The E!News portal never published such a story, and the widely circulated news is fake, debunked by both the media and the celebrities who visited Ukraine.
Social media users, along with Russian media, are spreading claims that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) allegedly funded visits by Hollywood stars to Ukraine during the war. The alleged source of this information is the American entertainment portal E!News. The “news” has been amplified on social media by figures such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.
“It is reported that this was done to increase Zelensky’s popularity among foreign audiences, especially in the U.S.,” the propaganda piece claims. The article also mentions alleged payment amounts, stating that Angelina Jolie allegedly received $20 million, while Sean Penn was paid $5 million.
In fact, this information is completely fabricated. First of all, there is no such news on the E!News portal, which already indicates a fake. A representative of E!News told AFP that the article and the video are “not authentic and did not originate from E! News”.
The actors named in the fake story have also denied the claims. Hollywood actor Ben Stiller wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account: “These are lies coming from Russian media. I completely self-funded my humanitarian trip to Ukraine. There was no funding from USAID and certainly no personal payments.”
It is also worth noting that Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme never made an official visit to Ukraine during the full-scale invasion. In the winter of 2022, he vacationed in Zakarpattia, where he took photos with Ukrainian soldiers. However, the actor is also known for his friendly attitude towards Vladimir Putin.
This fake news was also debunked in Ukraine: the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, called it nonsense, while the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, stated that the video was created by Russians.
“The worst part is that the Russians are trying to use X (where this hoax has spread the most) against U.S. interests. It’s as if Tomahawk missiles were hitting America instead of its enemies. And the Russians must be punished for this,” Kovalenko added.
Previously, StopFake has debunked other similar fake news stories based on completely fabricated and doctored reports, including Fake: Florida Governor Mocks Ukrainian Oligarch Who Donated to LA Fire Victims and Fake: Ukrainian Soldiers Secured Successful Russian Attack on Poltava for $500,000 – Forbes.
