Entertainment

Did USAID pay Pizza Hut $150 million "to renovate and modernize" in 1997? No, that's not true: The post making the viral claim on social media offered no evidence to support it. Lead Stories found no credible reports proving it, either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on February 6, 2025. It opened: USAID paid…

Does a video actually show Karoline Leavitt and Whoopi Goldberg together on "The View," with Goldberg walking off the set? No, that's not true: A now-deleted TikTok video with a caption misspelling Leavitt's first name as "Caroline" was generated using AI. In reality, Leavitt hasn't appeared on "The View" since becoming White House press secretary (or before that). A copy…

Did White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt kick "The View" host Whoopi Goldberg off the show after "heated clash on Live TV"? No, that's not true: The story narrated in a viral video was likely written by AI, according to online detection tools. As of February 24, 2025, there is no evidence that Goldberg had been fired from the daily…

Is a video in which pop star Taylor Swift announces a breakup with athlete Travis Kelce and where she says she's looking to date a basketball player real? No, that's not true: The video in which Swift appears to say, "I don't date losers, I only date winners" originated on a YouTube channel specializing in AI deepfakes. An online detection…

Was the TV show "The View" officially cancelled after decades on air, as a viral article claimed? No, that's not true: The story appears to have been written using AI and was published on an anonymously registered website that lists no owners or publishers. There have been no official announcements on ABC's website regarding a cancellation of The View. The…

Does a viral photo really show gymnast Simone Biles pregnant with a clearly visible baby bump posing next to her husband Jonathan Owens who is wearing a suit and bow tie? No, that's not true: A detection tool indicated the image of the Olympic gold medalist was generated using AI. Biles posted pictures to her Instagram account only days ago…

Does a viral video authentically show a C-17 Globemaster plane taking off from an aircraft carrier? No, that's not true: The viral clip was copied from a YouTube channel with an explicit disclaimer saying all footage is made "using simulator games." The Globemaster typically needs a runway well over 3,000 feet -- much more than a typical aircraft carrier has…

Did Carrie Underwood win a billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against "The View" or did she even sue them? No, that's not true: The story alleging there was a lawsuit involving comments on "The View" about Underwood's performance at President Trump's inauguration was put out by a number of clickbait channels on YouTube, but it was not backed up by any sources…

Is British singer Sam Smith "self-partnered," meaning that they are not single but in a relationship with themselves? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page with a clear disclaimer. There is no evidence that Smith ever made that declaration about their dating status, as of this writing. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Is the MSNBC television program hosted by the former White House press secretary named "Inside Jen Psaki"? No, that's not true: The program is called "Inside With Jen Psaki." An image circulating on social media had been digitally edited to remove the word "with." The edited image appears in a post (archived here) on X on February 18, 2025. It…

Does a video captioned "Free headphones hack" shared on social media authentically show a Black man stealing a train passenger's headphones? No, that's not true: The video was first posted by a social media creator who shares similar ones of him stealing people's items from trains and dancing afterward as part of an ongoing sketch series. It was reshared to…

Is a viral article claiming country singer Chris Stapleton filed an official objection to Beyoncé winning a Grammy based on actual news events? No, that's not true: There is no record of Stapleton saying "Eveп she admits this is пot a coυпtry albυm." as the story claimed. Stapleton's social media profiles and website do not mention any such objection and…

Was TV host Joy Behar arrested at the airport trying to flee the country after a $50M lawsuit involving comments about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt? No, that's not true: The story narrated in a viral video was written by AI according to online detection tools, and there have been no actual news reports about any such lawsuit. An…

Is a video of President Trump's son Barron Trump singing a song on the show "America's Got Talent" authentic? No, that's not true: The YouTube channel that originally published it said the song and video were created with the help of AI technology. This was confirmed using AI detection tools. There were several signs the video was AI generated such…

Did the actor and film director Ron Howard write an essay on why "I'm a liberal," enumerating 16 key beliefs? No, that's not true: The original 2018 essay, written in the form of an open letter, was published by author Lori Gallagher Witt. Her Facebook post went viral and has since been subjected to several unauthorized revisions and misattributions. In…

Did Oprah Winfrey announce she is ending her talk show and moving to Italy, saying "I can't live in the U.S. for the next four years and breathe the same air as Elon Musk" as online article claimed? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Winfrey made any such statment, and the "Oprah Winfrey Show" ended in 2011. An…

Did the NFL admit to canceling Elon's DOGE Super Bowl ads as several viral social media posts say? No, that's not true: This claim originated on a satirical Facebook page with a clear disclaimer. The page owner is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on February…

Is a grayscale video of various celebrities wearing a t-shirt featuring a Star of David on a hand giving the finger to Kanye West a real ad? No, that's not true: The AI generated video, set to the tune of Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila", appears to show Scarlett Johansson, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Sacha Baron Cohen, David…

Is a picture of a goat statue covered in fake money with President Donald Trump's face on it being displayed at Mar-a-Lago real? Yes it appears so: Video of the statue appeared on the Instagram account of Project G.O.A.T., which calls itself an "art-based awareness and support campaign in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children." Details…

Does a photo on social media show a man flipping off President Donald Trump during the 2025 Super Bowl game? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found evidence of the photo being posted online since 2023. Social media posts of the photo indicated it was taken at a college football game in Iowa on September 9, 2023. Media outlets widely…