Deepfake

Does a viral image show a real Vanity Fair cover for a "special collector's edition" issue featuring Melania Trump and the headline "The American Queen"? No, that's not true: No such cover appears among the archived covers of the magazine and there have been no recent announcements about any such upcoming issue. According to media reports the idea of a…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy react to his August 2025 meeting at the White House by suggesting that Donald Trump rejects a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, believing it would hurt his chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize? No, that's not true: Official government webpages of the Ukrainian president don't contain such a statement. Lead Stories could not find…

Is the video of Amy Klobuchar commenting on the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle jeans and where she mentions "perfect titties" authentic? No, that's not true: Klobuchar wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times calling the video "A.I. deepfake." The fake was built using a video posted by the Minnesota senator on her official YouTube account from a hearing…

Does a viral image authentically show soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez married and at their wedding? No, that's not true: The image contained glitches and discrepancies typical of AI generated images and at least one detection tool found evidence of deepfake content. The couple announced their engagement via social media on August 11, 2025 and have…

Does a viral image authentically show several European leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen sitting on chairs in a White House corridor? No, that's not true: The image did not appear on any news sites. It contained glitches and discrepancies typical of AI generated images and at least one detection tool found signs of deepfake content. One…

Are stories about a former foster child named Lily Tran getting into Stanford and being called on stage to sing with their celebrity idol real? No, that's not true: There are several versions of the story circulating on social media in which different celebrities keep a promise to sing together if she got into Stanford. Lead Stories found versions with…

Is a photo showing Melania Trump kissing Jeffrey Epstein an authentic image and was it "unseen" until aired by Stephen Colbert? No, that's not true: The photo is not real and it was not shown on an episode of CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The Hive Moderation AI content detection tool rated the image as 99% fake. The…

Does an authentic video capture actress Sydney Sweeney breaking her silence about the controversy over her American Eagle "good jeans" ad? No, that's not true: The video contains a last-frame disclaimer that it is "Unreal." The video was first posted to an X account that routinely releases deepfake/AI-generated videos that show prominent people commenting on current events in shocking or…

Does a viral video really document Donald Trump pointing at minor girls as they walk by him and Ghislaine Maxwell? No, that's not true: A leading deepfake expert says the video used "motionizing" software, which is widely available, to turn authentic photos into video of something that did not happen. The original version of the cropped photo used to create…

Did Barron Trump announce, as a social media post claims, that he's dating Sasha Obama and that she "will be his one and only wife"? No, that's not true: The TikTok video says the announcement put Barron's father, President Donald Trump, in the hospital, a made-up event corroborated by no credible information sources. A president disappearing from his announced-in-advance schedule…