Fact Check: Viral Clips Falsely Portray Alyssa Milano, Rachael Harris and Sean Astin Backing “All Democrats Are Criminals” — Not From The New York Times

Videos circulating on X that appear to show actors Alyssa Milano, Rachael Harris and Sean Astin endorsing an "All Democrats Are Criminals" campaign — and including a New York Times logo — are manipulated. The clips recycle footage from the performers' Cameo pages and add fabricated audio and captions; they were not produced or published by The New York Times.

What We Found

Origins: The three videos were posted together in a single X post by account @jabussel on Sept. 18, 2026. Each clip displays a New York Times-style logo in the upper-right corner but matches short recordings previously posted on the actors' Cameo pages.

"I'm joining the stars; they're calling on others to join them in the #AllDemocratsAreCriminals campaign and not to vote for Democrats in November"

Evidence:

• Rachael Harris: The viral clip matches a Cameo video in which Harris wears a black turtleneck, black hat and glasses. The original Cameo message contains no reference to the alleged campaign; the political lines were added in the edited version.
• Alyssa Milano: The segment used in the edited post corresponds to a Cameo recording showing Milano in a black-and-white top with red glasses. Her Cameo upload does not mention the "All Democrats Are Criminals" campaign.
• Sean Astin: The portion attributed to Astin is lifted from his Cameo page where he wears a black T-shirt and glasses; the original does not include the campaign endorsement.

Verification: Searches of The New York Times website turned up no reporting that Milano, Harris or Astin endorsed such a campaign. Major outlets would have widely reported confirmed endorsements of that nature. Additional checks of Google News and Yahoo News found fact checks addressing the viral clips but no credible news reports confirming the alleged statements.

Conclusion

The videos are edited manipulations that reuse Cameo footage and overlay fabricated audio and captions while showing a New York Times logo. They are not authentic New York Times videos and the actors did not make the statements attributed to them in the edited clips.

How To Verify Similar Claims

• Check the original account (Cameo, official social accounts) for the source video.
• Search the publication named in the clip (e.g., The New York Times) directly, not just social shares.
• Look for independent fact checks and multiple credible news reports before trusting viral political claims.