Did a long list of celebrities each appear on "The Best People with Nicolle Wallace" podcast sharing concerns about President Donald Trump on February 23, 2026? No, that's not true: Actor Robert De Niro was the only celeb who did this. False claims that Cher, Pink, Tom Hanks and at least 19 sports and entertainment celebs warned that Trump's comments about a third term were not just "humor or political theatre" came from a Vietnam-based spam factory using AI tools.
The claims appeared on at least 22 Facebook fan pages managed from Vietnam, including in a post (archived here) about singer Stevie Nicks shared by the SoundCove page on March 5, 2026. The caption read:
Stevie Nicks is making headlines ahead of her upcoming appearance on The Best People With Nicolle Wallace podcast, set to air on February 23. In a preview clip released before the episode, the legendary singer-songwriter did not hold back in sharing her concerns about President Donald Trump and what she believes could lie ahead politically.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of Facebook)
The post continued:
During the conversation, Nicks pushed back against the notion that Trump would simply fade from the public stage at the conclusion of a presidential term. Addressing Trump's comments about the possibility of seeking a third term, Nicks cautioned listeners against brushing off such remarks as humor or political theatrics. Instead, she urged the public to take those statements seriously, suggesting they carry broader implications about leadership norms and democratic traditions.
Her comments quickly ignited passionate reactions across social media, fueling fresh debate about constitutional limits, presidential precedent, and the tone of today's political discourse....
The post includes a link (archived here) to an article that tells a fictional story, generated by artificial intelligence tools, that offers no sourcing. Lead Stories has connected the website hosting the article to an operation that publishes hundreds or thousands of fake articles every day using artificial intelligence tools managed from Vietnam.
Many of the images in the posts included the quote:
HE WILL NEVER LEAVE, WE HAVE TO MAKE HIM LEAVE... IT'S UP TO US TO GET RID OF HIM.
The claim appeared to be based on a real interview (archived here) with actor Robert De Niro released by the Wallace podcast on February 23, 2026. Eighteen minutes into the show De Niro talked about his belief that Trump would try to remain in the White House past the end of his second term:
A Facebook search (archived here) for the phrase "ahead of his appearance on the best people with nicolle wallace podcast this monday, february 23" found nearly identical posts making the claim about at least 22 different entertainment and sports celebrities, including:
- Phil Anselmo
- Ignazio Boschetto
- Cher
- Tom Hanks
- Alan Jackson
- Ella Langley
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Bruno Mars
- Neal McCoy
- Sean Miller
- Taylor Momsen
- Willie Nelson
- Stevie Nicks
- P!nk
- Mike Rhoades
- Deion Sanders
- Nikki Sixx
- Chris Stapleton
- Rod Stewart
- Meryl Streep
- Barbra Streisand
- Denzel Washington
The Facebook page hosting the Nicks post, which is filled with similar AI slop posts, is controlled by managers in Vietnam and Poland, according to the Meta transparency data.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of Meta transparency data)
The 22 Facebook pages sharing the fake posts include: A Life in Roles, Acoustic Highway, Blue Roar Lions, Buffs Spirit United, Cinema With Heart, Country Love Lives On, Dark Rock Siren, Dozen Hurricane, Echoes of Country, Echoes of Sound, Echoes of Theatrical, International Vibes, Lone Star Glory, Melodies of Passion, Rebel Yell of the South, Silver Screen Legends, SoundCove, Spirit in Tune, The Bassist from Hell, The Power Chord, Venus of Sound, and Wildflower Anthem.
This montage of the Meta transparency data for each page confirmed that they are managed primarily from Vietnam.
The Vietnam connection is significant, since fact checkers, including Lead Stories, have identified a major source of AI-generated false stories coming from a single operation based in that Southeast Asian country. You can see recent reporting and fact checks mentioning that country here.
Lead Stories has published a primer -- or a prebunk -- on how to identify these kinds of fake posts originating from Vietnam. It's titled "Prebunk: Beware Of Fake Fan Pages Spreading False Stories About Your Favorite Celebrities -- How To Spot 'Viet Spam.'"
