Hollywood

Was the "Hollywood" sign a casualty of the fires burning in Los Angeles County as of January 9, 2025? No, that's not true: When this fact check was written, the sign was "safe and secure," according to the organization that preserves the sign. Media supposedly showing the sign being on fire were likely generated through artificial intelligence or by simple…

Did George Clooney leave the United States permanently for England after Donald Trump was elected president in 2024, with Clooney saying he "can't take the red wave anymore"? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The first comment under the post included…

Was UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson about to testify against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for insider trading before his death on December 4, 2024? No, that's not true: There's no evidence connecting his death to insider trading allegations involving Pelosi, nor has Pelosi been accused of such a crime. However, in May 2024, Thompson was named in an insider trading…

Did Leonardo DiCaprio announce he was leaving the United States, saying, "This is not the country I want to live in," as of December 6, 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the actor announced that he was leaving the U.S. as of this writing. No reputable news outlets reported that he decided to leave the country, nor…

Does a video prove that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bought a hotel in Courchevel, France, for 88 million euros ($93 million) in November 2024? No, that's not true: The video was based on a screenshot of a fake website mimicking the online page of a currently closed hotel. The current owner of the hotel described the posts sharing the video…

Did FBI investigators name Tom Hanks as the "sickest participant" in alleged underage sex trafficking involving Sean "Diddy" Combs? No, that's not true: The article saying that offers no evidence that the FBI has released any statements about Hollywood star Hanks being involved in the Combs sex crimes case. Hanks is not mentioned in any of the official court documents…

Does a video show Barack Obama "committing abhorrent acts while high" as a social media post imples? No, that's not true: The post does not offer any evidence that the former president was caught on camera getting high or "committing abhorrent acts." The video linked in the post does not show Obama doing drugs of any kind or doing anything…

Did NFL player Travis Kelce publicly say he would leave X, calling the platform a "hate machine" and "toxic waste dump"? No, that's not true: As of November 24, 2024, Kelce's account was still on the platform. An advanced search on X did not return any posts supporting his supposed description of the platform. There are no credible reports that…

Did Billie Eilish turn down an Oscar nomination and announce she plans to leave the U.S. after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election? No, that's not true: The rumor originated in an obscure blog that didn't cite a single source and didn't disclose its ownership. No credible journalistic organization reported such an event. The claim appeared in a…

Did a video show actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney "hit the Trump dance" to the song, "Y.M.C.A." by Village People? No, that's not true: "Y.M.C.A." was edited onto the video. The original audio has the two dancing to Sade's "Smooth Operator." Multiple reliable sources have reported that Pitt and Clooney were dancing to "Smooth Operator," and not "Y.M.C.A." The…