with a call to action for citizens to contact Reilly’s office—where his name is misspelled—urging him to take “immediate action” to rescue the person.

Local city councillor Reilly said the rumours were becoming a distraction from his work.

The official said: “I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped inside Cloud Gate (aka ‘the Bean’) for the past 21 years.”

He continued: “I appreciate light-hearted parody as much as the next guy, and I’ve always welcomed public engagement.

“However, this online hoax has led to a heavy uptick in calls to my office.

“Regrettably, addressing the large volume of calls about this hoax diverts my office from the important work we do daily for Chicago’s 42nd Ward and the city.”

The silver sculpture was created in the mid-2000s by Indian-born Brit artist Anish Kapoor.

The poster demanding action from the councillor claims the individual was placed inside as a baby, kidnapped by Kapoor.

It states: “When The Bean began construction in 2004, Anish Kapoor, the artist and chief architect behind The Bean (Cloud Gate), STOLE A BABY and placed it inside The Bean.”

“THE MAN has been held captive there ever since – LIVING IN COMPLETE ISOLATION.”

Baffled social media users flooded the comments section with questions.

One said: “How does he eat?”

While another joked: “Is he okay with bean in there?”