Will Smith

Did Steven Tyler start a $1 million cat sanctuary called "Whiskers & Wings", in October 2025? No, that's not true: That widely-shared story, and the image that came with it, did not portray real events. We found no record of any such announcement on Tyler's social media profiles, or in news archives. The story appeared in an October 20, 2025,…

Is the viral video of Ozzy Osbourne saying "This was my final performance" an authentic recording of the late rocker? No, that's not true: It's an AI concoction. AI detection software found evidence that faces were manufactured for the video. The voice-over does not match statements issued by Osbourne, nor any fact-based reporting of his comments about his final concert…

Did a Florida court rule that two newsrooms have to be stripped of their Pulitzer Prizes for covering the role of Russia in the 2016 election campaign? No, that's not true: The court's ruling was procedural. The judge only allowed the case to continue, denying the defendants' petition for a stay. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on…

Did the actor Will Smith testify during the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs in May 2025? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in a YouTube video whose description labeled it "fictional". Despite widespread and intensive news coverage, no outlet covering the trial has mentioned any testimony by Smith. The rumor appeared in a May 22, 2025, video on YouTube…

Does a viral post show an Australian man being arrested for trying to take AU$5,000 from his bank account at a Commonwealth Bank branch in a suburb of Sydney? No, that's not true: Police records show the man was arrested for behaving offensively in public, not for any financial crime. He was also charged with hindering officers who tried to…

Has actor Will Smith died as of March 25, 2025? No, that's not true: Smith appeared alive in Philadelphia to celebrate the naming of a street in his childhood neighborhood "Will Smith Way" on March 26, 2025. A social media post on a Facebook group page created just a day earlier included a photo from an unrelated 2022 car crash…

Are two homicide suspects named Seth Chancey and Madison Smith on the run for the killing of 10-month-old Derrick Taylor as of March 24, 2025? No, that's not true: The posts are fake, part of a bait-and-switch scam aimed at luring social media users to ad posts designed to harvest personal and financial information. These posts use mugshots taken from…

Are two homicide suspects named Shaila Bradshaw and Tyler Chapman on the run for the killing of 8-month-old Marquel Smith as of March 24, 2025? No, that's not true: The posts are fake, part of a bait-and-switch scam aimed at luring social media users to ads designed to harvest personal and financial information. These posts use mugshots taken from posts…

Is a "Homicide Bureau" searching for "Tyler Chapman" and "Shaila Bradshaw" over "the death of eight-month-old Marquel Smith"? No, that's not true: Facebook posts calling on readers to be on the lookout for them in various locations used mugshots of unrelated people. The posts are part of a common social media scam that tricks people into liking or sharing a…

Did a story about JAG arresting Phyllis Fong, the USDA inspector general who defied her dismissal by President Donald Trump, originate on a news website? No, that's not true: The story first appeared on Real Raw News, a site with a legal disclaimer that says it "contains humor, parody, and satire." The site has a long history of publishing made-up…