Claim:
In October 2025, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sued White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt for $50 million.
In mid-October 2025, a rumor spread online that Kansas City Chiefs tight endTravis Kelce sued White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt for $50 million after a "shocking live TV attack."
One Facebook post (archived) with the claim read:
"YOU WERE BEATEN — PAY NOW!" Travis Kelce Sues Karoline Leavitt and Network for $50 MILLION After Shocking Live TV Attack
No one saw it coming. What began as a routine post-game interview spiraled into chaos when Karoline Leavitt blindsided Travis Kelce with an unexpected on-air tirade. Instead of discussing his charity work and game performance, Leavitt accused the Kansas City Chiefs star of hypocrisy and "representing a broken system."
Viewers were stunned as Kelce — known for his composure and social advocacy — stood silent, visibly shocked but unshaken. Within days, Kelce filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Leavitt and her network, alleging "malicious intent and reputational damage."
Insiders say the lawsuit could become one of the most explosive celebrity-media clashes in recent memory.
Kelce's message is clear: respect must go both ways. And as one commentator put it — "This wasn't just about football. It was about dignity, live on national TV."
The fallout? Just beginning.👇👇👇
Thousands of people reacted to, commented on and shared the post. The claim spread not only on Facebook but also on Instagram and Threads. Readers searched our website for information about the claim.
In reality, no such lawsuit or on-air confrontation ever occurred. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo found no news media outlets reporting about Kelce suing Leavitt. Prominent news outlets would have widely reported this rumor, if true.
Rather, the story was a fabrication. It was among hundreds of similarly fake stories about celebrities on Facebook that aim to generate advertising revenue via websiteslinked in posts.
For example, a comment on the above-mentioned Facebook post redirected readers to a page supposedly detailing the incident between Leavitt and Kelce. That advertisement-filled website read:
The controversy erupted during what was supposed to be a routine post-game and charity segment. Kelce, fresh off a standout performance on the field and an appearance supporting local community initiatives, sat down for a televised interview to discuss his recent success and philanthropic work. Instead of a conversation about football and his charitable projects, however, the dialogue spiraled into chaos when Karoline Leavitt turned the spotlight onto Kelce himself, launching into a fiery tirade that blindsided viewers.
According to witnesses, Leavitt accused Kelce of being "hypocritical," questioned his character, and even went so far as to claim that he represented a "corrupt system" within professional sports. Audience members were left in shock as the verbal attack unfolded live on air. What began as an opportunity to highlight Kelce's role as both an athlete and community leader quickly turned into one of the most controversial on-screen moments of the NFL season.
Kelce's response, however, was markedly composed. Known for his leadership qualities and calm demeanor, he refrained from escalating the confrontation. Instead, he stayed poised, steering the discussion back toward his values and his off-field commitments. Analysts later praised his restraint, noting that in an era where heated exchanges often dominate headlines, Kelce's refusal to lash out demonstrated the same focus and discipline that has made him one of the NFL's most respected figures.
According to the artificial-intelligence (AI) text detector ZeroGPT tool, the entire article was likely generated by AI. (Research shows AI-detection software is imperfect. Readers should consider the tools' results with skepticism.)
(ZeroGPT)
The article's tone, structure and emotional language also indicated that AI software helped create it, as well as the fact it did not list sources for its information.
The above-displayed Facebook post's format appeared in many forms on social media, though with slight variations. The posts began with the same phrase "YOU WERE BEATEN — PAY NOW," with different public figures allegedly suing Leavitt.
For instance, a Facebook post (archived) falsely claimed race car driver Lewis Hamilton was supposedly suing Leavitt for $50 million (emphasis added):
"YOU WERE BEATEN — PAY NOW!" — F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton sues Karoline Leavitt and Network for $50 MILLION after shocking live attack. (VIDEO)