Fact Check: Viral Videos Falsely Claim Celebrities Back ‘All Democrats Are Criminals’ Campaign

Several short videos circulating on X (formerly Twitter) falsely claim that actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Braeden, Annie Potts and Patrick Fabian endorse an "All Democrats Are Criminals" campaign. The clips repurpose Cameo footage, add fabricated audio and captions, and display a New York Times logo even though the paper did not publish them.

What We Reviewed

• Three videos shared by the @ireneconc account on X on Sept. 18, 2026, each showing a New York Times-style logo in the upper-right corner.
• Original Cameo recordings from the accounts of Eric Braeden, Annie Potts and Patrick Fabian that match the visual footage used in the viral clips.
• An image of Leonardo DiCaprio sourced from an MTV News post on YouTube that appears in one of the videos.
• Public statements and reporting: Eric Braeden’s publicist Charles Sherman told Lead Stories on Sept. 24, 2026 that the claim about Braeden was "Totally false." Lead Stories and other fact-checkers investigated and found the clips were fabricated.

Key Evidence

Edited Audio and Captions: The viral videos overlay invented audio and captions on authentic Cameo footage. For example, the edited clip begins with footage that matches Braeden’s Cameo message, but the line "I'm joining Leonardo DiCaprio's All Democrats Are Criminals campaign" does not appear in Braeden’s original recording.

Source Misattribution: Although each viral video displays a New York Times-style logo, The New York Times did not publish these videos. Searches of The New York Times website, Google News and Yahoo News returned no credible reports that these actors endorsed such a campaign.

Confirmation From Representatives and Fact-Checkers: Braeden’s publicist directly denied the claim. Multiple fact-checking outlets, including Lead Stories, reviewed the videos and confirmed that the material was repurposed and altered.

Conclusion

The viral videos are fabricated. They reuse footage from Cameo accounts, add invented audio and captions, and falsely display a New York Times logo. There is no verified evidence that Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Braeden, Annie Potts or Patrick Fabian have endorsed an "All Democrats Are Criminals" campaign.

Bottom line: Do not treat these clips as credible — they are edited and misattributed.