Entertainment

Does footage on social media show Israelis panicking and running after Iranian missiles and drones hit Israel's airspace April 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The footage had already been on social media for a week when Iran attacked Israel. It shows a crowd running on April 6, 2024 toward the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where former…

Did online talk show host Tucker Carlson release a photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "captured" and being sent to a high-security prison in Russia? No, that's not true: The image posted on social media is a screenshot from the Ukrainian sitcom series "Servant of the People" that Zelenskyy starred in before becoming president of Ukraine. The show's production company…

Did MSNBC "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski state that tycoon Elon Musk can "control exactly what people think," as social media posts claimed in April 2024? No, that's not true: In the clip in these posts, Brzezinski talked about then-President Donald Trump, stating he "can actually control exactly what people think" by having "undermined the messaging." She did not mention…

Did Hollywood director Mel Gibson and actor Mark Wahlberg "join hands to create a non-woke film production studio," as a post on Instagram claims? No, that's not true: The meme image and caption that make this claim were taken word for word from an article published by a self-described satirical website. None of the website's content is real, according to…

Did Snoop Dogg endorse gummies that cause people to stop smoking and were the gummies created by alternative health practitioner Barbara O'Neill? No, that's not true: There is no evidence he has ever made such an endorsement. The video making the claim uses altered material for both Snoop Dogg and O'Neill. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on…

Is a photo of singer Taylor Swift holding a banner that reads "TRUMP WON DEMOCRATS CHEATED" authentic? No, that's not true: The photo is edited to show Swift holding a banner. The original image is a video posted by the entertainment publication Variety showing Swift on the red carpet at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Swift is wearing long black gloves…

Is NASA keeping vintage cars in a parking lot to prepare for an electromagnetic pulse "blast"? No, that's not true: The vehicles shown in a questioning video on social media were part of a movie titled "Fly Me To The Moon" which was filmed at a NASA facility. There were several images taken of the location during production of the…

Is Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024, in the Netflix movie "Leave the World Behind"? No, that's not true: Publicly available footage from the movie shows that the film contains no images or footage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship. The social media post that makes this…

Did country music star Jason Aldean say a "straight day of visibility concert" is happening? No, that's not true: This article originated from a website that labels itself satire. The site has a disclaimer that describes it as part of a network of "parody, satire, and tomfoolery." There is no evidence to support the claim that Aldean said this. The…

Did singer Kelly Clarkson promote ketogenic gummies to lose weight in a Facebook video? No, that's not true: The audio has been edited from a video originally posted on Clarkson's Facebook page. Lead Stories searched and found no evidence that Clarkson has promoted gummies for weight loss. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) where it was published…

Did celebrity actor Tom Hanks and singer Taylor Swift boycott the Oscars over its supposedly "woke" policies, and assert that "We stand for true talent"? No, that's not true: This is a clickbait story with no proof to support its claim. Although Hanks did not attend the 2024 Oscars, agency photos prove that he was at an earlier event run…

Did a guest on the talk show "The View" tell actress Whoopi Goldberg, one of the show's co-hosts, that she was "full of shit"? No, that's not true: A self-described social media personality named Damon Imani, who has appeared in previous Lead Stories fact checks, edited himself into an episode of "The View" for satirical purposes. Imani does not appear…

Did "The Simpsons" TV show predict that a ship would crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore Harbor? No, that's not true: The image purportedly foretelling the crash was created using artificial intelligence, based on the results of three image analysis tools used by Lead Stories. Additionally, there is no evidence the image ever appeared online ahead of…

Did former President Donald Trump once brag about going backstage at the "Miss Teen USA show" when "everyone's getting dressed and ready," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: There is no record of Trump having made such a statement. The post misrepresented Trump's genuine words. During a 2005 interview with Howard Stern, Trump discussed going backstage…

Does an image circulating on social media showing what appear to be skinned human hands in vacuum-sealed packages provide evidence of human meat on the market? No, that's not true: Many clues in the image point to it having been generated with an AI program. The earliest copy of the image Lead Stories has identified was posted on a Facebook…

Does stretching the back and arms improve liver and spleen function by stimulating certain "meridians," as a post on Facebook suggested? No, that's not true: A gastroenterologist told Lead Stories that "there is no conclusive scientific evidence that meridians exist" and "no evidence that [stretching] can be used to improve liver and spleen function." The page that posted the claim…

Did the commercial broadcasting network ABC confirm the cancellation of its television talk show "The View" in March 2024 because it was the "worst show in history," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: ABC confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim was false. The post in question was published on the self-described satire page SpaceX Fanclub.…

Was actress Whoopi Goldberg "fired" from her hosting position on "The View" in March 2024? No, that's not true: The Facebook page this claim appeared on explicitly labels themselves a "Network of Satire and Parody." Lead Stories could find no evidence that Goldberg had been released from her job on "The View." The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived…

Does a video circulating on social media show a Russian propagandist's outtake -- a live actor having a cigarette break while pretending to be a corpse after the deadly March 22, 2024, music venue attack in Moscow? No, that's not true: This video - which has been used in disinformation repeatedly - does show actors. This is a behind-the-scenes view…

Did Elon Musk say he might buy the TV talk show "The View" just so he could cancel it -- as claimed in a meme on social media? No, that's not true: The text caption and composite image showing show co-host Whoopi Goldberg and Elon Musk originated in a March 4, 2023, article on the satirical website Patriot Party Press.…