Social media users shared posts online showing a photo of US television host Fred Rogers wearing a shirt with the image of US painter Bob Ross, along with Australian conservationist Steve Irwin. This photo has been modified.
Examples can be seen here and here.
The text on one photo reads: ‘You may be cool, but you will never be as cool as Mr. Rogers in a Bob Ross t-shirt hanging out with Steve Irwin. ‘
Some users have questioned the authenticity of the photo, with comments such as: “Beautiful Photoshop”, “It’s not really”, “Was this photo copied” and “In a completely forged picture.”
The original photo was posted on Facebook on February 28, 2013 by Davide’s Tomato Sauce in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the photo, Roger is shown in another shirt with the caption “Davide Fresh Pasta and Sauce”.
The image of Irwin was taken from another photo available here on Getty Images, taken on September 16, 2003 in Beerwah, Australia.
The photo in the claim was created by editing Irwin in Roger’s photo, with the Bob Ross t-shirt and a rainbow in the background.
VERDICT
Alter. Steve Irwin, a Bob Ross t-shirt and a rainbow, was added to a photo of Fred Rogers.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.