On February 5-6, the pro-government media POSTV (1,2), Georgia First NEWS, ჩინეთის ამბები • China News, the political organization “Solidarity for Peace,” and Facebook users spread information claiming that USAID paid millions of dollars to actors Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, Orlando Bloom, Ben Stiller, and Jean-Claude Van Damme to travel to Ukraine and promote Volodymyr Zelenskyy. POSTV later deleted its posts.
Some of these posts included an English-language video that distributes the same claim and visually creates the impression that it is a video from the American media outlet E! News. The same information was actively disseminated by Russian propaganda media, including Царьград [Tsargrad], Russia Today, EurAsia Daily, Российская Газета [Rossiyskaya Gazeta], Военное обозрение [Voennoye Obozreniye], and Вести [Vesti].
The claim that USAID paid actors to travel to Ukraine is disinformation. The video, which allegedly belongs to E! News, is fabricated, and the outlet never published it. Most of the mentioned actors are associated with the UN’s Goodwill Ambassador program, not USAID. The information was also denied by actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn.
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How the Fabricated Video Was Spread Under the Name of E! News
The video circulated under the name of E! News, which serves as the main source of the claim that USAID paid actors to support Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is fabricated. Such a video cannot be found on the official social media pages of the outlet. Additionally, an E! News representative confirmed to AFP Fact-Check journalist Bill McCarthy that the video is faked. Moreover, the video slightly differs from E! News’ typical content. Short videos with similar-style captions are usually published by E! News without voiceovers, whereas the disinformation video includes both captions and synchronized audio. Additionally, there is a spelling mistake in the name of one of the actors, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
The video also spread in the English-speaking online space, being shared on X by Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and Donald Trump’s former attorney and supporter, Sidney Powell. Posts on X also include information clarifying that the video is fabricated.
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What Do We Know About Actors’ Visits to Ukraine, and Who Responded to the Disinformation?
Actor Ben Stiller responded to the video circulating on X.
Stiller: “Totally false. Untrue. These are lies coming from Russian media. I completely self-funded my humanitarian trip to Ukraine. There was no funding from USAID and certainly no personal payments.”
Ben Stiller visited Ukraine in the summer of 2022 as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. In response to media inquiries, UNHCR also issued a statement, confirming that Stiller does not receive payment from the organization and self-funds his humanitarian visits.
According to AFP Fact-Check journalist Bill McCarthy, a representative for Sean Penn also confirmed that the actor personally covered his travel to Ukraine and did not receive any funding from USAID. The statement shared by the journalist noted that spreading such propaganda and falsehoods is dangerous and irresponsible, and the actor will take appropriate legal action.
Sean Penn visited Ukraine in the fall of 2022 and met with President Zelenskyy. Due to his criticism of the war, Penn has been sanctioned by Russia. He also directed the documentary “Superpower” about the war in Ukraine.
Angelina Jolie traveled to Ukraine in May 2022. She has been a UN special envoy for refugee issues for years, but her visit to Ukraine was independent of the organization. Orlando Bloom traveled to Ukraine in March 2023 as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Jean-Claude Van Damme visited Ukraine in the winter of 2022 to express his support.
According to the UN guidelines for the Designation of Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors, which apply across all UN agencies, these ambassadors do not receive salaries from the UN for their humanitarian work. They may be given a symbolic payment of $1 per year and travel and daily subsistence allowances.
The false claims linking actors and USAID were also fact-checked by AFP and BBC. AFP further noted that a search of usaspending.gov, the U.S. federal spending database, did not find any records indicating that USAID had paid any well-known individuals.
Clemson University professor and disinformation researcher Darren Linvill stated on X that the first accounts sharing this claim frequently amplify narratives created by Storm-1516. Storm-1516 is a Russian group focused on spreading propaganda. According to NBC News, Storm-1516’s disinformation campaigns rely on faked primary sources, including manipulated audio, video, photos, and documents, which are used to support false claims. The group’s disinformation is then amplified by international media and bloggers, with Western audiences being the primary target.
Archive links: Georgia First NEWS, ჩინეთის ამბები • China News
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