No, Matthew Perry did not post about exposing Hollywood child trafficking ring | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Matthew Perry died after posting that he would expose a Hollywood pedophile ring

An Oct. 30 video from The People’s Voice, posted on the video-sharing platform Rumble, describes a sinister theory behind actor Matthew Perry’s death.

“Matthew Perry Vowed to Expose Hollywood Pedophile Ring Before He Was Found Dead,” the title of the video reads. Text on the video's thumbnail reads: "MATTHEW PERRY MURDERED?"

In the video, Sean Adl-Tabatabai, founder of The People’s Voice, says Perry vowed to expose the “Hollywood elite” for trafficking children.

Among the purported Instagram posts from Perry that Adl-Tabatabai shows is an image of a child that Perry allegedly captioned, “The world is run by child predators. The only way to win is to shine a light on their wicked deeds. Who’s with me?”

The video was shared more than 100 times in four days, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool.

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Our rating: False

Police have said there was no evidence of foul play in Perry's death. There is no evidence that Perry posted on social media about exposing a ring of pedophiles in Hollywood. The video was posted by a website that regularly publishes fabricated stories.

No evidence Perry worked to expose Hollywood child trafficking

On Oct. 28, the 54-year-old actor, best-known for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. No cause of death has been determined yet, but police stated there was no evidence of foul play.

That hasn't stopped conspiracy theorists from continuing to present false theories that Perry was killed.

The video included several Instagram posts related to Batman that Perry posted before his death. Those are real. Perry has been outspoken about his love for and personal similarities to the comic book superhero Batman.

However, the post about child predators is fabricated. It does not appear anywhere on Perry’s account, which he made in February 2020 according to his earliest post. There are also no credible reports of Perry talking about exposing a child trafficking ring in Hollywood.

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The conspiracy theory about pedophiles in Hollywood traces back to a baseless QAnon conspiracy theory which claims there is a satanic cabal of global elites taking part in an international child sex trafficking ring.

The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has repeatedly published fabricated stories, many of which USA TODAY has debunked.

USA TODAY reached out to The People's Voice for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supposed Matthew Perry post on 'child predators' not real | Fact check