Wikimedia Commons
Reports that Sylvester Stallone said former President Barack Obama is a “closet homosexual living a lie” are false. The fake quote from the Golden Globe-winning actor stemmed from a notorious purveyor of fake news.
According to Snopes, the fake claim originated on YourNewsWire, a disreputable/clickbait website known for publishing conspiracy theories and fake news. The article claimed that Stallone criticized Obama as “a liar and a fraud” on the set of his latest film. It purported:
Barack Obama is a “closet homosexual” who has “lived his whole pathetic life as a lie” according to Sylvester Stallone, who says “I have nothing against homos, but I can’t stand liars.”
“Everybody who is anybody in Chicago knows all about the real Barack Obama,” Stallone said on the set of Creed 2. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Chicago and the stories you hear about that guy – wow. It just disturbs me and concerns me that we had a liar and a fraud in control for eight years.“
Referring to President Trump’s “refreshing honesty“, Stallone said “At least we can trust the guy we have in there now. We know where we stand with him. With Obama we had a snake oil salesman, a total actor, working against our interests.”
The report, however, is entirely fabricated. The quotes from Stallone are not real and, while YourNewsWire contains no disclaimer on their website, RationalWiki provides a short description on the site:
YourNewsWire (styled as YourNewsWire.com[1]) is an Los Angeles-based clickbait fake news website known for disseminating conspiracy theories and misleading information, contrary to its claimed motto (“News. Truth. Unfiltered”).
While the quotes from the “Rocky” and “Rambo” star are fake, a tweet referenced in the article is genuine, albeit taken out of context by the fake report. In 2010, Stallone tweeted, “I voted did you? Gotta get the Manchurian Candidate out of the drivers seat before were ALL soaring off a cliff into Oblivion…Be smart.” He continued, “[The] Manchurian Candidate was a movie about fake president who was put there by foreign enemies to destroy America . Scary concept. Rise up!”
Many people speculated that the tweet was in reference to Obama, however, Stallone denied these claims. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, he said the tweet was “in the spirit of creating a conversation” and added that the “Manchurian candidate” was actually “a reference to all career politicians.”
I voted did you? Gotta get the Manchurian Candidate out of the drivers seat before were ALL soaring off a cliff into Oblivion…Be smart.
— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) November 2, 2010
Here are some examples of people sharing the fake story on social media:
Social Media Shares Fake Story about Sylvester Stallone Saying Barack Obama Is A “Closet Homosexual”
Sylvester Stallone: ‘Pathetic’ Obama Is ‘Closet Homosexual Living A Lie’ https://t.co/rAAy1X2Pzc
— TRUMP’S SWAMP HAMMER #1 (@MOVEFORWARDHUGE) January 10, 2018
Sylvester Stallone: ‘Pathetic’ Obama Is ‘Closet Homosexual Living A Lie’ https://t.co/uzKwNTQicc via @yournewswire Oh my,the truth surfaces…
— g.t.mace (@gldbug) January 9, 2018
Sylvester Stallone: ‘Pathetic’ Obama Is ‘Closet Homosexual Living A Lie’ https://t.co/ILRmz2UW1R
— Adorable Todd (@Adorable_Todd) January 12, 2018
Wow this is definitely interesting! Glad to see ppl kno what a liar @obama was. Damn shame we had to put up with this crap for 8 yrs!#MAGA #TRUMP2020
https://t.co/FPbKyDNR8i— @carterj207b (@carterj207) January 18, 2018
Sylvester Stallone: ‘Pathetic’ Obama Is ‘Closet Homosexual Living A Lie’ https://t.co/AVWZvupdLW
— Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) January 12, 2018
Have you seen the fake story about Sylvester Stallone calling Barack Obama a “closet homosexual living a lie” circulating social media? What are your thoughts on websites publishing fake celebrity quotes? Sound off in the comments section below!
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons
