In April 2025, widely viewed videos claimed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt successfully sued television talk show "The View" for $800 million. Variations of the claim spread on Facebook and YouTube. The videos showed images and clips of Leavitt and the hosts of "The View" along with a voiceover detailing what allegedly occurred.
An April 1, 2025, video from Agenda Insight had more than 166,000 views and claimed: "The View BEGS Karoline Leavitt To STOP Her $800 MILLION Lawsuit."
On April 19, 2025, a different video from MagnetTV GENIUS DATA — with more than 278,000 views, as of this writing — claimed Leavitt had won the lawsuit: "Karoline Leavitt FINALLY WINS $800M Law Suit Against 'The View'."
However, both videos are fictional accounts. They originate from YouTube channels known for posting fictional stories. One of the videos has a disclaimer at the bottom of its caption. As such, we rate this claim as false.
The MagnetTV GENIUS DATA video caption stated:
⚠️DISCLAIMER:
Our videos are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not claim absolute truth. All opinions expressed are those of the creators and do not necessarily reflect the views of any individuals, organizations, or media outlets mentioned. Viewer discretion is advised as the content is meant to foster open discussion, and does not endorse or promote violence.
The Agenda Insight YouTube account also shared multiple versions of the same story, including podcast host Joe Rogan's "reaction" to Leavitt's lawsuit. The videos do not show Leavitt, Rogan, or any of "The View" hosts discussing the so-called lawsuit. Instead, they take real clips out of context and edit them together with a voiceover, to suggest that these individuals are talking about a lawsuit.
A simple Google search showed us there is no evidence of a lawsuit. Were this the case, it would have been widely covered by news organizations.
On April 21, 2025, fact-checking organization LeadStories also debunked a claim from one of the same YouTube channels, MagnetTV GENIUS DATA, that Whoopi Goldberg, one of the hosts of "The View" fled the country on account of Leavitt's lawsuit.
These videos follow a pattern carried out by YouTube channels, such as Elite Stories, that concoct elaborate fictional tales about public figures, often depicting them in a heroic or inspiring light.
Leavitt and "The View" hosts have criticized each other in the past. In a December 2024 interview on Fox News, Leavitt said it was "ironic" that Goldberg, Joy Behar and other hosts spent their time calling Republicans "conspiracy theorists" while being "wrong about everything they have said" over several years.
In January 2025, Behar said on "The View" that Leavitt probably got her job as press secretary because Trump found her to be "a 10" (rating her attractiveness). In that same conversation, Goldberg criticized Leavitt for saying there would be no "wokeness" in the Trump administration. Goldberg said, "Without that wokeness, you might not have that job. Because women were not invited to that table. Women were not invited to many tables in this nation."
Snopes has debunked similar YouTube videos with fake stories about prominent individuals like tech billionaire Elon Musk and Attorney General Pam Bondi, as well as clips that used AI technology for audio or visuals. We have published a series of articles to help people identify that type of media.