An article circulating on social media falsely claims that Hollywood actor Denzel Washington “had the lies” and “left the Democratic Party”. According to the publishers of the article, their material is intended as satire, although some users seem to take the content seriously. The actor’s representative says Washington never said the quotes were attributed to him.
The article (here) entitled “Denzel Washington leaves the Democratic Party: ‘I had it with the lies'” was published by a Busatroll.org, which describes itself as part of the network “America’s, parody, satire, and tomfoolery “Last line of defense” (bustatroll.org/about-us/). In the section about us, the page says: “Everything on this site is fiction. This is not a lie and it’s not fake news because it’s not really. If you believe this is true, you should have your head examined. ”
While it was published in 2019 and has since been unmasked by Snopes (here), the story is still being shared.
On March 7, 2021, another Facebook page “America – Love It Or Leave It” posted the content with the caption “WE ALL HAVE! Glad he finally saw the light of day.” (Here) This site also describes its content as satirical, and contains an indemnity in the section about us that says, “Nothing on this page is genuine”.
Recent comments from users who take the content seriously include: ‘Thank you. Always a good guy. You can use what you have learned from them to help the other side, not to make the same mistakes. Good teacher “,” Glad to hear this Denzel. We need more movie stars to do the same “and” Always had respect for him, now even more. “
Referring to the Bustatroll.org article, Alan Nierob, a Washington representative, confirmed in an email to Reuters that the actor “did not tell any publication.”
This was not the first time that Washington has been the target of false allegations regarding politics. As reported by the BBC on 15 November 2016, a fabricated news report claims that the actor ‘praised US President Donald Trump’. At the time, Nierob told the BBC that the story was “100% complete fabrication.” (Here)
In 2016, Washington told reporters it’s not your business’ when asked who he voted for in the presidential election (youtu.be/kS3Xug7Vuig?t=42). According to the Center for Responsible Politics (here), he has donated to Democrats in the past, including President Barack Obama in 2007 and 2008.
VERDICT
Untrue. An article that says Denzel Washington ‘had the lies’ and ‘left the Democratic Party’ is not true and its publishers say their intent was satire.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work here to check out social media posts.