It wasn't just 24 fans spreading the rumors. There were dozens of blogs (including an 8 page thread on Huffington, which is still there) talking about the kiss like it was a huge deal. Some were saying some pretty nasty things about Mary Lynn as a result.
She handled it very well though. Wasn't it Kurt Russell who made the "just to let everyone know, I'm NOT a Republican" statement after appearing in some event? I would think that just about any other female celebrity would issue an "I am not dating Rush Limbaugh" statement.