Altered image of Kyle Rittenhouse circulates | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Image shows Kyle Rittenhouse gained weight since his 2021 acquittal

A Dec. 6 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes two images of Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people at a racial justice protest in Wisconsin in 2020. Rittenhouse was later acquitted of charges related to the shootings in 2021 after testifying that he had acted in self-defense.

The first image shows Rittenhouse with a double chin and his stomach noticeably protruding while posing next to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The second shows a slimmer Rittenhouse during his 2021 trial.

"what happened to kyle rittenhouse," the post's caption reads.

The post was liked more than 3,300 times in one day. Similar versions of it were shared thousands of times across social media platforms.

More from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:

Our rating: Altered

The image is altered. It exaggerates Rittenhouse's physical appearance and includes irregularities. Rittenhouse is noticeably slimmer in the original image, which he shared on social media.

Rittenhouse posted original image to promote his book

Rittenhouse posted the original photo of himself posing with Carlson on X, formerly Twitter, on Dec. 5. In it, he appears slimmer. The original also highlights discrepancies in the edited image, including the disfiguration of Carlson's pants and the replacement of Carlson's closed-mouth smile with an open-mouthed frown.

Rittenhouse said in the X post that he talked to Carlson, who hosts a show on X, about his new book, "Acquitted."

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The original image matches Rittenhouse's likeness in other photos and appearances in 2023.

Photos of Rittenhouse have been edited in the past. Reuters fact-checked previous cases of his likeness being altered.

The Instagram user who shared the image did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Altered image of Kyle Rittenhouse circulates online | Fact check