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McDonald's Uses Silicone Oil to Make Chicken McNuggets?

The familiar golden arches have endured plenty of rumors over the years.

by Joey Esposito, June 20, 2024


Image courtesy of @africa-images/Canva


Founded by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940, McDonald's has expanded into a global corporation with well over 40,000 locations. The golden arches have become synonymous with Americana iconography and fast food. 

With booming success come increased scrutiny and a bevy of rumors, and McDonald's is no exception. Through the years, Snopes has investigated a wide variety of claims that involve the house that Ronald McDonald built. 

We've looked into political discourse including whether 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris worked at a McDonald's in college and allegations that Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of a health insurance CEO, was caught presenting a fake ID at a McDonald's.

Not all claims about the chain had such weighty consequences, however. Some readers simply wanted to know whether it was true that McDonald's might be opening its first buffet-style restaurant or was going to charge a fee to use the drive-thru window. 

We dug through the Snopes archives to highlight 20 rumors involving McDonald's that we've looked into:


By Joey Esposito

Joey Esposito has written for a variety of entertainment publications. He's into music, video games ... and birds.

This image shows two separate images, one on the left and one on the right, originating from an AI-generated video showing a scary-appearing man with clown makeup on the left and fake posters on the right allegedly creating the first iteration of the McDonald's restaurants Ronald McDonald character.

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Is McDonald's charging $1 'convenience fee' for drive-thru?

June 5, 2026

Social media users shared numerous images allegedly showing new signs cropping up at McDonald's ...

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An image shows an alleged photo of a McDonald's employee wearing a red hat in one of the restaurant's kitchens while chained to a food preparation station with a chain and strap, as well as a circle-shaped closer look at the chain and strap appearing on the left side of the image.

Investigating alleged image of chained McDonald's worker preparing food

May 31, 2026

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Photos of two Big Mac cheeseburgers from McDonald's overlaid on background featuring dollar bills.

Did Big Mac shrink by 40% while price skyrocketed from 50 cents to $8?

May 25, 2026

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Image shows a screenshot of an X post showing U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team eating a meal in the White House.

Did Trump feed US Olympic men's hockey team McDonald's at White House?

Feb. 26, 2026

"That got out there that it was McDonald's, but it wasn't," U.S. player Jack Eichel said on a po ...

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Trump quote about bathrooms and water pressure during McDonald's speech is authentic

Nov. 18, 2025

The president took a detour from addressing the economy to speak about bathroom activity.

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Does this video show a McDonald's in Missouri falling into sinkhole?

Nov. 8, 2025

Margaret from Branson Area Breaking News doesn't have the story.

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Did McDonald's open 'first-ever buffet' in Missouri?

Sept. 11, 2025

A Facebook post claimed McDonald's was testing the dining option at a location in Branson, Missouri.

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A white man wearing a dark blue suit has his mouth open. In the background, fries being held in a yellow container with a yellow M on it.

Unwrapping claims Trump provided 'mobile McDonald's' by Saudi government

May 14, 2025

A journalist spotted the McDonald's food truck at a media event in the Saudi capital.

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Check out this real statue of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder in South Dakota

April 25, 2025

The statue was unveiled in 2020 to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the fast food chai ...

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Breaking down list alleging companies like McDonald's and Walmart donated to Trump

March 3, 2025

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Icelandic Display Shows Last McDonald's Cheeseburger Sold There?

Feb. 2, 2025

The financial crisis of 2009 reportedly made the franchise too expensive to operate.

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Hourly Pay of McDonald's Workers in Denmark Really Is This Much

Dec. 29, 2024

Fast food wages in Denmark are set by collective bargaining between companies and trade unions.

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A yellow M sign is shown. On top of it, an image of a person blowing a bubble is shown in the left corner while a piece of broccoli is shown in the right corner.

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Dec. 15, 2024

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No, UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Suspect Wasn't Caught Using Fake ID at McDonald's

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Fake Photo Shows Harris in McDonald's Uniform

Oct. 26, 2024

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Report McDonald's Stock 'Skyrocketed' After Trump Visited PA Location Originated as 'Satire'

Oct. 23, 2024

"I think we’ve finally found our new marketing strategy," a McDonald's spokesperson allegedly said.

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Trump's 'Shift' at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania Was 'Staged'?

Oct. 22, 2024

Viral social media posts alleged that Trump's Oct. 20, 2024, stint serving up french fries at Mc ...

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McDonald's Uses Silicone Oil to Make Chicken McNuggets?

June 20, 2024

A popular X post posited that McDonald's uses a synthetic material that's also in contact lenses.

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