Kirk Cameron contracting an extremely rare form of leprosy is a hoax. There is no truth to a report that the Evangelical Christian actor developed a rare form of leprosy. Rather, Cameron was the victim of a hoax from a well-known purveyor of satire. Where did this fake news originate?
TheLastLineOfDefense.com published the shocking article on 26 July 2017, about an unexpected diagnosis for Cameron. You can read the fake news article below.
Actor, musician, director and devoted follower of Christ, Kirk Cameron, has been stricken with an extremely rare form of what can only be described as a biblical disease. Cameron has a mutated form of leprosy that is so rare, less than one in 600 million people will ever encounter someone who has it.
The strain, leprosis metapupalis carnivore’, essentially turns its victim into a walking pile of dead skin, rotting flesh, and festering organs while keeping the brain functioning at primal levels and the heart pumping just enough to send diseased blood to the marrow and muscles to allow the person to be mobile.
However, there is no truth to this story, according to Snopes. For one thing, a search of Cameron and any news of an illness comes up with no real credible report from any major news outlet.
Here are some examples of people sharing the fake news on social media.
Tell me this is fake news bc it reads like fake newshttps://t.co/CeyGpIkC0s
— MommaK (@Lautergeist) July 27, 2017
@candacecbure please tell me this article about your brother is not true 🙏🏻😢 https://t.co/lOBwE61W2D
— Daniela C. (@Daniela0325) July 27, 2017
BREAKING: Kirk Cameron Diagnosed With Rare Form Of Leprosy – WORLD NEWS https://t.co/eTFmaYNc0C
— Anna Aniko (@anna_aniko) July 27, 2017
Instead, it originated from TheLastLineOfDefense.com, which is an entertainment web site that does not publish factual stories. The site carries multiple disclaimers labeling its content as fiction:
In a cynical world where the news of the day often seems fake, The Last Line of Defense offers today’s busy conservative a place to go to read things they’ll enjoy and congregate with a bunch of people they agree with. So while everything on this site is a satirical work of fiction, we are proud to present it to those who will have called it real anyway.
DISCLAIMER: America’s Last Line of Defense is a satirical publication that may sometimes appear to be telling the truth. We assure you that’s not the case. We present fiction as fact and our sources don’t actually exist. Names that represent actual people and places are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and do not in any way depict reality.
In other words, if you believe this crap you’re a real dumbass.
If Cameron, who is best known for playing Mike Seaver on the show “Growing Pains”, was truly diagnosed with a rare form of leprosy, most certainly any legitimate news outlets would be reporting on this very strange story. However, the only mention of this alleged diagnosis inflicting Cameron comes from TheLastLineOfDefense.com. It would appear to be mocking his Christian background.
Cameron made several other television and film appearances through the 1980s and 1990s, including the films Like Father Like Son and Listen to Me. In the 2000s, he portrayed Cameron “Buck” Williams in the Left Behind film series and Caleb Holt in the drama film Fireproof. Cameron is also an active Evangelical Christian and has co-founded The Firefly Foundation with his wife, actress Chelsea Noble.
What did you think of the hoax about Cameron being diagnosed with leprosy? Did you believe it or see people sharing it falsely on social media? Let us know in the comments section.
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