Satire

Did Howard University professors confirm that Vice President Kamala Harris was "the worst student ever"? No, that's not true: This first appeared in a post on Facebook that had "Satire" in the caption. The Facebook account that initially posted the information says in its bio that it posts satire and nothing on its page is real. The claim appeared in…

Did "leaked reports" say George Soros paid ABC moderators $1 million each to fact check Donald Trump during the September 10, 2024, presidential debate? No, that's not true: The story came from a website whose satire disclaimer reads: "These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up." No credible evidence of "leaked reports" or such payments…

Is the National Football League "reportedly considering banning" Taylor Swift from the Super Bowl, saying, "We're Tired of Her"? No, that's not true: This claim comes from an article on a website with a satire disclaimer. No publicly available evidence confirms the article's information. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) by Esspots on January 30, 2024. The article…

Did Taylor Swift lose "brand deals worth $125 million" after endorsing Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: The online rumor came from a website that labels itself as satire. The article didn't even mention the name of the Democratic presidential nominee. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on September 12, 2024. It said: Taylor Swift Loses…

Did the ABC television network fire the hosts of the September 10, 2024, U.S. presidential debate, calling them "a disgrace"? No, that's not true: A self-described satire and parody website published the story about the pair's supposed firing. Lead Stories found nothing authoritative to substantiate the claim that ABC fired the two. The claim originated from an article (archived here)…

Did CNN's fact checker say that Kamala Harris "lied 17 times in the first ten minutes" of the presidential debate? No, that's not true: The claim comes from a network of websites that clearly labels the work as satire, parody and fiction. Also, a spokesperson for CNN told Lead Stories that the claim was "false." The claim appeared in a…

Did celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay throw Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz out of his "Hell's Kitchen" restaurant in New York City, saying, "Don't come back here, you woke creep"? No, that's not true: This story initially appeared in an article on a website with a satire disclaimer, known for publishing fabricated content. No publicly available or credible evidence supports this claim.…

Does a video capture a real Ku Klux Klan member joining Trump supporters at a rally? No, that's not true: The man wearing the white hood associated with the hate group is a self-described internet troll, according to his own words on social media posts and in a newspaper interview. In a video featuring the man's previous attempt to sneak…

Did former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican, post on X that Republican leaders are "satires of men"? No, that's not true: This post is fabricated, using Liz Cheney's name and likeness but a subtly misspelled handle of "Liz_Choney." At the bottom of the "Choney" post are the words, "Parody by Back Rub." The "Choney" post originated on an X…

Did the TV network ABC sign a $400 million deal to give former Fox News host Tucker Carlson a late-night show that would replace current ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel? No, that's not true: The claim is from an online article labeled "Parody News," with a headline that said "SATIRE." A representative for ABC told Lead Stories the claim…