Did Jennifer Lopez appear on TV with Dr. Oz to promote a weight-loss "Rice Hack"? No, that's not true: A promotion on Facebook contains old video footage of Lopez which has an altered audio track, putting words in the singer's mouth and there was also some deceptive editing that removed the context of what she said. In the scene from "The Dr. Oz Show," Lopez was suggesting people should drink lots of water. In another clip from the entertainment news show '"Extra" Lopez mentioned how she lost some weight by eating a vegan diet for four or five weeks. She did not promote a weight loss "Rice Hack."
The promotional video with the altered footage of Lopez appeared in a post (archived here) where it was published by the Facebook page Loving Yourself on January 19, 2024. The caption on the post begins:
After our car accident, I ballooned to 263 and my husband to 331. My feet hurt just to walk on them, especially in the mornings when I'd first wake up and step out of bed.My husband would get so winded climbing up the stairs or doing even the simplest of tasks around the house.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon Jan 29 21:46:44 2024 UTC)
The testimonial caption ends:
Nothing we did seemed to work...
...and we tried everything.
Now, I'm down from 263 to 169, and I finally have my old life back at 61 - all thanks to a simple evening ritual I wish I'd known years ago.
Life has honestly never been better thanks to it, and I am really happy to be able to be myself again!
Included with this post is a link to the website elation.positivvibe.com (archived here) and a 2:32 minute long video which contains clips of Jennifer Lopez and also her husband Ben Affleck. This video begins with a clip of a Jennifer Lopez appearance on the Dr. Oz program. At 0:09 seconds into the video Dr. Oz makes a grand gesture (pictured above) to Lopez as he says:
I want you to hear it from Jennifer Lopez -- What is it?
At 0:11 seconds into the Facebook video, the altered audio and subtitles have Lopez responding:
Rice Hack! It has lots of benefits! Believe it or not, it does help keep your weight down. It obviously keeps you hydrated...
But this is not what Lopez said when she appeared on "The Dr. Oz Show." In a video posted on YouTube on April 2, 2015, starting at 0:18 seconds, is the moment Oz makes the gesture and asks Lopez, "What is it?" (pictured below) She replied:
Water. Lots of water. Believe it or not, it does help keep your weight down. It may, you know, obviously keeps you hydrated"
Visible on the counter are two containers of whey protein shake mix. This product is not the "Rice Hack." There is a close-up of the containers visible at the 15:34 minute mark in a different YouTube video of this 2015 episode, recently reposted by @DoctorOz on December 18, 2023.
(Image source: YouTube screenshot taken on Mon Jan 29 22:14:39 2024 UTC)
In another clip of Lopez, the audio was not changed, and the clip was sandwiched between two video clips about the "Rice Hack." The context of what Lopez was talking about was not included in the Facebook promotion. The "Extra" interview where this clip originated was titled, "Jennifer Lopez Reveals She Went Vegan to Lose Baby Weight". It was posted on YouTube on June 2, 2014. Lopez discussed the "stubborn eight to ten" at 0:49 seconds to the YouTube video and at 0:54 seconds into the Facebook post (both pictured below) Lopez said:
You know I had that really stubborn eight to ten on me. But you know people are used to seeing me kind of thickish, so it doesn't matter. You know what I mean? But when I started eating this way right away I dropped, like, it took like eight to ten pounds and I was like, whoa, And it was a real change, but more than that I felt better.
But when the interview started, correspondent Angie Martinez had asked if they were now "full vegan." Lopez talked about her vegan diet with lots of vegetables and greens and did not mention anything about a "Rice Hack." Responding to Martinez, Lopez said:
I was. I did full vegan for almost four or five weeks and then I just started incorporating a little bit more of you know, proteins and things like that for myself. But the truth is it's like even if you're 70 or 80 [percent vegan] it's so much better. You know of you know having those those those vegetables and greens and plant-based stuff. It's going to change your life, and it's going to change your health, and it's gonna give you a happier healthier lifestyle.
(Image source: Lead Stories composite image with YouTube and Facebook screenshots taken on Mon Jan 29 22:14:39 2024 UTC)
At 0:40 seconds into the Facebook video, Ben Affleck is shown in a clip from "The Drew Barrymore Show." At 0:29 seconds into this "Entertainment Tonight" review he said: "Jennifer just eats whatever she wants. Whatever she wants. Pizza, cookies, ice cream, everything." At 0:47 into the Facebook video, a voice that sounds similar to Affleck's continues ands says something he never said. The voice audio continues over the footage of the "Rice Hack" countertop:
There's this Rice Hack a Hollywood nutritionist showed her.
(Image source: Facebook screenshot taken on Tue Jan 30 00:12:22 2024 UTC)
Other Lead Stories debunks of fake celebrity endorsements are here.
