Entertainment

Did actor James Woods warn the FBI about 9/11 a month before it happened? No, that's not true: Woods said in the same interview being used to make this claim that he "did not report this to the FBI before September 11" and denies the idea that he told the FBI about his suspicions and they did nothing: "That's completely…

Does this video show a real asteroid crashing into the moon, prompting an explosion following the collision? No, that's not true: Lead Stories determined through a reverse image search that the footage in question was first posted by a YouTube creator in February 2023 and was later shared by an account on Instagram that confirmed the clip was created using…

Did talk show host and podcaster Megyn Kelly say she "contracted Vaccine Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS)" after getting the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine? No, that's not true: On "The Megyn Kelly Show" in early September 2023, she said, "I tested positive for an autoimmune issue at my annual physical." She never mentions VAIDS, which is not a real medical condition.…

Is this video showing a Jeep partially buried in the mud from the 2023 Burning Man gathering, and was that event "declared a national disaster"? No, that's not true: The online presence of the video predates the 2023 Burning Man gathering by at least a week, and there was no national disaster declaration stemming from Burning Man. The claim appeared…

Was a state of emergency declared due to an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada? No, that's not true: There were no reports of known or suspected Ebola cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the agency confirmed to Lead Stories on September 5, 2023. Burning Man representatives confirmed to Lead Stories that…

Did Fox News broadcast a report displaying an image of an Asian man suspected of fatally shooting a person with a chyron that reads, "Shooter described 'mostly white Asian male'"? No, that's not true: A Fox News spokesperson told Lead Stories that this image "was never broadcasted on Fox News and is not authentic." The claim appeared in an Instagram…

Did country singer Jason Aldean refuse a $1 million paycheck to sing the national anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl, saying, "I'll do it for free"? No, that's not true: This claim came from a satirical website. Google News' index of thousands of credible news sites did not confirm that Aldean had turned down the paycheck, had made such a…

Did conservative TV personality Candace Owens call professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe an "angry toddler" while debating Rapinoe on a segment of her show, "Candace"? No, that's not true: A representative of Rapinoe told Lead Stories this is "false information." Also, this claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim appeared in…

Was the Obamas' personal chef writing a tell-all book before his "mysterious death"? No, that's not true: There is no proof shown in a video making the claim that Tafari Campbell was writing a book about the former president and first lady at the time of his death near their Martha's Vineyard home. The video purports to be from "Inside…

Does an image show a single man in China breaking up couples' seating arrangements in a movie theater on Valentine's Day? No, there's no evidence of that: The image actually shows the reopening of a movie theater in Beijing amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on August 16, 2023. The…

Have Latvia's "secret plans" to invade Russia recently been exposed? And does information from military archives confirm these plans? No, that's not true: The author of the claim later publicly referred to it as "obvious satire." The story originated from an entry (archived here) published on X, formerly known as Twitter, on August 10, 2023. The post stated: ‼️BREAKING: Recently…

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…