Current Events

Did Metallica vocalist James Hetfield commit to pay for the education of Kirk's children, as multiple social media posts said? No, that's not true: There were no news reports or public statements backing up any of that. Hetfield has made no such announcement, nor have other celebrities whom social media engagement campaigns falsely claim are making the same "commitment." The…

Did Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk file a $40 million lawsuit against ABC, as is claimed in a social media post? No, that's not true: The story originated on a satirical Facebook page that clearly labels its content as fake. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The social media post…

Did Stephen Colbert announce he was opening a $10 million "paradise" for dogs and cats? No, that's not true: The story is completely made up. There is no evidence that Colbert has said that he will be spending $10 million to open a care center for stray pets. The article about the announcement is copy/paste clickbait and appears to generate…

Does a viral image show an authentic transcript of a conversation between Tyler Robinson and his roommate about how to become Muslim? No, that's not true: Most likely intended to be a joke, the picture showed a made-up exchange. No court record or credible media reports corroborate that Robinson, who was charged with killing the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, ever…

Did a real photo show Donald Trump slurping up a plate of spaghetti while King Charles III made a speech at a state banquet? No, that's not true: The picture of Trump with a mouthful of spaghetti has been digitally edited. At no time during the King's speech was Trump eating, and videos of the table show that there was…

Did Israel's Chief Rabbi, David Yosef, write a condolence letter to the family of Charlie Kirk on September 2, 2025 -- more than a week before Kirk was killed? No, that's not true: The letter was written on Sept. 12, 2025, but it was shared publicly online with a typing error -- it was dated September 2, 2025. In an…

Did a graphic including a short-haired person, labeled "Your body during pregnancy" appear in an official King's College Hospital NHS poster in the UK, as social media posts claim? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told Lead Stories the poster was not produced by the trust nor displayed at its hospitals. The…

Is a Texas man fighting for his life after he was bitten by black widow spiders that came out of a package he stole from a lady's porch? No, that's not true: This story is fiction, but may have been inspired by something that really did happen. The story about the Texas porch pirate originated in October 2024 from a…

Is there an authentic photo showing the White House lawn partially covered by a large banner that features the images of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: The banner is real and was displayed on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 15, 2025, but not on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C. A…

Did Metallica's frontman James Hetfield publicly suggest that the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was the result of "a dark plan"? No, that's not true: No credible media outlets reported that. The musician didn't write that on social media, either, because he is not on such platforms. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook, where it…

Does this photo, found in several viral social media posts, show the man that Mississippi police found hanging from a tree on September 15, 2025? No, that's not true: Police said the dead man found near the Ameristar Vicksburg Casino was Cory Zukatis. But, the Warren County Coroner said this photo is not Zukatis. The photo appeared in a September…

Was Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, also known as streamer Destiny, permanently removed from Twitch in the aftermath of his September 2025 comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination? No, that's not true: The real, indefinite ban still affecting streamer Destiny was already in effect before the killing of the conservative activist. It has been in effect since March 24, 2022. The claim…

Did Mookie Betts or other athletes say "If you want people to speak kindly about you after you're gone, then you should speak kindly while you're alive." in relation to the shooting of Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: The fake quote, also attributed online to Bryce Harper, Mike Norvell, Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy, Julian Sayin, Aaron Judge, Dwayne "The…

Is that a real photo of Sydney Sweeney in a Turning Point USA shirt? No, that's not true: The t-shirt photo that appeared on social media in September of 2025 is a manipulated copy of a paparazzo's photo taken three months earlier. Enough elements of the photo match to prove it's a fake: from the paparazzi in the background to…

Did a variety of musicians, athletes, and coaches issue a lifetime ban against a man who was filmed "celebrating" in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting? No, that's not true on two counts: First, the articles about the lifetime bans are not true. They are copy/paste clickbait slop -- a formula to intermingle names of celebrities with Charlie Kirk's…

Is a video showing Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk saying "I will never marry anyone else" after his death authentic? No, that's not true: The video is likely AI generated. Erika Kirk has spoken publicly once since her husband was shot and killed on September 10, 2025. In that appearance, she did not say she would never marry anyone else,…

Did a group of African men send a "God bless you" video message to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk because of his missionary work in Africa? No, that's not true: The video was produced by an African company that takes orders for birthday messages and other greetings online for a fee. There is no evidence that Kirk ever served as…

Did U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz paint over graffiti which said, "Release the Epstein Files"? No, that's not true: The image has been edited. The original image was shared on social media by Cruz and showed him painting over graffiti that said "F--- Charlie Kirk". The altered image appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @acnewsitics on Sept.…

Does a video posted on TikTok show two clips of Charlie Kirk's shooter on the roof of a Utah Valley University building when the fatal shot was fired? No, that's not true: The post uses two different video clips and the first one does not show the shooter. It shows a building over Kirk's right shoulder, an impossible angle for…

Did the late Charlie Kirk say "Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously" as social media posts claim? No, that's not a precise quote: Attacking affirmative action, Kirk slammed by name four prominent liberal Black women . On his podcast, he specifically criticized Rep. Shirley Jackson Lee, D-Texas, TV host Joy Reid, Supreme Court…