Did actor Robert DeNiro lose a $40 million contract to star in a Goodfellas sequel because he criticized Donald Trump? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to actually click and read links before sharing or liking them in order to avoid being embarrassed by fans of the site later. All the events described in the article are not real.
The story originated from an article published by Daily World Update on April 25, 2019 titled "Robert DeNiro Loses $40 Million Reunion Contract - Blames Trump" (archived here) which opened:
Robert DeNiro isn't much to look at in person. At 5-foot-2 and just over 140 pudgy pounds, he wears platform shoes and a mean look on his face to feel tough. We've all seen those videos where he does the whole "Trump is a punk" thing. It's ridiculous. He's like an overgrown toddler with an Oscar or two.
His outbursts will now cost him. According to our insider at Universal MGM, DeNiro's negative image among older Americans lost him the $40 million role of a lifetime:
"Bob was on his way to his biggest payday ever when the studio called. It was Art Tubolls himself. He told Bobby that they were passing on him for the Goodfellas sequel. They're gonna kill him off instead. Him and Liota were supposed to split $40 million up front with another $40 million guaranteed for the backend. Now they're bringing Pesci back to life instead."
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Robert DeNiro Loses $40 Million Reunion Contract - Blames Trump
DeNiro is paying for his rude words.
There even is a satire warning in the thumbnail image visible on social media when the story is shared there. On the page itself there are at least three more and several hints the story is false. For example the words "our insider" link to a Google translation of the phrase "A person who does not exist but in fiction." and the name "Art Tubolls" is an anagram for "Busta Troll", the nickname of the man running the site.
Oh, and contrary to what the article implies, Joe Pesci is not dead yet. In fact he is working with DeNiro and several other Goodfellas cast members on a new gangster movie directed by Martin Scorsese that should come out this fall:
The Irishman (2019) - IMDb
Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Stephen Graham, Anna Paquin. A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
The site posting the hoax is part of the "America's Last Line of Defense" network of satire websites run byself-professed liberal troll Christopher Blair from Maine and his partner in crime John Prager along with a loose confederation of friends and allies. Blair has been in a feud with fact checking website Snopes for some time now and has also criticized other fact checkers in the past who labeled his work "fake news" instead of satire. In reaction to this he has recently rebranded all his active websites and Facebook pages so they carry extremely visible disclaimers everywhere.
Every site in the network has an about page that reads (in part):
About Satire
Before you complain and decide satire is synonymous with "comedy":sat·ire
ˈsaˌtī(ə)r
noun
The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing.
Articles from Blair's sites frequently get copied by "real" fake news sites who often omit the satire disclaimer and any other hints the stories are fake. Blair has tried to get these sites shut down in the past but new ones keep cropping up.
Blair and his operation were profiled by the Washington Post on November 17, 2018 by Eli Saslow:
'Nothing on this page is real': How lies become truth in online America
November 17 The only light in the house came from the glow of three computer monitors, and Christopher Blair, 46, sat down at a keyboard and started to type. His wife had left for work and his children were on their way to school, but waiting online was his other community, an unreality where nothing was exactly as it seemed.
If you are interested in learning more about Blair and the history of his sites, here is something to get you started:
The Ultimate Christopher Blair and America's Last Line of Defense Reading List | Lead Stories
STORY UPDATED: check for updates below. Yesterday Eli Saslow at the Washington Post wrote a fantastic article about Christopher Blair, a man from Maine who has been trolling conservatives and Trump supporters online for years and occasionally even made a living out of it.
If you see one of his stories on a site that does not contain a satire disclaimer, assume it is fake news. If you do see the satire disclaimer it is of course also fake news.
We wrote about dailyworldupdate.us before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
- Fake News: Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar DID NOT Praise the Destruction of Notre Dame
- Fake News: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Have 150-Year-Old Sign Removed From House Chamber Entrance
- Fake News: NO Body In Ohio River Confirmed As Major Clinton Aide
- Fake News: Whoopi Goldberg NOT Fired From 'The View' After 'Whiteface' Controversy
- Fake News: Liberal Vandals Did NOT Spray Joshua Trump's House With Racist Graffiti
