Satire Origin

Did former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney die at 83 on December 30, 2024? No, that's not true: The social media account that reported this story has "parody artist" in its X bio and calls its posts "bait." A Google News search did not include any results that would back up the claim Cheney had died. The…

Did journalists report President-elect Donald Trump responded negatively to TikTok trends urging people "to bring kazoos, recorders, and vuvuzelas to interrupt his speech" at the January 20, 2025, inauguration? No, that's not true: The story originated from an account on X with a satire label stating that it doesn't "report the facts." No information about this supposed post has been…

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…

Did Texas ban Pride flags in school classrooms as of December 16, 2024? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The first comment under the post included a link to the self-described satire website esspots.com. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did George Clooney leave the United States permanently for England after Donald Trump was elected president in 2024, with Clooney saying he "can't take the red wave anymore"? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The first comment under the post included…

Did Elon Musk say he would release a "bombshell" client list tied to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and financier Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The first comment under the post included a link to the self-described satire website…

Did The Daily Mail report that Sen. Lindsey Graham is a pedophile who "plied boys with drugs and sexually assaulted them" and breached parole after his release from jail? No, that's not true: An account on X plastered a photo of Graham onto an authentic Mail article about an Australian politician to make it look like Graham was the subject…

Did CNN publish an article calling the "Chill Guy" meme a "figurehead of racist right wingers"? No, that's not true: A screenshot of a real article from 2019 was edited to make it look like it was about the meme. A fake headline and a new opening paragraph was added, and the date on the article was changed to 2024.…

Did actor Tom Hanks withdraw his 2025 Oscar nominations and leave the United States, saying "I've had enough" in an Instagram video? No, that's not true: This story comes from a self-described satirical website whose About Us page announces it is "dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity." Lead Stories found no sign in…

Did the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs say they are boycotting Pride Nights? No, that's not true: Neither the Steelers nor the Chiefs have publicly stated they were boycotting Pride Nights. The post saying so did not offer any evidence to back up its claim but it seems to have originated on a website with a satire disclaimer. The…