News Punch

Are late-night TV hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon joining together to create a new "Freedom Show"? No, that's not true: This is an unsourced clickbait claim, made up and distributed by a spam network based in Hanoi, Vietnam. The network targets American audiences with false stories about celebrities, sports figures, and politicians that are posted on Facebook…

Did South Park do an episode featuring Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the "Quality Learing Center"? No, that's not true: The original video clearly states it was "made with AI." South Park has not aired any episodes since news broke Dec. 26, 2025, about a Minnesota child care center with a misspelled sign. The claim appeared in a January 6,…

Were President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama or TV host Jimmy Kimmel silenced after calling Harvard grads "overrated and dumb" when opponents revealed their SAT scores? No, that's not true: There is no public record of Trump, Obama or Kimmel saying it. There is also no record of anyone confronting those men with their SAT scores. Facebook pages administered…

Did CNBC correspondent Megan Cassella tell President Trump "Sir, you are the president, not God" during a press briefing? There is no evidence for that: No news articles make any mention of the quote and neither does CNBC's own website. According to a post from Cassella on X she has been on maternity leave since September 19, 2025. The viral…

Are completed California Proposition 50 redistricting ballots visible through Sacramento County's mail-in envelopes? Yes, but that is missing context. A mark on a Prop 50 ballot can be seen through a hole in the vote-by-mail envelope from Sacramento County, Ca. if the ballot is folded with text on the outside and placed facing one of the holes on the envelope.…

Did a variety of celebrities, from Fifty Cent to the White House press secretary, respond with public comments after Bad Bunny joked on Saturday Night Live that Americans had four months to learn Spanish before his Super Bowl halftime appearance? No, that's not true: This is a fake controversy drummed up by a network of clickbait publishers overseas. A flood…

Did Ozzy Osbourne's widow Sharon storm off "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" or "Jimmy Fallon's show" over remarks about Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: Osbourne did not appear on either show since the death of Charlie Kirk. The story originated on a Vietnamese clickbait website that mixed up late-night show TV hosts. It appeared as an article (archived here) published by…

Does a viral video authentically capture a teen girl punching holes in the tailgate of her father's pickup truck because he took away her phone? No, that's not true: The clip of the young woman is a re-titled excerpt of a video that was posted four days earlier as part of a TikTok user's campaign to build audience. It's one…

Did the rapper Jelly Roll release a new song called "Angels Don't Pack Their Bags", as a tribute to the victims of devastating flooding in parts of Texas, in July 2025? No, that's not true: We found no trace of any new song, of any name, on Jelly Roll's official website or social media accounts. A widely-shared blog post contained…

Did a legitimate news report reveal the Kamala Harris presidential campaign was making an illegal $200,000 payment for travel expenses to music mogul Beyoncé for appearing at a campaign rally in 2024? No, that's not true: A satire site created that story to trick conservatives into sharing it as real. Campaign finance documents on file show no such payment to…