Entertainment

Is the unusually fast publication speed for the book "Fire and Fury: The Story of the 2023 Maui Fire and Its Implications for Climate Change" a sign that something is suspicious -- that the author either was tipped off the disaster was going to happen, was in on it, or supernaturally predicted it? No, that's not true: The 44-page book…

Have Stephen King's book sales dropped 70 percent since he "went woke"? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim originated in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on August 13, 2023, titled "Stephen King's Book Sales Have Dropped 70 Percent Since He Went Woke" (archived…

Did child rapper and foul-mouthed internet sensation Tay "Lil Tay" Tian die on or about August 9, 2023? No, that's not true: No official records document the death after her Instagram page featured a statement announcing the death of the 14-year-old and her elder brother. The unsigned text-only post was written as though it came from her family and provided…

Does a social media video show a giant Barbie-doll hologram walking out of a Barbie box next to Dubai's Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the world's tallest building? No, that's not true: This footage displays a computer-generated image (CGI) video created by a social media ad company based in the United Arab Emirates. The company combined a separate video clip of the…

Did actor Tom Selleck speak out in support of country music star Jason Aldean, saying, "I'm from a small town," as of August 10, 2023? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. Multiple credible media outlets have also reported that Selleck was born and raised in big cities…

Did professional golfer John Daly make a derogatory/homophobic statement about professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe and her performance at the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: The comment was posted on a parody social media account, not on Daly's official social media pages nor in any legitimate news sources. Playing for the U.S. women's team in the 2023 World…

Did Martin Lewis, a popular British financial journalist, endorse an investment platform featuring Elon Musk? No, that's not true: Lewis himself confirmed this is a fake video. This video is a deepfake creation that used Lewis' head from a different video, changed how his lips moved and substituted fabricated audio for Lewis' voice. The authentic video of Lewis speaking on…

Did "The Simpsons" predict the new X logo for Twitter, which appeared as an icon on Homer Simpson's iPhone in an episode released on May 13, 2012? No, that's not true: This cartoon image has been altered to include the new "X" logo, but this is not what the cartoon showed originally. The 2012 cartoon did display an icon with…

Does a photo of Angelina Jolie in a wheelchair with an amputated leg confirm "very sad news" about the actress? No, that's not true: The photo appears to be a doctored image of Jolie's head on the body of a woman in Scotland whose leg was amputated in January 2023. News outlets published photos of Jolie in public as recently…

Does a social media video provide evidence of a "new odd blight on corn" that follows the path of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed sections of the United States from January 28, 2023, through February 4, 2023? No, that's not true: The video is a comedy skit by digital creator John Gerard Gillar. Also, there are no credible news…

Were DJ Avicii, Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell and Anthony Bourdain all killed because of their work on a child sex trafficking documentary called "The Silent Children"? No, that's not true: The producer of the movie told Lead Stories that any connection between the "long abandoned" documentary project and the four men in the social media post is "completely untrue, and…

Has Mike Tyson, a former professional boxer, died as of August 2, 2023? No, that's not true: A Tyson representative told Lead Stories that this claim is "fake news." Tyson has also been active on his verified social media accounts since this claim was published. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on July 26, 2023. The caption opened:…

Is a children's "ankle monitor" toy a genuine product sold in Walmart stores and manufactured by a company named Little Yikes? No, that's not true: A video of the "toy" shared widely on social media in July 2023 was created by spoof company Legboot, which makes "bootleg stuff" and pretends the products are authentic merchandise in real stores. The creator…

Is there a "Good Harvest" company that produces "human steak" for human consumption? No, that's not true: Good Harvest and its "human steak" is an invention of the creators of a spoof documentary. The mockumentary is meant as a satirical commentary on the rising cost of living in Britain. The program's host subsequently wrote, "The whole thing was made up."…

Did country music star Jason Aldean file a defamation suit against host Whoopi Goldberg and the talk show "The View"? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a self-described satirical website aimed at trolling conservatives. That website, The Dunning-Kruger Times, has a disclaimer that describes itself as part of a network of "parody, satire, and tomfoolery" and says, "Everything…

Did producers for ABC's talk show "The View" rescind an invitation to Jason Aldean to be a guest on the show after he surprised them by accepting their disingenuous offer? No, that's not true: This article was published by The Dunning-Kruger Times, a publication from the satire network America's Last Line of Defense (ALLOD). The website has a clear disclaimer…

Did country star Jason Aldean fire his agent for agreeing to censor his "Try That in a Small Town" music video? No, that's not true: The claim about Aldean's video was published by a satirical website known for posting made-up stories. The story was reportedly based on an anonymous source "who may or may not be a random Uber Eats…

Did American actor Elijah Wood offer Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to cure drug and alcohol addiction" on Instagram? No, that's not true: The actor doesn't post Instagram stories publicly. Wood did not say anything that would imply he was addressing Zelenskyy specifically in the heavily edited clip circulating on social media. The claim appeared in a tweet published on July…

Did "Science Guy" Bill Nye state that there was "no place to go" in reference to space exploration, seeming to support claims that NASA, the International Space Station (ISS) and related space exploration programs were a hoax? No, that's not true: In a 2015 interview, Nye responded to a question involving the concept of whether trash should be sent to…

Is Ellen DeGeneres appearing in an online video to endorse a free "Dental Relief card" for older Americans? No, that's not true: The video appears to be a deepfake creation. A spokesperson for the actress and comedian confirmed to Lead Stories that DeGeneres never endorsed such a product. The story originated in a post on Facebook on July 16, 2023.…