Entertainment

Did police arrest Annie Guthrie and seize her vehicle after finding something "deeply disturbing" in the investigation of her mother Nancy Guthrie's disappearance? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, there was no evidence that Annie Guthrie was in police custody. This false claim about the sister of NBC "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was created by a…

Does a viral image show a real post on Craigslist that offered $200 for attending Kid Rock's performance at Turning Point USA's alternative to the NFL Super Bowl halftime show? No, that's not true: There was no proof the screenshot showed a real post. Lead Stories found differences between what other posts look like on Craigslist and the post in…

Is this a real image of a People magazine post about the cast of Netflix's reboot of The Little House on the Prairie? No, that's not true: People did post a message on Facebook in January 2025 announcing a new version, but used a photo of the original cast from the 1970s series. The people shown in the image on…

Does a viral video show security camera footage recovered by police that shows the exact moment Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, disappeared? No, that's not true: The Pima County Sheriff, whose office is investigating the kidnapping, has not released security camera footage collected by investigators. Multiple visual artifacts show that it's likely AI-generated or AI-altered video from a different circumstance, mis-labelled…

Did police blockade Tommaso Cioni's home with him inside as their probe into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance "suddenly" focused on the son-in-law as a suspect? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, there was no evidence that police had surrounded Cioni's home. This false claim about Savannah Guthrie's brother-in-law was created by a Vietnam-based spam factory. The claim appeared…

Does a video show Erika Kirk's entrance at the Turning Point USA halftime show, wearing a green robe, short shorts and a midriff-baring top? No, that's not true: Erika Kirk never took the stage during the "TPUSA All-American Halftime Show". This video does not show Erika Kirk or the Feb. 8, 2026 TPUSA program -- it shows pro wrestler Charlotte…

Was the little boy who Bad Bunny handed his Grammy trophy to during the Super Bowl halftime show Liam Ramos, the 5-year-old Columbia Heights, Minn., boy detained by ICE in January 2026? No, that's not true: The boy is actor Lincoln Fox. A spokesperson for the child's school told Lead Stories that "Liam and his family are sequestered during this…

Is a viral image showing Bad Bunny burning a flag while preparing for the Super Bowl halftime show real? No, that's not true: The image, featuring the singer wearing a white, blue and pink striped dress and igniting an American flag using a lighter, first appeared on a Facebook account that says it publishes satire. It also contained a SynthID…

Was Turning Point USA's alternative Super Bowl halftime show with Kid Rock cancelled after too many artists dropped out, as viral online rumors say? No, that's not true: There have been no announcements about a cancellation of TPUSA's "All American Halftime Show." The rumor likely originated from confusion with the cancellation of a single South Carolina tour stop in a…

Did scientists at Harvard University create a 3D model depicting what Mary, Mother of Jesus, might have looked like? No, that's not true: This is an AI-generated image based on the likeness of Madonna, the "Queen of Pop". The joke post follows a formula which has been circulating for years online in which the face of a modern celebrity is…

Is a photo of Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump cuddling with Jeffrey Epstein and Brett Ratner authentic? No, that's not true: The image in the social media post is clearly labeled "satire," and the caption states it is satire. The image was created by an artificial intelligence tool, according to an AI-generated content detector. The claim appeared in a February…

Did Karoline Leavitt say the Melania Trump movie sold more tickets than Star Wars? No, that's not true: The creator of the post stated that they made it up as satire. The White House press secretary did not say the movie about President Donald Trump's wife sold more tickets than Star Wars. The claim appeared as a February 1, 2026,…

Does the name of Mira Nair, the mother of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, appear in the Epstein files? Yes, that is true: Lead Stories located an email that mentions her appearance at an afterparty for one of her films. The event occurred in 2009. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on February 1, 2026. It…

Does a video show a Disney park character in a Minnie Mouse costume smoking and giving the middle finger during a break? No, that's not true: Videos online show this same man in the same suit standing on the Las Vegas Strip, where people are known to dress up as various characters and solicit tips from tourists. There is no…

Is a video that shows a man who is unhappy when his french fries are spilled in a McDonald's during an earthquake in Toronto real? No, that's not true: The short clip was created by an artificial intelligence tool, according to an AI-generated content detector. Implausible details in the scene like garbled text and a shape-shifting hamburger also indicate it…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump write on Truth Social that the documentary about his wife, Melania, will become mandatory in history classes, while calling her "Melanie"? No, that's not true: No such post could be found on his account. Lead Stories searched an archive of Trump's posts, which did not produce any evidence that the viral image showed a real…

Did Stevie Nicks, Tom Brady, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Elon Musk, or dozens of other entertainers, sports stars, or media figures defend Donald Trump from accusations he's authoritarian and trying to cancel elections? No, that's not true: The identical story is told about at least 55 celebrities who purportedly said "This disorder is being used to scare Americans. To convince…

Did Millie Bobby Brown say that being deported is not the end of the world, and that "there's a literal genocide in Gaza"? No, that's not true: The fake quote attributed to Brown originated from an account that frequently posts fake quotes attributed to celebrities. The account does not have any satire or parody disclaimer, but their content output provides…

Is the image of a man dressed in a pink dress wearing a gold crown a real photo of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old man shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota? No, that's not true: The person shown wearing the pink dress is an altered image of Ben Taylor, a comedian who appeared on the reality show Fishtank. The…

Did Tom Brady and three dozen other sports and entertainment celebrities confirm that Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse fatally shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, was a relative? No, that's not true: The claim was made about at least 36 different athletes and entertainers in posts published on dozens of fake Facebook fan pages aimed at American and European…