A rumor that circulated online in early May 2025 claimed Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington argued with U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts. According to the rumor, the pair traded arguments inside the Supreme Court itself in Washington. For example, users on (archived) Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived) shared the rumor either as videos or links to one specific YouTube video.
(Doc Sutton/Facebook)
On May 4, a manager of the Secret Stories YouTube channel uploaded that video (archived) with the title "Judge John Roberts Tries To Embarrass Denzel Washington - Later Discovers Denzel's Legal Brilliance!" The clip received more than 350,000 views. The description under the video read:
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attempts to humiliate actor Denzel Washington during oral arguments, unaware that Washington secretly earned a law degree from Howard University. When Roberts dismissively questions Washington's legal understanding, the Hollywood legend responds with a masterful constitutional analysis of civil forfeiture laws, complete with obscure historical cases and founding documents. Watch as Washington's brilliant argument changes constitutional interpretation while teaching a powerful lesson about prejudging others based on their background. See how preparation and knowledge triumph over condescension in America's highest court.
However, this story about Washington arguing with Roberts inside the Supreme Court — which numerous other YouTube videos later promoted — was false. Had the chief justice really argued with the famous actor inside the courtroom, news media outlets worldwide would have reported on the matter. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo and Google found no such reports.
Alan Nierob, representing Washington as entertainment division chairman for the Rogers & Cowan/PMK agency, told Snopes by email, "None of this is true."
'Entirely fictional' story and AI-generated elements
Upon clicking "more" in the text description under the Secret Stories YouTube channel's video, the clip featured a disclaimer reading: "The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to real events, individuals, or situations is purely coincidental and unintentional. These narratives are not intended to depict, reference, or represent any actual occurrences, persons, or entities."
Additionally, there was evidence that the video's creator used artificial-intelligence software to generate the script and voice-over.
According to the Copyleaks AI-detection website, a user generated the script for the YouTube video with an AI tool. Also, the video's fake-sounding narrator speaks in two different accents within the first 20 seconds of the clip. Inconsistent accents can be one of several signs of AI-generated vocals.
Such made-up stories — often featuring inspiring or shocking tales about famous people from the worlds of entertainment, politics and sports — drive social media engagement, potentially with the goal of Facebook page managers or YouTube creators one day selling their pages or accounts after earning high follower or subscriber counts. The content also possibly allows for monetization through ads, whether on a website or in YouTube videos.
For further reading, a previous fact check examined a made-up rumor claiming Roberts fined U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, $200,000.