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:…
Did Michelle Obama register to vote as a man in 1994 in Illinois? No, that's not true: A public information officer at the Illinois State Board of Elections told Lead Stories that this claim is inaccurate. The document that is supposedly the former first lady's voter registration record did not come from the Board as an article falsely claims, and…
Did Clementine Churchill, wife of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, tell him that if she had married a road cleaner that man would have become the prime minister? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that she said that. A historian who specializes in the Churchills wrote that the quote was manufactured. A Google search of keywords resulted…
Was former first lady Michelle Obama involved in or arrested as a result of a hit-and-run accident? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a satirical website, with the story carrying a site category tag of "Michelle Obama Fan Fiction." It uses the name of a fictitious town. Also, there's been no news coverage that would be inevitable if…
Did President Joe Biden resign and was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi detained? No, that's not true: The claims in this video and headline are not based in reality. This content is a mashup of material from various sources with a shocking headline intended to trick people into viewing the video. Lead Stories has previously noted this pattern of production in…
Does this photo show what Michelle Obama looked like in April 2017? No, that's not true: This photo has a fake five o'clock shadow added. Michelle Obama has been targeted by baseless claims that she is not a woman before, and this altered image is part of that trope. The original photo of Michelle Obama went viral on April 2,…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.
