Lia Thomas

Did the Marines wear their uniforms without permission at a fundraiser at former President Donald Trump's Florida home Mar-a-Lago? No, that's not true: The event was a charitable fundraiser for Grey Team, a nonprofit that raises awareness about suicide prevention for veterans and the military. The gathering was not a political event and the former president was not present. The…

Did political commentator Candace Owens file a petition to ban collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas from women's sports? No, that's not true: This claim originally appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is otherwise no publicly available or credible evidence to support this claim. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook…

Did swimmer Lia Thomas say she's leaving the United States for a "More Tolerant Country"? No, that's not true: This claim originally appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website where this claim originated has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim reappeared in an article (archived here)…

Was transgender competitive swimmer Lia Thomas fired from her new high school coaching job after two weeks because "half the team quit"? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website where this claim originated has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim…

Did Lia Thomas decide to swim with a men's team after facing "extreme criticism" for transitioning and swimming with female teams? No, that's not true: This claim about the transgender woman swimmer comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics. The site says in its About section that it brings "the freshest fake…

Did conservative TV personality Candace Owens turn down an offer to be a host on "The View" television show while being quoted saying, "I'm not saving their dying show"? No, that's not true: This claim originated from an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is…

Is the International Space Station (ISS) in a swimming pool? No, that's not true: The ISS is in space, orbiting Earth, contrary to images on social media referring to the ISS as "International Swimming Station". The images show NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory with a full-size mock-up of the space station. It includes a large pool with technology used for training…

Is the NCAA transferring swimmer Lia Thomas' medals to Riley Gaines? No, that's not true: An NCAA spokesperson told Lead Stories that this claim is false. A site that originated the claim says its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seriously." The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on December 3, 2023 (archived here). Above a side-by-side…

Did the Walt Disney Company lose 23 million subscribers after "trying to cancel Elon Musk"? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on November…

Did music artist Carrie Underwood cancel all remaining shows with music artist Garth Brooks, saying she "didn't enjoy the booing"? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. That website has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article published by…