Entertainment

Did American country folk singer Oliver Anthony file a cease-and-desist order against Tim Walz for using one of Anthony's songs? No, that's not true: This story first appeared on a Facebook page that says it is all about satire and parodies. Its website has a disclaimer that says "Nothing on this page is real" and a Google search brought up…

Does a video show Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' pick as her vice presidential running mate, dancing in a cowboy hat and with dollar bills stuck in his pants? No, that's not true: The video has been altered to add Walz's face onto the person dancing. The original video is of musician Alejandro Casas, who is known as El Divo 956,…

Did Taylor Swift endorse Donald Trump in August 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Swift said she wanted people to vote for Trump in the 2024 presidential election campaign. The image of Swift as Uncle Sam with the phrase "TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP" appears to be AI generated. Swift endorsed Joe Biden…

Will staring at an image designed by a Japanese neurologist measure your stress levels depending on how fast elements of the image appear to be rotating? No, that's not true: The image is optical illusion art by Yurii Perepadia, a Ukrainian graphic designer. Elements of the image may appear to rotate based on what's called the "peripheral drift illusion." The…

Did conservative commentator Candace Owens sign a $25 million deal with ABC for her own morning show that is "going to replace The View"? No, that's not true: A satirical website first made this claim in July 2024. A post on Facebook in August 2024 appears to be AI-generated and resembles the satirical website's article. Neither ABC nor Owens has…

Did Michael Jordan reject a $400 million offer from Disney, saying he does not "collaborate with companies aligned with woke ideologies"? No, that's not true: An AI detector found that the article that said so was 99.9 percent likely to be AI-generated. The media didn't report that Jordan or his representatives rejected an offer from Disney. The claim appeared in…

Did Fox News broadcast a segment about online influencer MrBeast starting his own online casino "where everyone wins"? No, that's not true: The video contained signs of digital manipulation, and an AI-detection tool further confirmed that the segment was not authentic. A Fox News spokesperson denied that the network aired such a segment. Lead Stories found no traces of the…

Did Mel Gibson accuse Oprah Winfrey of selling children? No, that's not true: "None of this is true," Gibson's longtime publicist told Lead Stories. The post offered no evidence for the claim that the Hollywood actor was "gearing up" to confront Winfrey. Had Gibson done so it would have been extensively covered by the news media. The claim appeared in…

Did a viral video show authentic property records proving that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife bought an Italian villa from singer Sting for 75 million euros? No, that's not true: A screenshot of what looked like a document allegedly confirming the transaction was forged. When Lead Stories accessed the Italian property records database, authentic documents contained no traces…

Did actor Denzel Washington drop out of a $500 million project with Netflix, saying, "The company has gone woke"? No, that's not true: The report first appeared on a satirical website known for publishing made-up content. Washington's public relations representative told Lead Stories that the report is a "complete fabrication." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook…

Did the Academy of Country Music place a lifetime ban on entertainer Jack Black after his bandmate made comments about the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The false report was posted on a self-proclaimed "fake news" website. There also is no evidence that the Academy of Country Music proclaimed that Black was banned. The…

Does a scene from an episode of "The Simpsons" show that Lisa Simpson would win an election against former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: An image from an episode in which Trump did not appear was altered to substitute Trump's likeness, including the bandage he wore after a July, 2024 assassination attempt. The episode actually features a different,…

Did Netflix's stock drop almost 40 percent after a "big campaign donation announcement"? No, that's not true: The story originally came from a network of satirical websites and Facebook pages. A representative for Netflix confirmed public records showing the company's stock had not dropped 40 percent. Reed Hastings, Netflix's co-founder and executive chairman, did make a major personal donation to…

Did Taylor Swift announce they were scheduling a fundraising concert with Beyonce to support Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate? No, that's not true: Neither the singers, nor Harris has announced a fundraising concert. The stadium named in the article announcing the concert shows no such scheduled event on its website. The claim appeared in an article (archived here)…

Did Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance describe having sex with a couch in his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories searched through Vance's book and watched the movie adaptation. There was no reference to or description of such an event in the book or movie. The claim appeared in a post…

Did musician Bruce Springsteen announce that he will "leave the United States if Donald Trump is elected President in 2024," as a post on X claimed? There is no record that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer made such an announcement as of July 16, 2024. The post that made the claim had no evidence or record to prove…

Did an image of Donald Trump in a coffin drawn in the style of animated series "The Simpsons" predict the assasination attempt on Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: the image in question never appeared in a "Simpsons" episode. It has been online for several years and has been debunked by Lead Stories and…

Does an authentic photo show singer Mariah Carey holding a cellphone with a message that reads, "Palestine does not exist"? No, that's not true: The photo was digitally altered to change the original image on the phone, which displayed a game from a cellphone app. The real photo and app, which Carey also describes on her official Instagram account and…

Did Bill Cosby go to jail because of an oil company plot? No, that's not true: In 2016 there was talk of a gas company that wanted to use some of Cosby's land for a survey for a gas pipeline but the project never went through. The disgraced actor and comedian was convicted in 2018 of felony sex assault, which…

Is Garth Brooks selling his bar and leaving Nashville, Tennessee, saying, "I get no respect in this town"? No, that's not true: The site that originally posted the claim says its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seriously." Brooks' bar is open and will host a holiday event on July 4, 2024. Brooks' website states that as of…