Is a video that shows Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying "the fruit or the color" when asked to spell "orange" authentic? No, that's not true: It is an AI-manipulated video of the congresswoman from a popular meme. The footage is from a 2018 interview she did with Stephen Colbert, where she was not asked to spell "orange."
The claim appeared in an August 16, 2026, video posted on X account @maggiewise111 (archived here). It opened:
Oh my gosh, I laughed way too hard at this 🤣🤣🤣
Watch her expression
This is what the post looked like on X:
(Image source: post by @maggiewise111 on X.)
This is what the video looked like on X at the time of writing, with the caption, "ASKED TO SPELL ORANGE SHE SAID 'THE FRUIT, OR THE COLOR?'"
Oh my gosh, I laughed way too hard at this 🤣🤣🤣
-- MaggieWise ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@maggiewise111) August 16, 2026
Watch her expression pic.twitter.com/Y9VMmklZSP
The post is labeled "Made with AI" as this screenshot shows (red circle added by Lead Stories):
(Image source: post by @maggiewise111 on X.)
The video is originally from an appearance Ocasio-Cortez made on Stephen Colbert's show in June 2018. The video was posted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert YouTube page (archived here). At no point during the interview is she asked to spell "orange" nor does she reply, "The fruit, or the color?" The light blue dress she is wearing in the video posted on X matches the one she wore on the show.
A meme was created and posted on Instagram account @davidlewisjr1965 (archived here) on August 9, 2025, using an image from her appearance with the caption, "AOC Is Just The Best, ASKED TO SPELL ORANGE SHE SAID THE FRUIT OR THE COLOR." Here is a screenshot of the posted meme:
(Image source: post by @davidlewisjr1965 on Instagram.)
Had Ocasio-Cortez made the comment, it would have been major news. Lead Stories searched Google News and Yahoo News and did not find any credible news reports of her saying "The fruit, or the color" when asked to spell orange.
