–17 votes
in General Factchecking by Genius (41.9k points)
Beyonce and Chrissy Teigen visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island.
by Novice (630 points)
edited by
Firstly this TikTok claims that Beyonce and Chrissy Teigan visited Epstein's island. The source TikTok already sends up a red flag about whether this source is legitimate or not. The TikTok user who posted this seems to be just a random person from somewhere in the world who would most likely not have a list of everyone who visited. Another thing that makes it obvious this isn't a good source is that the information was published in a message group chat. The headline does correlate with the video so it is not trying to trick you about what the video is claiming, but the information is from a. completely unreliable source. According to a list provided by The United States District Court neither of these two women are on the list.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24254761-1524-epstein-documents-combined
by Apprentice (1.2k points)
Hello! You did a great job with this fact-check. I agree that TikTok is not a legitimate source especially if the account isn't verified or from the social media account of a news source like ABC, CBS, BBC, etc. I also appreciate that you included a link to the legal court document. This proves that your fact-check has legitimate evidence. I would only add a link to other news sources such as the one I am providing below from CBS News. Having more than one source is very helpful and the court document is lengthy. CBS is a short and reliable source for people to read!
by (160 points)
I like how the document you provided from The United States District Court lists individuals associated with Epstein, and neither Beyoncé nor Chrissy Teigen are on that list. This suggests that the claim in the TikTok video is likely false.

10 Answers

+5 votes
by Apprentice (1.3k points)
selected by
 
Best answer

Since we found out the courts were gonna release the infamous "Epstein List" last month, countless false or edited lists have been passed around social media and the internet. This appears to be another fake list. As this is a popular court case that is grabbing lots of public attention, it is important to get your sources directly from the U.S government. I went directly to the "U.S Department of Justice" website. which archives all official activity and announcements from the government regarding his case. In the archives, you can find multiple releases of 100's pages, that are downloadable to your device. Included in these pages are the official list of names involved in the case. In addition, discussions from witnesses are attached to all the names included. It is easy to check this list with secondary news sources, but the Department of Justice is the most reliable. 

It is important to remember that just because someone's name is on this list, does not mean they are guilty or have committed any crimes. Epstein's lists of associates and friends is very long, and the majority included did not commit crimes. 

https://search.justice.gov/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&affiliate=justice&query=Jeffrey+Epstein

by Newbie (430 points)
I agree with your statement and conclusion. I think it is very important that you used these sources and had that available. I also think it is a great way to continue and keep the facts straight about names and just because someones name is being used does not mean that it is used correctly. Also the U.S department of justice website was a good call to look at as a fact check source.
by Apprentice (1.2k points)
I found your factcheck to be quite helpful! I really like how you emphasize getting information from the US Department of Justice since it is a popular case and a lot of misinformation could get out. Using such a strong source like the US Department of Justice is a great way to make sure information is true or not.
by Novice (500 points)
The checking of the us department was very clever . That is a great way to see if something is true or not
by Novice (610 points)
This is a great fact check because you gave some background knowledge about how the official list is being released soon. I also appreciate how you got straight to the point with this being false news. Your source was great!
by Novice (630 points)
I agree, even though neither of the two accused in this were not found on any lists, those that were are not automatically guilty. Just because someone is associated with a criminal doesn't always mean they are also one.
by Novice (890 points)
I love how you went straight to the source and found out whether or not it was true or not. I also like how you emphasize the point that this source is not trustworthy.
by Novice (700 points)
Yes, it seems like no real list has emerged so far, and tiktok should not be used as a source of reliable information.
by Novice (820 points)
I agree with your statement as well. The in depth details and links really helped me come to the same conclusion. Nice work!
by Novice (840 points)
I appreciate that you put emphasis on going directly to the source because I do think that is the most accurate and valid way. Also, the US Department of Justice is very reliable. I like that you actually downloaded the pages to see them for yourself. Good job!
+17 votes
by Master (5.0k points)

Numerous false lists of celebrities have flooded social media. The one in the linked TikTok appears to have come from a text conversation, so it is difficult to source how this particular list came to be.

However, both Newsweek and USA Today (both generally cited to not lean left or right politically and to be relatively reputable) have fact checked claims that Beyonce and/or Chrissy Teigen have been revealed in court documents to have gone to Epstein's island. Newsweek has separately published the list of names from the unsealed lawsuit, and this list did not include Beyonce or Chrissy Teigen. The article with the list was written by Gabe Whisnant, who seems from his LinkedIn page to be a documented reputable journalist. To double check, I used this document. Because of its sheer volume, I searched for specific names and still did not see either of the people listed in this claim.

Bias check for USA Today

Bias check for Newsweek

False
by Apprentice (1.1k points)
Good job on this fact check! I'm impressed by how you found so much information on a random claim from social media. I think you referred to a lot of good sources, including the journalist's own LinkedIn account. I also think it was beneficial that you included the bias checks for the different news sources.
by Novice (910 points)
Great fact check because you kept your potential bias in check and still provided solid proof against this claim. I especially am appreciative that you even went into the journalist own account.
by Novice (630 points)
Good work! I also found no real evidence that either of the two was involved in this situation. I like how you made sure to use reliable unbiased sources to go off of.
by Apprentice (1.6k points)
This is a great fact check! I agree that this list appears to be among the countless fabricated on social media for gaining views. My only suggestion would be checking official government records as well, as they might be easier to interpret than even the hand written scans of the flight logs. That is a pretty nit-picky observation though; great job on the verification!
by Novice (690 points)
+1
This is a great fact-check! I agree that this claim is used to gain media attention and increase views. I liked that you did your research!
+2 votes
by Novice (830 points)

The claim that Beyonce and Chrissy Teigen have visited Epstein Island are false. There are no sources confirming that any of their names appeared on this list. Newsweek has already addressed these rumors in this article (https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-epstein-list-include-beyonce-dwayne-johnson-1858795) and has explained the phenomenon of these fake Epstein Island lists. Many other news sources have reported on the release of the list of people who visited Epstein Island. While some of these articles do mention A-list names that did visit the island, none of the names were Beyonce or Chrissy Teigen. (The guardian- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/05/jeffrey-epstein-list-documents-will-there-be-new-charges and BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67861498)

NDTV who is known to be a credible source has an article with the full list of names (https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/jeffrey-epstein-epstein-files-full-list-of-high-profile-people-named-in-unsealed-court-docs-4810003) but due to this article having no sources or information on how they gained access to this list of names it should also be taken lightly. 

Due to the lack of evidence and neither Chrissy Teigen or Beyonce being named in any of the more credible articles I feel it is safe to assume that this claim is false.  

False
+2 votes
by Novice (870 points)

https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-epstein-list-include-beyonce-dwayne-johnson-1858795 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/30/fact-check-teigen-degeneres-oprah-not-epstein-flight-logs/5494709002/

This TikTok is completely false, and it's not the only one. There have been numerous tweets and social media posts claiming these celebrities are on Epstein's list or have been to Epstein' island. These headlines are clickbait, and they are fake information. Two reputable sources, linked above, have completely debunked these claims. They are unbiased sources as well. The TikTok in question here should not be trusted. One look and you can tell it is not a reliable source. The user is Mohammed Deeq, and the list that is posted is from a text in a groupchat. This is a great example of disinformation.

False
by Apprentice (1.3k points)
The actual epstein documents themselves are also not as simply laid out as this fake list is. The tiktok has received 2.2million views for spreading disinformation. Here is the actual documents which are a long read so it makes sense that most people would not want to spend so much time looking through it. If they can get the information in a short form video, it could be enough for them to believe without going further.

Epstein documents: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6250471-Epstein-Docs
+1 vote
by Novice (500 points)

This tik tok post is deemed as false information. We live in a time where something can be look upon as true if it has a lot of likes. This tik tok user is a regular person who has no credibility behind his name. The article by USA Today debunks the claim that chrissy Teagen was on that list. In this article the author facts check whether or not teagen name is on list and her name is not . Teagen claims she potentially is seeking legal action on these false claims and getting off of Twitter . The publisher of this article also has fact checked many other articles and has a email provided.

 Beyoncé  name has also been debunked  to being on Epstein island. An article posted by the guardian did not mention any thing about Beyoncé being on the list . I could not find any articles that listen Epstein guest with Beyoncé being one of them. The author who published this article is a freelance journalist 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/30/fact-check-teigen-degeneres-oprah-not-epstein-flight-https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/03/jeffrey-epstein-list-names-released

+1 vote
by Novice (750 points)

The claim that Beyonce and Chrissy Teigen visited Epsteins famous trafficking island is false and has no credible source to back it up. Since the news about the release of the Epstein Island there has been many fake Tik Tok videos trying to gain views from it. I found that websites such as USA Today debunking this false claim. A senior reporter by the name of Tom Norton from NewsWeek also said, " The unsealing has inspired lists of bogus connections that have continued to dupe social media". I found his LinkedIN to confirm he is a reliable source and he is on the fact checking team for NewsWeek. I did one last dive into actually trying to find the list and went through reliable websites such as the Guardian and still found nothing about either Beyonce or Teigen being there.

https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-epstein-list-include-beyonce-dwayne-johnson-1858795

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/05/jeffrey-epstein-list-documents-will-there-be-new-charges

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-norton-47473a114/?originalSubdomain=uk

False
+1 vote
by Journeyman (2.2k points)

Ever since Epstein Island was exposed for what happened now and then people online make their own lists that include A-List celebrities who were speculated to be going to the island. However, this list isn’t a valid source at all due to several reasons such as this document being from a group chat that was screen-recorded along with the person who shared it and has no actual reliability based on the other content that they share. As I was looking at the other names on this list I noticed how a soccer player named Callum Hudson-Odoi was included on this list yet during the time the island was running he was just a child proving that this list is inaccurate, to add on to this Hudson-Odoi made a public statement regarding his name being on this list. After I finished looking at some of the other names I continued my search by looking at the official government documents about the case along with that I found another article from Newsweek that claims that Beyonce had no connections to the list at all, proving that this list along with others including her name are false.

False
+1 vote
by Newbie (400 points)

This claim is false. Since the court case went public and the official list has been released, social media has gone into a frenzy. Many celebrities not even mentioned during the case have been accused of visiting the island or being involved in its incidents. CBS News describes the Island and lists the people involved in the case; both Beyonce and Chrissy Teigan were not listed.

+1 vote
by Novice (690 points)
There has been a lot of news coverage about Epstein's Island and which celebrities have visited the island. While the official list has not been released there have been misleading and false claims including Beyonce and Chrissy Teigen's involvement in Epstein's island. This misleading information could result from motives to spread misinformation and create media attention around false claims.

Beyonce and Chrissy Teigan have no recorded connection to Epstein's Island or flight logs.

https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/1/4/24025802/jeffrey-epstein-list-unsealed-documents-bill-clinton-donald-trump
+1 vote
by Novice (820 points)
The claim that Chrissy Teigen and Beyonce visited Jefferey Epstein's island is false. Since trial many different lists have come out about who went to his island, but most of them have been reported as fake. There is one recent list that just came out after courts and fact checking sights spent extensive hours reviewing it that proved Beyonce and Chrissy were never on the island.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2024/01/03/jeffrey-epstein-fact-check/72086418007/
False

Community Rules


Be respectful.

There is bound to be disagreement on a site about misinformation. Assume best intentions on everyone's part.

If you are new to factchecking, take some time to learn about it. "How to Factcheck" has some resources for getting started. Even if you disagree with these materials, they'll help you understand the language of this community better.

News Detective is for uncovering misinformation and rumors. This is not a general interest question-answer site for things someone could Google.

Posting

The title is the "main claim" that you're trying to factcheck.

Example:
Factcheck This: Birds don't exist

If possible, LINK TO to the place you saw the claim.

Answering

LINK TO YOUR EVIDENCE or otherwise explain the source ("I called this person, I found it in this book, etc.")

But don't just drop a link. Give an explanation, copy and paste the relevant information, etc.

News Detective is not responsible for anything anyone posts on the platform.
...