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celebrity fake quote COVID-19

Morgan Freeman never told people to ‘stop taking tests’ for COVID-19

A viral quote meme offering dangerous health advice presented as common sense guidance includes a photo of actor Morgan Freeman. But the actor never said this. Let’s take a look at the facts.

A Facebook post of a meme that includes a photo of actor Morgan Freeman and the words “Stop taking tests and live your life. If you’re sick, stay home. If you feel fine, go about your business. This has been the system that worked for all of human history until the last two years. Time to go back to it.” The News Literacy Project added a label that says “FALSE ATTRIBUTION.”
Actor Morgan Freeman did not say that people should “stop taking tests” for COVID-19 and simply stay home if they don’t feel well, as this meme suggests.
This quote comes from a Jan. 4 tweet posted by conservative political commentator Matt Walsh.
This is not reliable medical advice.
People who have COVID-19 can be asymptomatic and “feel fine,” but still infect others.

NewsLit takeaway

Falsely attributing political messages to popular celebrities is a common tactic used by peddlers of disinformation to help their messages gain wider acceptance and reach. When you see a controversial message of any kind attributed to — or associated with — any celebrity, always proceed with caution, and be especially wary of claims involving well-liked figures with broad appeal.

Featured Fact-Checks

NLP’s viral rumor rundown is a regular feature in The Sift, its weekly email newsletter for educators, and in Get Smart About News, its weekly email newsletter for the general public. You can subscribe to these newsletters here. Send suggestions, questions or feedback on this rumor or on the viral rumor rundown blog to thesift@newslit.org.