A fabricated video claiming that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) paid Hollywood actors millions of dollars to visit Ukraine was shared on Facebook and later amplified by Donald Trump Jr. The video falsely accuses Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Orlando Bloom, and Ben Stiller of receiving large sums of money from USAID. However, the video is manipulated and not a real news report from E! News as it claims to be. Multiple actors mentioned in the video have denied the claims of being paid by USAID to visit Ukraine, stating that their trips were self-funded.
Experts have identified the video as part of a Russia-aligned influence campaign and not a genuine news report. The creation of the video with the E! News logo and false claims is consistent with tactics used by disinformation campaigns. The video was shared by accounts associated with the Kremlin-aligned Storm-1516 influence network and was further magnified by Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.
Although AFP, Lead Stories, and PolitiFact have debunked the claim, the false video continues to circulate online. USA TODAY reached out to the individuals involved in spreading the misinformation but did not receive a response. The fabricated video is a troubling example of how false information can be disseminated and amplified, leading to confusion and misinformation about important global issues.
