Q: Is actress Jennifer Aniston starting “a company named ‘Celebrities for Trump'”?
A: No. Aniston supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.
FULL ANSWER
Jennifer Aniston hasn’t said anything publicly since the 2016 election that would indicate she has changed her mind and is now supporting President Donald Trump.
In fact, the only thing we could find that she’s said about Trump since he became president is a brief mention in an interview with Vogue magazine in August 2017 expressing astonishment that he won the election.
But dozens of dubious websites have posted a story with a headline claiming that the actress said she is starting “a company named ‘Celebrities for Trump.'”
More than 40 different websites posted the story on Facebook, where it has been shared more than 75,000 times in total. Some users of that social media site flagged the story as potentially false. It is.
The story is actually a mash-up of two stories that have nothing to do with a company named “Celebrities for Trump.” It takes content from two entertainment websites: toofab, which wrote about a skit involving Trump on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 2016, and Gossip Cop, which debunked a rumor that Aniston would sell clothes on the Home Shopping Network.
There is nothing in the bogus story about Aniston’s fictional pro-Trump company beyond the made-up quote in the headline.
Businesses and organizations that form in the state of California, where Aniston lives and where Hollywood is located, must register with the office of the California secretary of state. A search of registered corporations and limited liability companies under the name “Celebrities for Trump” produced no results.
Also, Aniston gave $33,400 in 2016 to the Hillary Victory Fund, which was a joint fundraising committee for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and several state Democratic parties, according to records kept by the Federal Election Commission.
And she posed for a picture with Clinton and jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer in August 2016 that was posted to Meyer’s Instagram account with the caption, “We’re with her,” a nod to Clinton’s campaign slogan, “I’m With Her.”
Aniston’s history of Democratic donations goes back further than 2016, too. She gave $28,500 to help get Barack Obama and other Democrats elected in 2008, according to FEC records.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk false stories flagged by readers on the social media network.
Sources
Branch, Kate. “Jennifer Aniston on Bringing the #FreeTheNipple Movement to the Masses First.” Vogue. 10 Aug 2017.
“ACTRESS JENNIFER ANISTON: ‘ME AND ALL THE TRUMP SUPPORTER CELEBRITIES DECIDE TO MAKE A COMPANY NAMED “CELEBRITIES FOR TRUMP”, WHICH FIGHT AGAINST ALL ANTI TRUMP CELEBRITIES, I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP NEEDS OUR SUPPORT’. DO YOU SUPPORT HER?” federernow.blogspot.com. 3 Apr 2018.
“See Why Jennifer Aniston & Donald Trump Aren’t Pleased with New ‘SNL’ Impressions.” toofab.com. 4 Dec 2016.
Weiss, Shari. “Jennifer Aniston Launching HSN Clothing Collection?” gossipcop.com. 26 Oct 2017.
Itemized receipts — Hillary Victory Fund. Federal Election Commission. 11 Aug 2016.
Jennifer Meyer. “We’re with her” photo. Instagram. 23 Aug 2016.
Itemized receipts — Obama Victory Fund. Federal Election Commission. 19 Sep 2008.
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