A story claiming Barack and Michelle Obama have filed for a divorce after the former US President admitted to being gay, is fake and stems from a satire website.
Satire site Empire News published a story on January 18, 2020 reviving fake claims surrounding the Obamas that have been circulated over the years with varied iterations.
The full headline reads: 'Michelle Obama Files For Divorce After Shocking Revelation; Barack Obama Admits: 'I'm Gay!' and is featured on the home page of the web publication.
The site writes news stories for entertainment purposes only, often satirising celebrities and public figures. Excerpts from the article include: "Former President Barack Obama announced late last night that he had filed for divorce from his wife of 27 years, Michelle Obama, after he revealed a secret double life as a homosexual."
The satire piece also includes a ficticious quote from the former US President stating: "It is with a bit of sadness and a whole lot of relief that I announce that Michelle and I have decided to separate, as I have admitted to her, as I'm doing now to the rest of the world, that I am a homosexual."
Social media users have in the past, and once again with the resurrection of this story believed it to be true.
View the Facebook post here and the archived version here.
View the tweet here and the archived version here.
Twitter users have even posted threads with the full text of Empire News' satire piece. Click here to view and here for the archive.
BOOM can confirm that while Empire News is isolated in reporting this story at the moment, the site even has a disclaimer stating that they are exclusively for entertainment purposes only. They further elaborate that the news stories on public figures are for satirization and parody purposes only.
The website's About section features the disclaimer: "Empire News is intended for entertainment purposes only. Our website and social media content uses only fictional names, except in cases of public figure and celebrity parody or satirization. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental."
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The website also runs other satire on political figures and trending news topics such as 'BREAKING: President Trump Arrested Leaving Trump Tower in New York' and 'Parent Company of Corona Beer Sues China Over Bad Press During Their Coronavirus Scare'.
Satire is often believed as actual news. To know how to differentiate between the two, listen to BOOM's podcast with stand-up Kunal Kamra and cartoonist George Mathen:
Click here for our podcast: How to Identify Satire From Misinformation?
