CLAIM
A news article about former US President Barack Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama filing for divorce is being shared on social media. According to the article, which was published on a portal called Empire News on 18 January, 2020, Barack filed for divorce after he revealed “a secret double life as a homosexual”.
The article further goes on to say that after the news broke out, Michelle delivered a rehearsed statement, and said that she had known about Barack’s ‘secret life’ for years and that she hoped he would be happy.
In the article, Barack is quoted as saying that he had been prepared to stay with Michelle but she had decided that the two of them should lead their own lives as their “true selves”, the article said.
The Quint received a query about this article with readers asking about the veracity of the claims being made.
We also found that the article had been shared on Facebook and Twitter by some users.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The news is false. Michelle and Barack have not announced divorce and nor has Barack come out as gay. The news article is actually a work of fiction.
WHAT’S THE TRUTH?
Looking at the kind of ‘news’ the portal publishes, The Quint was able to tell that their writings were purely fictional in nature.
Since most of the articles seemed bizarre, we checked the website’s ‘About’/’Disclaimer’ section and found that they had clearly mentioned that their articles were meant for entertainment purposes only.
They have also mentioned in their Disclaimer section that they only use fictional names, “except in cases of public figure and celebrity parody or satirization. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.”
Therefore, it is clear that the article being shared is not real and is wholly a piece of fiction.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on Whatsapp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)