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Unsubstantiated claim that Oprah has a connection to human remains and cannibalism

tabnews August 17, 2024
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The claim: Police found human remains and evidence of cannibalism in Oprah's former LA home

An Instagram post from July 12 (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, about media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

“In honor of Oprah Winfrey’s 70th birthday.th “Birthday, what is your favorite moment with the icon?” reads the text in the post, which includes a photo of Winfrey.

The response presented states: “At that time, police found human remains and evidence of cannibalism in her LA home, which she had sold in 2013.”

The Instagram post was shared over 4,000 times within a month.

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Our rating: False

There is no evidence that human remains have been found in any home associated with Winfrey. Records show that she did not sell a home in Los Angeles in 2013.

Public records show no sale of a Los Angeles home

If human remains had been discovered in a home once owned by Winfrey, it would have made big headlines. But there are no credible news reports of such a discovery.

Magazines such as House Beautiful and Architectural Digest have reported on several homes Winfrey has owned across the country, including in Chicago, Montecito, California, Maui and Telluride, Colorado. There is no mention of Winfrey ever owning a home in Los Angeles. Winfrey has sold properties in Chicago, New York and Franklin, Tennessee, but nothing in Los Angeles in 2013, according to a USA TODAY review of property records kept by Lexis. There is no record of her owning a home there.

The social media user who made the claim in the screenshot later wrote in another X-post that it was a joke.

Fact check: Oprah did not fly to Epstein's island; her students were not kidnapped

There are numerous other disproven conspiracy theories surrounding Winfrey. Among other things, it is claimed that she was involved in child sex trafficking together with Jeffrey Epstein and that she helped Harvey Weinstein abuse women.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact has also refuted this claim.

Our fact-checking sources:

  • Lexis, accessed August 9, SmartLinx Person Report
  • Home Beautiful, December 26, 2023, A look into Oprah Winfrey's rich real estate portfolio
  • Architectural Digest, October 1, 2021, Oprah Winfrey's Homes: A Look Inside Her Extensive Real Estate Portfolio
  • @ F41RYTA1L, February 2, X-Post (archived)

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