Was Oprah Winfrey "ordered to return $22 million she took from FEMA to rebuild her mansion after the Maui fires", as of mid-August 2025? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from a post by a self-described satire account that carries a disclaimer that says "nothing on this page is real". There were no actual news stories about the order…
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey rejects social media claims that she hesitated to open the private road through her Hawaiian estate to help evacuation efforts after tsunami warnings were issued for Hawaii on July 29, 2025. One of her social media accounts publicly shared the denial statement from her spokesperson. The Maui police department put out a statement saying the…
Did comedian Mo'Nique testify during the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs in May 2025? No, that's not true: That claim appeared in a YouTube video whose description labeled the claim "fictional". Despite widespread and intensive news coverage, no outlet covering the trial has mentioned any testimony by her. The rumor appeared in a May 19, 2025, video on YouTube (archived…
Did Beyoncé publicly confirm she will move to Italy because she can't "breathe the same air as Elon Musk"? No, that's not true: An AI generated viral article reused a fake quote previously attributed to Oprah Winfrey in another false story. Neither credible media outlets nor the singer's official pages discussed the purported relocation as of March 26, 2025. The…
Does the story that Oprah Winfrey is now the largest land owner in Western North Carolina come from an actual news source? No, that's not true: An image meme that said she "bought out hundreds of families" for "pennies on the dollar" originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking…
Did Oprah Winfrey announce she is ending her talk show and moving to Italy, saying "I can't live in the U.S. for the next four years and breathe the same air as Elon Musk" as online article claimed? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Winfrey made any such statment, and the "Oprah Winfrey Show" ended in 2011. An…
Did police find human remains and evidence of cannibalism in TV producer Oprah Winfrey's Los Angeles, California, home that she purportedly sold in 2013? No, that's not true: This post reappeared on social media recently but it was copied from an older post. In the original post, the social media user who shared the news implied that it was shared…
Did Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, publicly say in January 2025 that he "will leave the USA if the Epstein Client List is released"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no credible reports to support Gates' supposed announced departure. Court materials detailing Jeffrey Epstein's contacts were made public in January 2024. Neither Gates nor any reputable news organization…
Has Oprah Winfrey died as of January 17, 2025, as implied by viral social media posts? No, that's not true: An article attached to a post implying that Winfrey died did not provide evidence of her supposed death nor mention anywhere in the article text that she had died. Winfrey was active on her verified social media accounts the same…
Did an Oprah Winfrey charity called "Coats for Kids" take in over $140 million while only purchasing "310 jackets" as of December 2024? No, that's not true: The information in this post initially appeared in an article on a self-described satirical website that includes the disclaimer, "Everything on this website is fiction." Even so, some social media users shared the…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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