Michelle Obama

Did Bloomberg publish a story saying that former President Barack Obama was a "middle man" for the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at J.P. Morgan? Did Obama help the disgraced financier to foster ties with the banking institution? No, that's not true: Bloomberg did not write anything remotely similar in August 2023. The claim on social media distorted a Bloomberg…

Did then-President Barack Obama refer to his wife Michelle as "Michael" during a speech in 2011? No, that's not true: He was talking about Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's son then-Lt. Michael Edward Mullen. This clip takes a moment from a speech out of context. Obama was listing the members of Adm. Mullen's family during a September 30, 2011, Change of…

Did Barack and Michelle Obama's story change about where they were when their personal chef Tafari Campbell drowned near their Massachusetts home, "altering the story to say they were indeed on the property" when Campbell went missing? No, that's not true: Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that the former president and his wife were "not present at the…

Did Tafari Campbell, the Obamas' chef who drowned in July 2023 while paddleboarding, make a post two years ago stating that he had information that would lead to Barack Obama's arrest? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated post shared by the right-wing meme account @PepeLivesMatter. Campbell never suggested he had incriminating evidence about Barack Obama on social media,…

Does this video show former President Barack Obama's son at a political rally in Kenya? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Obama has a son. The original video was found on YouTube using the words, "barack obama look-alike." Obama's only children are his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, whom he shares with his wife, Michelle. The claim…

Did the mother of Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States, leave her inheritance to a son named "Michael Robinson Obama," insinuating that "Michael" is Michelle Obama's real name? No, that's not true: The claim was made on a website that described itself as satirical. Although the claim originated on a now-defunct satirical website called Obama Watcher, it…

Did the Democratic Party confirm that Michelle Obama will be its presidential nominee in 2024? No, that's not true: There are no news reports about the purported event, and, as of this writing, the former first lady is not an officially registered candidate. The claim appeared in a video on Instagram on May 9, 2023. It showed a woman referring…

Was John Podesta, a career politician and high-ranking operative of the Democratic Party serving as President Joe Biden's senior clean energy adviser, caught on camera dancing while naked? No, that's not true: In 2023, a tweet recycled previously debunked accusations associated with the QAnon conspiracy movement. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) published on March 1, 2023: Here's…

Did Michelle Obama's doctor go on the record about the former first lady using a urinal during the 2008 presidential campaign, thereby proving that she is a man? No, that's not true: The article making this claim originated in 2017 on a now-defunct satirical website called America's Last Line of Defense. Clearly marked disclaimers on the original website, run by…

Did former President Barack Obama "expose" himself by referring to his wife Michelle as "Michael"? No, that's not true: While he did say the words, he was not talking about himself -- he was citing another person's experience. The claim appeared in a Facebook post on September 24, 2022. It contained a video with a TikTok logo. The caption is:…