STORY UPDATED: check for updates below.
Did Sylvester Stallone say he won't work with Tom Hanks because "he weirds me out"? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics. The site carries a disclaimer that states, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories found no credible reports about what would be a newsworthy statement if Stallone actually said this.
The claim appeared in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on December 11, 2023, titled "Sylvester Stallone Won't Work With Tom Hanks: 'He Weirds Me Out'" (archived here). It began:
Sylvester Stallone has a long and storied career as an actor, writer, producer, and director. In nearly four decades, however, there's one thing he says you find on his resume, and that's anything involving Tom Hanks.'He weirds me out,' said Stallone, 'He's a creepy-looking guy, especially up close. I've shaken his hand a few times. He's just...blech.'
Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Sylvester Stallone Won't Work With Tom Hanks: "He Weirds Me Out"
Stallone says lots of people in Hollywood steer clear of Hanks and his buddies.
A representative for Stallone responded to Lead Stories via email on December 13, 2023: "The story cited in your email is a false, fabricated and defamatory lie. It is totally made up by the other site."
A Google search (archived here) using the keywords "sylvester stallone tom hanks weirds me out," yielded zero results for any credible news stories.
Lead Stories contacted Stallone's representative and will update this fact check, if appropriate.
The Dunning-Kruger Times
The Dunning-Kruger Times is a satirical website with an about page (archived here) that has following disclaimer:
About Us
Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is a subsidiary of the 'America's Last Line of Defense' network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery, or as Snopes called it before they lost their war on satire: Junk News
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.
The website is named after the Dunning-Kruger effect, a term from a psychology experiment that describes the phenomenon of being ignorant of one's own ignorance. (That experiment has been disputed by a math professor.) It is run by self-described liberal troll Christopher Blair.
Updates:
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2023-12-14T19:59:23Z 2023-12-14T19:59:23Z Adds quote from Stallone representative.
