A rumor that actor Tom Hanks had announced he was withdrawing his Oscar nominations and leaving the United States circulated online in November 2024.
A Facebook post (archived) in which the claim appeared alleged that Hanks had said: "I've had enough."
(SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page)
The rumor spread on Threads and elsewhere on Facebook, with some readers interpreting the alleged news as factual.
One Facebook user commented: "Maybe because now he is no longer protected from being arrested. But maybe we've had enough…" Another person said: "Sad the type of person he has become. I did enjoy some of his movies. However a lot of privileged wealthy actors have now shown their real feelings." Someone else joked: "Shoulda stayed on that island with Wilson," in reference to the name of a volleyball Hanks' character befriended in the movie "Cast Away."
However, there was no evidence of Tom Hanks withdrawing his Oscar nominations or leaving the U.S., and no credible news outlets reported on such a story.
Rather, the claim about Tom Hanks' exodus from the U.S. originated with an article posted by Esspots on Nov. 21, 2024. Esspots is a website that describes its output as being satirical in nature and is part of the same network as the SpaceX Fanclub page that posted the rumor on Facebook. Esspots' "About Us" page states:
Welcome to the US page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.
The Esspots article was also labeled as satire, as was the image in the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook post. SpaceX Fanclub also describes itself as a "Satire/parody" account.
The fictional story spread in the wake of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims about celebrities leaving the U.S. after Donald Trump was reelected, including rumors about Ellen DeGeneres and Whoopi Goldberg moving to the U.K., Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro leaving the U.S. and soccer star Megan Rapinoe leaving the U.S. due to a "massive red wave."
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.