Fact check: Dave Chappelle COVID-19 news is true, but Fox News report image is altered

McKenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The claim: Image of Fox News reports comedian Dave Chappelle tested positive for COVID-19 and canceled his shows

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many Hollywood celebrities, athletes and politicians have contracted the coronavirus. Viral social media posts claim stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle has now also tested positive for COVID-19.

The posts appear as a screenshot from an alleged Fox News article headlined, "Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19 ... Cancels Tx Shows." Above the text is a purported headshot of Chappelle.

"It’s propaganda but I’m sure even Dave would find this hilarious," one user captioned the screenshot, which was posted to Instagram on Jan. 23 and has over 1,800 likes.

Some users shared the same screenshot but noted that the man in the photo is not Chappelle. Others shared similar versions of the claim featuring a different image of the comedian that does not resemble the one in the purported Fox News article.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook and Instagram users for comment.

Fact check: Meme of fake email perpetuates conspiracy theory

Chappelle tests positive and cancels shows

Chappelle tested positive for COVID-19 before a scheduled comedy show on Jan. 21 and canceled his upcoming appearances, the Associated Press reported.

He was expected to perform over the weekend at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas, but those shows were canceled while he quarantines, according to his representative, Carla Sims.

Sims told the Associated Press that Chappelle had been performing socially distanced shows since June in Ohio and moved to Austin during the winter. She said rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chapelle and his team were also implemented.

Refunds will be available to ticket holders at their point of purchase. Chappelle is not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, according to CNN.

Fact check: The vaccine for COVID-19 has been nearly 20 years in the making

Article is not from Fox News, man in photo is not Chappelle

While it's true that Chappelle tested positive for the virus, the image and text included in the screenshot is not from Fox News and the man in the photo is not Chappelle.

Fox News reported on Chappelle's positive COVID-19 test on Jan. 22 with the headline, "Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19." The image and headline in the Fox News article does not match the one seen in the screenshot.

The man in the post is actually actor Bokeem Woodbine. A reverse Google image search shows the photo of Woodbine was captured by Los Angeles-based photographer Jordan Strauss, who is credited with taking the photo in an article from The Hollywood Reporter.

A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY that the network did not use the photo of Woodbine in its reporting of Chappelle.

Further, on the right-hand corner of the image is a TMZ watermark. A search on the entertainment outlet's site shows that the article's headline matches the one seen in the posts, but the image does not. An authentic screenshot of TMZ's article was shared to Instagram by comedian Joe Rogan, who was also scheduled to perform over the weekend.

Many people believe that Woodbine and Chappelle are celebrity look-a-likes. In a 2019 podcast episode on "Jemele Hill is Unbothered” Woodbine addressed how he is repeatedly mistaken for Chappelle.

Fact check: Vice President Kamala Harris used 2 Bibles when she was sworn in

Our rating: Altered

It is true that David Chappelle tested positive for COVID-19, however, screenshots claiming to be an article from Fox News and featuring a photo of Chappelle are ALTERED. The man seen in the image is Bokeem Woodbine, who has been frequently mistaken for Chappelle. Fox News confirmed to USA TODAY that it did not use this photo of Woodbine in its reporting of Chappelle testing positive for COVID-19.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: News report of Dave Chappelle's COVID-19 result is altered