Fact Check: FAKE Image Shows Tom Hanks In ‘Trump Voter’ Shirt
Does an authentic photo on social media show Tom Hanks wearing a T-shirt that reads “I was going to be a Trump voter for Halloween but my head wouldn’t fit up my ass”? No, that’s not true: The photo is a doctored version of a 2010 photo that shows the actor in a plain white T-shirt. Hanks has publicly stated that images of him wearing political T-shirts are “fake.”
A version of the photo appeared on on X, formerly known as Twitter, on October 19, 2024, (archived here). The caption read:
Who agrees you gotta love Tom Hanks?😆
This is how the post appeared at the time of the writing of this fact check:
(Source: X screenshot taken Mon Oct 21 10:10:00 2024 UTC)
The posted photo has been edited and does not match the original photo of Hanks, which shows him in a plain white T-shirt.
Avalon Photo Agency (archived here), an online collection of editorial images, posted that original photograph on June 25, 2020 (archived here). A description with the post noted that the image was taken on May 21, 2010, by Juan Sharma for PacificCoastNews.com while Hanks was “on the movie set of ‘Larry Crowne.'” It read, in part:
40846, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Friday May 21, 2010. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on the movie set of “Larry Crowne”. Tom Hanks is directing and starring in the comedy with Julia Roberts, which tells the story of a middle-aged man trying to reinvent himself. Photograph: Juan Sharma, PacificCoastNews.com
This is what the original photograph and description looked like on the Avalon Photo Agency website:
(Source: Avalon Photo Agency screenshot taken Tue Oct 22 19:35:00 2024 UTC)
According to its website’s About section (archived here), Avalon represents Pacific Coast News and sells photo collections. Pacific Coast News is described as an “entertainment and news agency.”
A reverse image search (archived here) showed that the doctored photo placed on X has been circulating since at least 2017.
Hanks has commented publicly that photos of him have been manipulated to present various political messages. On October 11, 2017, (archived here), Hanks wrote on his account on Twitter (now X):
Below, a sad photo I took. This is real. Those online photos of me wearing political TShirts are fake (though prett… http://content.whosay.com/l/PUmcdmU
A closer look at the “Trump Voter” photo shared on X reveals signs of digital manipulation.
(Source: X screenshot taken Mon Oct 21 10:10:00 2024 UTC)
The lettering appears flat on the shirt and doesn’t show natural movement otherwise seen on a garment that ripples and moves. The altered text is also unnaturally horizontal and shows shadowing behind the words that are otherwise not noticeable on the shirt.
As the American Association of Retired Persons (archived here) notes, celebrity inflammatory or incendiary statements, including stars sharing divisive messages, can indicate that an image has been faked. In February 2024, Lead Stories debunked a false claim that singer Taylor Swift also had been spotted in an anti-Trump shirt.
At the time of this publication, other fact-checking agencies, including Reuters, PolitiFact, Snopes and Politico, had debunked the Hanks photo.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks that mention Tom Hanks can be found here.
Our debunks of other claims related to the 2024 U.S. general election can be read here.
