Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Is a video that shows Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying "the fruit or the color" when asked to spell "orange" authentic? No, that's not true: It is an AI-manipulated video of the congresswoman from a popular meme. The footage is from a 2018 interview she did with Stephen Colbert, where she was not asked to spell "orange." The claim appeared in…

Did American actor Sylvester Stallone say talking to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was "like listening to a high school girl"? No, that's not true: The claim originated from a page with a satire label that specifies everything on it is fictional. No credible media outlets reported the nonexistent story. The claim appeared in an article (archived here and here) published on…

Does a real image show Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York in a revealing sports bra? No, that's not true: The image is a manipulated screenshot from a video posted to her Instagram account, digitally altered to make the sports bra appear more revealing than it actually is. In the original video, Ocasio-Cortez is wearing a high-neck, full-coverage sports bra.…

Did a story claiming that men said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a high-priced escort in Boston come from an actual news source? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for posting satirical content that carries the disclaimer, "Nothing on this page is real," and the accompanying image bears the same warning. Lead Stories found no…

Did Sam Bankman-Fried write a post on X, offering Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez money in bitcoins to fund a 2028 presidential run? No, that's not true: As of this writing, there was no such post on his account. No credible media organizations published reports about the purported entry. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on February 24, 2026.…

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 Zohran Mamdani, Melania Trump, Sen. John Kennedy, Paul McCartney, or other prominent Americans go live with a 3 a.m. emergency monologue claiming they were under threat for secrets they were about to expose about President Donald Trump or former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories mentioning those and other names were published…

Do viral posts about a confrontation between AOC and Donald Trump's son Barron, with the involvement of Louisiana Senator John Neely Kennedy, describe a real-life event? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim, there is no video recording of an exchange that allegedly happened on the Senate floor. The posts appear to be part of foreign-operated networks that share…

Is there a rising number of $2.8 million statues erected or underway to honor people like Dolly Parton, George Strait, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, Shania Twain, Jimmy Page, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Waltz King André Rieu, and others? No, that's not true: Multiple social media posts using nearly identical language and the $2.8M figure have cranked out the story to appeal…

Did Jason Kelce say, "If Bad Bunny is a bad fit for the Super Bowl, then maybe the people making these comments are a bad fit for America's Future." No, that's not true: There were no actual news reports saying Kelce made this statement. In response to the viral rumor, Kelce made a post from his verified X account stating,…