Disney

Did the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) strip former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas of her NCAA National Championship record and refer her case to the Indiana state attorney for "possible fraud charges"? No, neither of those claims are true: This claim is from a satirical website, The Dunning-Kruger Times. There is no evidence Thomas is being stripped of…

Did actor Denzel Washington refuse to play the role of a "secretly gay" character in a Disney superhero movie? No, that's not true: A satirical website originally published the article that makes this claim. The story (archived here) was published by the Dunning-Kruger Times under the headline: Denzel Washington Refuses To Work for Disney's 'Woke Cinematic Universe' The article continued:…

Did Bud Light introduce a new "lol CRYBABIES" billboard campaign as a response to recent backlash over the brand's association with transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney? No, that's not true: This is not a real ad campaign from Bud Light. The "lol CRYBABIES" image is a digital manipulation by TikTok video creator @.jamisonlightfoot, who has posted other videos with…

Did Michael Jordan turn down a $120 million deal with Disney on April 3, 2023? No, that's not true: This story originated from the website The Dunning-Kruger Times, which has a disclaimer stating, "Everything on this website is fictional." This website is in connection with the satirical network, "America's Last Line of Defense." America's Last Line of Defense has a…

Can simply answering three or four questions and paying a nominal handling fee qualify people to redeem tickets, receive expensive products, $500 or even $1,000 gift cards, store credit or compensation from well-known brands? No, that's not true: In the first quarter of 2023, Lead Stories tracked a large-scale phishing operation on Facebook that manipulatively tricks people into divulging personal…

Is Mickey Mouse "clearly massaging his massive erection" in a video described on social media as an "old @Disney reel"? No, that's not true: A former Disney animator called the short clip a "forgery." The NSFW video takes isolated character elements from the 1928 Disney cartoon "Steamboat Willie" and combines them with new animation to create something that looks like…

Did Disney decide to remove Mickey Mouse as the official mascot in 2024 because the famous mouse's copyright is going to expire -- and will the purple dragon Figment take Mickey's place? No, that's not true: The claim, along with a digitally edited photo, originated on a satire website called mousetrapnews.com that specializes in fake stories about Disney parks. Clear…

Is Disney giving away $1 tickets for "women born before 1980"? No, that's not true: The company's website contains no mentions of this alleged promo campaign. The claim appears to be a bait likely aimed at making users share their personal information. The claim originated in a post on Facebook on January 30, 2023. It contained a shared link showing…

Will the face of Walt Disney replace Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill in 2023? No, that's not true: Neither the Walt Disney Company nor the U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced such a change as of January 23, 2023. The article that announced the purported change to the $100 U.S. note was made on a satirical website whose…

Did Elon Musk buy the ABC Network and cancel its daytime talk show "The View"? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated story that originated on a satire website run by Christopher Blair, who plainly discloses that "everything on this website is fiction." The story has been copied and reposted to another site without that disclaimer. The article from…