Entertainment

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…

Was Fox News contributor Dr. Kelly Powers' death from cancer due to the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: An article calling her "fully vaccinated" implies that she passed away from the COVID vaccine. Powers was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in July 2020, according to an obituary; the COVID vaccine was not available until 2021. The article…

Did actor Jason Momoa say, "I can't stay here," implying he was leaving the U.S. in response to the 2024 U.S. presidential election results? No, that's not true: A social media post attributing those words to Momoa had no credible evidence that he said that publicly. Google searches also didn't produce any credible news reports confirming the post as of…

Did Fox host and former prosecutor Jeanine Pirro criticize President-elect Donald Trump over pardons? No, that's not true: An authentic video of Pirro was included in a social media post with photographs of Trump. In reality, Pirro was criticizing President Joe Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter Biden. The claim appeared in a post and video on Threads on December…

Did Reba McEntire say "drag queens shouldn't be around kids"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could not locate any evidence of the country music singer having said that. In fact, McEntire has been quoted as saying she was disappointed in an effort in Tennessee to restrict drag performances in public spaces. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did actor Robert Downey Jr. announce that he would leave the Marvel movie franchise and the U.S., stating, "Goodbye, I don't fit in here," as of December 2, 2024? No, that's not true: A Threads post that reported Downey's supposed announcement included a link that, when clicked, led to a "404 Error Page." Neither the original poster nor the website…

Did Elon Musk say he would release a "bombshell" client list tied to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and financier Jeffrey Epstein? 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 a link to the self-described satire website…

Did actor Tom Hanks withdraw his 2025 Oscar nominations and leave the United States, saying "I've had enough" in an Instagram video? No, that's not true: This story comes from a self-described satirical website whose About Us page announces it is "dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity." Lead Stories found no sign in…

Did Disney say it was adding Kamala Harris to its Hall of Presidents? No, that's not true: The story originated from self-described satire and parody website Mouse Trap News, which says on its site, "We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff." Lead Stories could not locate any credible evidence of Disney having made such an announcement. The claim appeared…

Is there no way to avoid that January 19, 2025, is TikTok's last day of operation in the United States, as implied in a "BREAKING" post on Threads? No, that's not true: On the day the post appeared, there was no breaking news about enforcement of a federal law forcing the sale of TikTok to non-Chinese ownership. The bill signed…

Does a video show Lady Gaga describing the trauma she experienced at one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' "freak off" parties? No, that's not true: The video clip is from a 2021 interview with Stefani Germanotta, the singer's real name, in a documentary series produced by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry. She is talking about the sexual abuse she experienced from…

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…

Did "Trump's Scottish Golf Course," have to "up its security" in 2024 after people were "breaking in" and defecating in the holes? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the course -- presumably Trump International Scotland -- had to increase security measures as of this writing. This rumor appears to have originated with comedian Russell Howard, who joked…

Did President-elect Donald Trump announce during a podcast interview with Joe Rogan that Americans could "claim their $6,400 relief checks" as of November 25, 2024? No, that's not true: The post saying this used altered audio with a real video of a Trump interview on the Joe Rogan show. There was no mention of a "relief" check in the real,…

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 singer-songwriter John Legend state on social media that he was leaving the United States for France as a result of the 2024 U.S. presidential election? No, that's not true: Searches of his social media did not return such a statement. A search on Google News did not show any reports that Legend had left the country because of the…

Did late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel say he was ending his show on January 20, 2025, and moving to Canada? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that labels itself satire. An online search turned up no evidence that Kimmel had ever said such a thing. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on November…

Did Taylor Swift announce she will move to Canada in response to the 2024 U.S. presidential election results, saying "Goodbye US, I Love Canada"? No, that's not true: The post supplied no evidence she made any such public statement. Independent searches found no credible news media outlets have reported this as of November 22, 2024. The claim was posted to…

Did Taylor Swift say Elon Musk is "the first person in history, to be radicalized by his own algorithm"? No, that's not true: A psychology professor at the University of Cambridge claimed credit for the quote after it went viral in mid-November 2024. Lead Stories found no obvious sign that the singer had made such a comment after searching Swift's…

Did Comcast announce in November 2024 that it was selling MSNBC? No, that's not true: According to the corporation's press release and other news reports, Comcast only announced moving some of its assets, including MSNBC, into a separate independent publicly traded entity. No credible media organization confirmed the rumor about the sale of MSNBC, with that rumor being elevated by…