Entertainment

Does a video watermarked "ZXHK EDITX" authentically show a fight involving multiple adolescents? No, that's not true: A 2025 post recycled old footage. It was originally published by an account of a French stunt school. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X where it was published on May 1, 2025. It opened: They didn't expect this. The…

Does a set of before-and-after pictures authentically depict Miley Cyrus in May, 2025? No, that's not true: No contemporaneous photo shows the singer looking like the cadaverous caricature shown in a social media post. Tools for detection of generative AI images show the image on the right was concocted using AI tools. The images appeared in a May 1, 2025…

Does a viral video on social media authentically document a passenger who threw a tantrum over not getting a seat in first class, wouldn't get off and had to be dragged from the plane? No, that's not true: The "passenger" is an actor who has appeared in multiple social media videos, playing a flight attendant, a passenger, a store clerk…

Do viral videos prove the existence of a creature named "Sleeping Rose Mantis" that transforms itself into a flower? No, that's not true: No databases of scientific literature reviewed by Lead Stories showed any mentions of such an insect. The videos were initially published by an account that mentioned generative AI tools in their descriptions. The claim appeared in a…

Was a video of Superbowl MVP Jalen Hurts enjoying a concert with his wife Bry Burrows recorded while his Philadelphia Eagles teammates visited President Donald Trump at the White House in April 2025? No, that's not true: The clip was recorded in July 2024. Hurts was one of several players who did not attend the traditional White House visit. The…

Did "The Simpsons" predict that April 29, 2025 will become "the day everything stops"? No, that's not true: The internet rumor originated from an account that posts "fictional stories". The video never used a direct video citation from the series. Lead Stories analysis of the visual sequence suggested it was created with generative AI. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a viral video authentically show a French teacher reacting to students bullying each other by kicking and punching them using Chinese martial arts? No, that's not true: The video was originally put out by Campus Univers Cascades, a French training center for stunt techniques. The video features trained professionals and was recorded and originally shared on social media for…

Was basketball player Steph Curry's mother Sonia denied service at a Ferrari dealership and did this lead to the creation of a campaign named "Respect in Every Space" in collaboration with Under Armour? No, that's not true: The viral social media story is very likely fictional as there is no trace of such a campaign on the website of Under…

Did American talk show host, actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell go public to complain about life in Ireland and discuss a contemplated return to the United States? No, that's not true: The viral rumor was not grounded in facts. On the day of its inception, O'Donnell said the opposite -- that she enjoyed her life in Ireland and was in…

Did JD Vance's sister take to social media to ask internet trolls to stop saying the Vice President killed Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The video is one of a series by comedian Blaire Erskine in which she has played roles such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's baby sitter and a Trump voter waiting in the cold for a…

Did now-retired soccer player Megan Rapinoe lose her job at ESPN after one day in April 2025? No, that's not true: The story originated from a network known for publishing made-up stories with satire labels. As of April 23, 2025, no credible sources had reported Rapinoe was fired. The claim originated from an article (archived here) on the Dunning-Kruger Times…

Did Tom Cruise mock Nicholas Riccio, husband of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles in 2025, and did Leavitt and Riccio publicly expose Cruise on stage? No, that's not true: A YouTube video recounting the story was no more than fantasy fiction. We found no record of any such incident at any awards…

Did Whoopi Goldberg flee the country after an $800 million lawsuit from Karoline Leavitt had a "speed up"? No, that's not true: A viral video making that claim was largely AI generated. No actual news outlet has reported on such a lawsuit, which would have been huge news if it really existed. The story appeared in a viral video (archived…

Did Jimmy Kimmel kick Clint Eastwood off his show in April 2025? No, that's not true: Searches across the website of ABC, which airs the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, demonstrated that Eastwood was not a guest between January 1, and April 18, 2025. Posts about the purported controversy used what appeared to be AI-generated narration and offered no footage of…

Did a photograph show a fake hand on board the crew capsule after an April 14, 2025, Blue Origin space flight, suggesting the whole endeavor was a hoax? No, that's not true: The photograph did show the hand of a mannequin, but it was taken after a December 2017 test flight, not the crewed mission in 2025. The picture, placed…

Did a widely shared image accurately depict the all-female crew of a Blue Origin spaceflight, with one post describing it as "one giant leap for Botox"? No, that's not true: The image was digitally edited. The original picture was taken by Justin Hamel for the New York Times and showed Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Lauren Sánchez…

Did a video authentically show someone proving Starbucks is running a "Coffee Scam" by showing all cup sizes contain an equal amount of coffee? No, that's not true: The video was published by an account that says it publishes "magic, pranks and games". In a later video the account claims to "explain" the trick by repeating it with coffee being…

Did tech billionaire Elon Musk "step in" to take care of an infant left behind by its parents? No, that's not true: The viral rumor originated from AI generated images coupled with AI generated text. As of April 15, 2025, no credible media outlet reported the purported event. The claim reappeared a post (archived here) published on Facebook on April…

Did Rick Harrison from the TV show "Pawn Stars" receive a sentence of life imprisonment in March 2025? No, that's not true: Videos claiming that the Las Vegas reality TV star had been convicted of "trafficking looted artifacts" were no more than fantasy fiction. Harrison appeared on his podcast, and posted on social media, several times after his supposed incarceration.…

Do viral posts tell a real-life story about Elon Musk meeting Keanu Reeves in a heated televised exchange in 2025? No, that's not true: No credible media outlet reported such a debate, as of April 9, 2025. Many of the social media posts about the supposed confrontation resorted to the apparent use of generative AI to make images that barely…