Rumor Whoopi Goldberg's Mansion Burned Down in LA Wildfires Is Satire

As the January 2025 wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles, a rumor circulated online that one of the blazes destroyed actor, comedian and television host Whoopi Goldberg's California mansion.

A website called Esspots.com published the claim in an article (archived) on Jan. 10. It began:

The recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area have caused widespread devastation, claiming the lives of at least 10 people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Among the properties affected by the massive blazes is the home of actress and television host Whoopi Goldberg, which was completely burnt down in the flames. The wildfire, which tore through various upscale neighborhoods, has resulted in millions of dollars in damage, leaving countless residents displaced and heartbroken.

Numerous Facebook pages, including The Patriots Network (archived), Space X Fanclub (archived) and The Patriots Lovers (archived), shared variations of images showing a burning house with a sign in front of it that featured text stating that the television host's home had been damaged in the fires. All three of those Facebook pages, along with Esspots.com, are part of the SpaceXMania network of websites and social media pages.

Other Facebook groups, as well as Threads and X users, also picked up the rumor.

Some social media users appeared to appeared to believe the claim was true.

However, there is no evidence that Goldberg's home was damaged in the wildfires. Likewise, no credible news outlets reported on such a story. Rather, the rumor originated from the Esspots article and posts on its associated Facebook pages, all of which include disclaimers stating that they publish fictional and satirical stories.

The Esspots article was tagged as satire, and a note at the bottom read: "This is SATIRE, It's Not TRUE." In addition, a biography of the article's author says he writes "satirical pieces."

The images shared by the Facebook pages also contained disclaimers saying the posts were "rated satire." They all featured a watermark of The Patriots Network's logo with a further warning that "nothing on this page is real." The Facebook pages spreading the claim also self-describe as "satire/parody" accounts. 

Google's reverse image search of the picture posted by The Patriots Network did not definitively say the image was produced using artificial intelligence in its "About this image" tab. 

However, tools that detect whether an image has been produced using AI said there was up to a 78.7% chance the Facebook pages used AI to produce the picture. 

Similarly, elements of the image used to depict Goldberg's house indicated that AI was likely used, such as abstract lettering on the bottom of the sign. 

(Hive Moderation)

Esspots.com and its associated Facebook pages, which are part of the SpaceXMania network of satirical websites and social media accounts, have a history of making up stories for shares and comments, many of which Snopes has covered in the past.

For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.