United States

Did a graphic including a short-haired person, labeled "Your body during pregnancy" appear in an official King's College Hospital NHS poster in the UK, as social media posts claim? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told Lead Stories the poster was not produced by the trust nor displayed at its hospitals. The…

Is a Texas man fighting for his life after he was bitten by black widow spiders that came out of a package he stole from a lady's porch? No, that's not true: This story is fiction, but may have been inspired by something that really did happen. The story about the Texas porch pirate originated in October 2024 from a…

Is there an authentic photo showing the White House lawn partially covered by a large banner that features the images of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: The banner is real and was displayed on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 15, 2025, but not on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C. A…

Did Metallica's frontman James Hetfield publicly suggest that the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was the result of "a dark plan"? No, that's not true: No credible media outlets reported that. The musician didn't write that on social media, either, because he is not on such platforms. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook, where it…

Does this photo, found in several viral social media posts, show the man that Mississippi police found hanging from a tree on September 15, 2025? No, that's not true: Police said the dead man found near the Ameristar Vicksburg Casino was Cory Zukatis. But, the Warren County Coroner said this photo is not Zukatis. The photo appeared in a September…

Was Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, also known as streamer Destiny, permanently removed from Twitch in the aftermath of his September 2025 comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination? No, that's not true: The real, indefinite ban still affecting streamer Destiny was already in effect before the killing of the conservative activist. It has been in effect since March 24, 2022. The claim…

Did Mookie Betts or other athletes say "If you want people to speak kindly about you after you're gone, then you should speak kindly while you're alive." in relation to the shooting of Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: The fake quote, also attributed online to Bryce Harper, Mike Norvell, Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy, Julian Sayin, Aaron Judge, Dwayne "The…

Is that a real photo of Sydney Sweeney in a Turning Point USA shirt? No, that's not true: The t-shirt photo that appeared on social media in September of 2025 is a manipulated copy of a paparazzo's photo taken three months earlier. Enough elements of the photo match to prove it's a fake: from the paparazzi in the background to…

Do posts about the missing hiker "Sara Jenkins" on social media tell the true story of the discovery of that person's remains? No, that's not true: No credible media organizations reported that. Lead Stories found no court records confirming any part of the story circulating on social media platforms. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on…

Did a variety of musicians, athletes, and coaches issue a lifetime ban against a man who was filmed "celebrating" in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting? No, that's not true on two counts: First, the articles about the lifetime bans are not true. They are copy/paste clickbait slop -- a formula to intermingle names of celebrities with Charlie Kirk's…

Is a video showing Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk saying "I will never marry anyone else" after his death authentic? No, that's not true: The video is likely AI generated. Erika Kirk has spoken publicly once since her husband was shot and killed on September 10, 2025. In that appearance, she did not say she would never marry anyone else,…

Did a group of African men send a "God bless you" video message to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk because of his missionary work in Africa? No, that's not true: The video was produced by an African company that takes orders for birthday messages and other greetings online for a fee. There is no evidence that Kirk ever served as…

Did U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz paint over graffiti which said, "Release the Epstein Files"? No, that's not true: The image has been edited. The original image was shared on social media by Cruz and showed him painting over graffiti that said "F--- Charlie Kirk". The altered image appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @acnewsitics on Sept.…

Do viral online posts show screenshots of real trail cam footage of a Chihuahua dog who "joins the wolf pack"? No, that's not true: The dog has been digitally inserted into two different trail cam images. According to specialized detection software, much of the story of a viral article about the "scrappy stray Chihuahua" in Ely, Minnesota was written by…

Does a video posted on TikTok show two clips of Charlie Kirk's shooter on the roof of a Utah Valley University building when the fatal shot was fired? No, that's not true: The post uses two different video clips and the first one does not show the shooter. It shows a building over Kirk's right shoulder, an impossible angle for…

Did the late Charlie Kirk say "Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously" as social media posts claim? No, that's not a precise quote: Attacking affirmative action, Kirk slammed by name four prominent liberal Black women . On his podcast, he specifically criticized Rep. Shirley Jackson Lee, D-Texas, TV host Joy Reid, Supreme Court…

Does a video from social media prove that the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was carried out with a palm gun? No, that's not true: The video doesn't show what posts claim it does. According to the authorities, the gun found near the crime scene was a bolt-action rifle, not a handgun. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Adam Sandler reveal "final text messages from Charlie Kirk" that said, "They're watching me. If I fall, don't let my voice die." No, that's not true: A post on social media promises the final text Charlie Kirk sent to Adam Sandler, but does not deliver. Instead of showing the message cited, the clickbait article contains a different text message…

Did Tyler Robinson, the man arrested for shooting Charlie Kirk in Utah, donate money to the Trump campaign in 2020? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke with the Tyler Robinson who owned the property that was listed as the address on the federal records for the donation to the Trump campaign. That Tyler Robinson confirmed he is 35 years…

Is it public knowledge that author J.K. Rowling has cancer? No, that's not true: There have been no official announcements or evidence-based reporting that Rowling has cancer. The viral rumor on social media appears to have started with a sarcastic joke made at the author's expense. An example of the baseless claim about Rowling's health can be seen in a…