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In our age of Photoshop, internet, and fake news, it’s important to remember that not everything we see or read on the internet is true. It’s best to take everything with a grain of salt. Chances are – if the photo that has gone viral seems too good or too ludicrous to be true, then it’s probably fake.

And yet, even knowing this, we often get fooled by hoaxers. We see a photo of our beloved celebrity doing something that we didn’t know they had done and we freak out and get excited. Only later do we realize that the photo is nothing more than a hoax, created by photoshop.

Thus, if you come across an exciting but dubious viral photo it’s best to check the source it comes from before you jump to any conclusions. After all, who wants to be hoaxed?

Tom Hanks Political T-Shirt

In July 2017 the Facebook user Andre Lightner posted an image of the actor Tom Hanks wearing a political T-shirt. The message on the T-shirt read – “Science is Real – Black Lives Matter – No Human is Illegal – Women’s Rights Are Human Rights – Kindness Is Everything.”

Lightner captioned the photo as – “Wake em up TOM HANKS!” Unfortunately (and predictably) it turned out that the photo is fake. Social media users were quick to notice that the lettering on the T-shirt is far too straight to be real. But it wasn’t just the message that had been added to the black T-shirt, the T-shirt itself had been digitally added to the original image in which Hanks is wearing a United States soccer team T-shirt.

Jennifer Aniston Gets A Buzzcut

In 2013 the website Daily Makeover, known for posting inspiration on haircuts and makeup posted an image of the actress Jennifer Aniston with a buzzcut. According to the website, Aniston had gotten a new hairstyle for a movie role. The article supposedly included a direct quote from Aniston – “My character gets to this really broken point, and [director] Daniel [Schechter] and I thought it would make her more realistic.”

However, while Aniston’s fans freaked out it soon became obvious that the photo was a fake and that the website was just conning people as an April Fool’s joke.

But in 2013, the photo resurfaced on a fake Jennifer Aniston Facebook page. This time, the actress supposedly claimed that after her niece was diagnosed with cancer she cut off her hair for her to show her that you could be pretty even with a buzzcut.

Justin Timberlake Is Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, Human

Do you remember the photograph of Justin Timberlake holding a sign that says “I am Serbian, I am Bosnian, I am Croatian, I am human #floods #help #donation #solidarity #Serbia #Bosnia #Croatia”? A few years ago the photo went viral. However, Timberlake’s fans were quick to notice that it was fake.

Timberlake didn’t actually hold a sign saying the above message. The image was actually made from an old photograph of Justin Timberlake. In 2011, Timberlake posed for an image for a campaign against child trafficking. In the original image, Timberlake holds a sign that says – “Real men don’t buy girls.”

Jay Z And Beyonce With Their Twin Babies

In June 2017 the rapper Jay-Z and the singer Beyonce welcomed newborn twins into their family. Almost immediately afterward, a photograph of Jay-Z and Beyonce holding their twin babies went viral.

However, while the photograph excited the couple’s fans at first it soon emerged that the photo was actually fake. It turned out that the above photograph was actually created from two older photographs of Jay-Z and Beyonce carrying their first child, Blue Ivy.

As you can imagine, the couple’s fans were dismayed when they realized that the above photograph was nothing more than two old photos merged together.

Lana Del Rey And Jennifer Lawrence Kissing

Have you seen the photo of Lana Del Rey and Jennifer Lawrence kissing? And if so, did you believe it to be genuine? Because much to the dismay of fans worldwide the photo is not real even if it did fool thousands of social media users – “Lana del Rey and Jennifer Lawrence kissing might just be the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

However, the photo you see above isn’t altered or photoshopped. The girl on the right is actually Lana Del Rey’s sister, Chuck Grant – “Getting a lot of messages about looking like Jennifer Lawrence, but this takes it a bit too far, don’t you think? Lana Del Rey and Jennifer Lawrence. Comforting to think that if my photography were to fail I could probably work as Jennifer Lawrence’s stand-in.”

A Fake “Untouched” Photograph Of Cindy Crawford

In 2013 a supposedly untouched photograph of the model and actress Cindy Crawford went viral. However, it later turned out that the photo was not actually “untouched”. In fact, it was obvious that it was heavily photoshopped.

However, the model didn’t want to come out against the photograph because so many people believed that it was real – “It put me in a tough spot: I couldn’t come out against it because I’m rejecting all these people who felt good about it, but I also didn’t embrace it because it wasn’t real. And even if it were real, I wouldn’t have wanted it out there.”

Paris Hilton Wearing A 'Stop Being Poor' Tank Top

A couple of years ago a photo of the reality TV star Paris Hilton went viral. In the photo, Hilton is clearly at a party and she is wearing a tank top that says “Stop Being Poor”. Knowing Hilton, it does sound like something she would do. However, after the initial uproar, it was discovered that the photo is actually a fake.

The original photo was actually taken at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2005 by the photographer Vince Flores. In the original photo, the message on Hilton’s tank top reads – “Stop Being Desperate.” So why would we want the above photo to be real? Well, just think of all the drama it would cause!

Justin Bieber Kissing Austin Mahone

In 2014 a website called Huzlers, which specializes in “trending fauxtire & satire entertainment”, posted an article which claimed that the singer Justin Bieber has admitted to being bisexual on his Twitter.

According to the website, Bieber posted a photograph of him kissing the singer Austin Mahone which he captioned – “meet my new boyfriend. I’m Bi, so what? F**k what anyone thinks.”

The Twitter post was supposedly deleted thirty minutes after it was posted but, according to the article – “Justin later told reporters, ‘I don’t care what anyone thinks, after what happened with Selena and me, I decided to try guys too, and Austin is so fine.”

Obviously, the article was fake and the website's pages did carry a disclaimer that said – “Huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief.”

Snoop Dogg Wearing An Easter Bunny Costume And Holding A Basket Filled With ... Some Green "Substance"

A photoshopped image of Snoop Dogg dressed as an Easter Bunny and holding a basket of marijuana has been circulating internet for years. However, it was only in 2014 that the image went viral. Why? Because 2014 was the year when Snoop Dogg shared the image on his official Instagram page.

In 2014, Easter Day fell on April 20th which is also known as “Weed Day” around the world (at least by those who smoke pot). Thus, Snoop Dogg posted the image and captioned it as – “Happy Easter. Hahahahahahah 2funny. 420!!!”

The man who actually wore the Easter Bunny outfit came forward on Reddit that same year – “That’s me! I think Snoop rocked it better though.”

Marilyn Monroe And Elizabeth Taylor Posing Together

On 16th of April, 2017, the Twitter user @HistoryInMoment posted an unseen image of the actress Marilyn Monroe and the actress Elizabeth Taylor posing together. In the image, the two iconic actresses are leaning against a tree, with Monroe looking straight at the camera and Taylor looking away.

However, it turns out that the photograph is fake and is merely a result of two different photographs being merged together. The original photo of Taylor was taken in 1948 by the photographer Mark Kauffman. However, it wasn’t made public until Taylor’s death in 2011.

The photo of Monroe was taken in 1950 by the photographer Ed Clark. Just like Taylor’s photo, it wasn’t made public until 2009.

Megan Fox As Wonder Woman

Remember that time when it was rumored that Megan Fox was going to be the next Wonder Woman? The rumors came with images of Megan Fox dressed as Wonder Woman and were so professional that many believed them to be a teaser campaign for a new film.

However, those rumors were just that: rumors. Unfortunately, there was no Wonder Woman film in the making.

And even if there was, Fox wouldn’t be interested in starring in it since she thinks that Wonder Woman is lame – “Wonder Woman is a lame superhero. She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don’t get it. Somebody has a big challenge on their hands whoever takes that role but I don’t want to do it.”

George Clooney In Ireland

In 2015 rumor had it that George Clooney and David Beckham would go to Ireland for the Irish Open golf tournament. Then, a photo of Clooney strolling around Ireland in a T-shirt and shorts went viral.

Apparently, the photograph was snapped outside a Hallmark shop in County Down near a red postbox. While Irish fans were super excited to see their beloved celebrity touring Ireland, the news turned out to be untrue.

Unfortunately, the picture was a fake, much to the dismay of Clooney’s Irish fans. The above photo was the result of a 2007 photo of Clooney and Photoshop.

Marilyn Monroe And James Dean

How cool is the above picture? It’s stylish, aesthetically pleasing, and best of all, it involves two icons from the golden age of Hollywood. Unfortunately, the photo is fake. Marilyn Monroe and James Dean never smoked together. In fact, it is believed that they never met each other.

However, if you browse the internet for Monroe and James Dean you’re likely to find dozens of fake photographs of the pair smoking, kissing, hugging and posing.

The above photograph was created by merging two photographs – a 1955 photo of Monroe at the Ambassador Hotel in New York and a 1954 photo of James Dean on the set of East of Eden in California.

Lil Kim's Enhanced Butt

In 2016 an unflattering photo of Lil' Kim went viral. In the photo, Lil' Kim’s butt appears to have been surgically enhanced. Immediately, people decided that the photo was real because after all, Lil' Kim is known for her love of plastic surgery.

And so the hate began. In an attempt to stop the haters who were recommending she cease her plastic surgeries, Lil Kim posted the above (fake) photo alongside the real one. The real photo was taken in 2015. If you look at the original photo you can see that the person who photoshopped Lil Kim’s butt simply filled in the shadow behind her to make it look as if it was part of her butt.

Lil Kim rightly expressed her disappointment – “You bloggers should be ashamed of yourself for promoting this foolishness knowing that this is SO fake just like all of you haters.”

David Bowie Hanging Out With Lemmy From Motorhead

In January 2016, a photograph of David Bowie and Lemmy from Motorhead posing together at a party went viral. The photo was first posted on the image sharing website Imgur with the caption – “Bowie and Lemmy are about to start the most rocking, stellar band ever. Rock In Peace you legends.”

Bowie passed away in 2016 and Lemmy passed away in 2015, so it’s no surprise that the photo went viral when both Bowie’s and Motorhead’s fans were mourning the loss of two iconic singers.

However, to the dismay of fans worldwide, the above picture is actually fake. It has been made by combining two photographs – a 1972 photo of Lemmy with an unidentified girl and a photo of David Bowie and singer Claudia Lennear.