Barbra Streisand did not sue Karoline Leavitt over a $50 million lawsuit, despite rumors spreading this information. This false story blew up in September 2025 but has been proven to be completely baseless. Streisand fans who may have felt the urge to defend her against Leavitt, the White House press secretary, should rest easy as no such lawsuit exists.
The rumor started with a now-deleted Facebook post screaming, “YOU WERE BEATEN — PAY NOW!” It claimed Streisand was suing Leavitt and a network after a shocking live TV fight.
According to the bogus story, Leavitt interviewed Streisand after a charity concert, which turned hostile when Leavitt accused her of hypocrisy. However, the story did feel quite off from the very beginning.
Snopes, a company that debunks such false news, investigated this claim and couldn’t find any legitimate proof. They pointed out that the Facebook accounts spreading the rumor had a history of sharing false news. These accounts also frequently post AI-generated images.
What made it worse was the fact that the text also could have been AI-generated. This further put a huge question mark on the authenticity of the whole thing. The details were vague and unrealistic.
For example, why would Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, conduct an interview with Streisand? Also, the network in question was never named, adding to the story’s mystery and unlikelihood.
It should be noted here that Karoline Leavitt is not new to these wild rumors. There were previously debunked claims about her debating Stephen Colbert on The Late Show and another about her sparring with Patti LaBelle. Snopes noted, “Were this story true, it would have been widely covered by mainstream news outlets.”
Barbra Streisand is also not alien to such rumors and strange legal battles.. In 2003, she sued photographer Kenneth Adelman for privacy violation because he published a photo of her Malibu home.
Streisand lost the case, and ironically, the lawsuit only brought more attention to the photo. This backlash to attempts at hiding information is now famously called the “Streisand effect.”
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The circulation of this fake lawsuit against Leavitt could lead to a similar situation. The “Leavitt effect” might come to describe how false stories encouraged by AI inadvertently shine a spotlight on Streisand’s charitable work.
This incident also highlights the current predicament of our society, where it is way too easy to spread false information. With the advent of AI, making random images and writing false news are no longer difficult tasks and a lot of organizations do the same, without thinking about the far-reaching consequences of their acts.
While debunking sites work their part and such rumors and speculations do get squashed, the rate at which they are spreading is quite alarming. It has now become almost impossible to believe a single news source without checking the information from multiple sites.
The news of Leavitt and Streisand’s alleged fight and legal battle not only shows this growing concern of AI misuse but also highlights the importance of better judgment on the part of the readers. Given the current situation, one should never jump to conclusions about a piece of news just after reading or hearing it and should make sure to verify it before spreading it further.
