No, American television host Oprah Winfrey has not been ‘executed’

What is the claim?

On February 29, 2024, a Facebook user named Michael Moxon, known for spreading misinformation, shared a screenshot of an article headlined, “JAG executes Oprah Winfrey.” The JAG, the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, is the legal arm of the U.S. Army.

The post suggests that Winfrey was “executed at Guantanamo Bay for having aided and abetted the enemy, FEMA, in depriving Hawaii residents and tourists of life and property during last summer’s Maui inferno.” The user also shared a link to an article by the website Real Raw News, which is also from where the user seems to have taken the screenshot. Archives to such posts can be found here, here and here. An archived version of the Real Raw News article can be found here.

Screenshot of the posts circulating online (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false and emerges from a website known to spread misinformation.

What did we find?

A search about Oprah Winfrey being executed yielded no credible results. If a popular personality like Oprah were sentenced to death, it would have made international news. Her social media accounts have been active and updated after this purported claim. As of publication, her most recent Instagram post was made on March 3, 2024, where she shared a short teaser of her interview with actor Angela Bassett.

The claim originates from Real Raw News, a website known to spread misinformation. The website’s “About Us” section states that the content published is for “informational and educational and entertainment purposes” and that the site contains “humour, parody, and satire.” However, it does not clarify which articles are satirical and which ones are “news.” Logically Facts’s detailed analysis has shown that Real Raw News often propagates harmful conspiracy theories in the name of satire by citing unnamed sources.

It is also to be noted that the JAG cannot independently execute U.S. citizens. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bars federal military personnel from participating in civilian law enforcement. 

Logically Facts has contacted the U.S. Army JAG’s public relations department. This article will be updated when we get a response.

Such articles from Real Raw News often circulate online — Logically Facts has fact-checked many such articles published on this site, including those claiming that judges who ruled against former U.S. President Donald Trump were arrested by the JAG.