Satire

Did the U.S. State Department deny Dr. Anthony Fauci's passport renewal application in March 2025? No, that's not true: The original source of that claim about the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was an article on a website that describes its own content as "fiction" and "satire." The article attributed quotations to two fictional…

Did King Charles III give official notice that he has revoked U.S. independence, effective immediately, will reign as monarch and that "The nincompoop you've elected as President will go to gaol", as social media posts claim? No, that's not true: There was no official statement to that effect from the British monarch. No such statement appeared on Buckingham Palace social…

Did actor James Woods post an authentic copy of a tweet by Congresswoman Maxine Waters in which she misspelled impeach as "inpeach" and confused a urine test with an IQ test, supposedly responding to President Donald Trump calling her "Low IQ Maxine"? No, that's not true: Woods posted to his X account a copy of a fake tweet that was…

Did Damon Imani appear on the February 24, 2025 episode of "The View" to verbally spar with co-host Sunny Hostin over the term "Woke", as a social media post seems to show? No, that's not true: Imani has never appeared on ABC's morning show. He is a producer, artist and commentator who creates and publishes digitally altered videos placing himself…

Are there news reports about FBI Director Kash Patel ordering an investigation of "13 Congressional Democrats" for inciting violence against President Donald Trump, and did he say they "put him in real danger" and "they did it on purpose?" No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of…

Did President Donald Trump order the Keystone pipeline system "to transport ONLY American Oil"? No, that's not true: The claim came from a site with a satire label that explicitly says "nothing on this page is real". Originating in Canada, the Keystone Pipeline System moves unrefined Canadian petroleum, and some from the U.S. to refineries in the United States. The…

Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announce the release of something called the "Benghazi Files"? No, that's not true: The "news" about the announcement originated on a website with a clear satire disclaimer. It is run by a man known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The article (archived here) that started the rumor was published by "The…

Did the story that George Floyd's family listed "$1,900 in assets on a welfare application" despite receiving $50 million four years ago originate on an actual news site? No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing…

Does a viral video of a woman complaining that she is being forced to sell her BMW to prevent her food stamps allotment being cut from "$4K to 888 month" show a real-life situation? No, that's not true: The clip was initially posted by an account with a satire label. Previously, its author already said that "none of that is…

Was the story about about Rosie O'Donnell's application for residency in Ireland being denied by the Irish Department of Justice real news? No, that's not true: The story originated on a website with a clear satire disclaimer. It is run by a man known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made up content. The story appeared in an article…