Taylor Swift caught up in fake reports of celebrities aiding Texas flood relief
In the days since the destructive flooding in central Texas, false stories have sprouted online about celebrities, including Taylor Swift, donating to relief efforts and visiting the disaster site.
And as noble as it sounds that country singer George Strait has donated $3.5 million to those efforts, those reports and several others have been debunked.
Take, for instance, Facebook and Threads posts featuring AI-generated images of Swift and Selena Gomez at the flood site proclaiming that each has donated $1 million to flood relief “sending a powerful message to Donald Trump on his One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Another Threads post “with a similar image falsely claimed that Swift (who was born in Pennsylvania) was born in Texas,” according to MySanAntonio.com news site, which has debunked several online claims of celebrity involvement.
The fake news appears to have come from USAmidia, which has been found to be “a clickbait entertainment site that publishes sensationalist and often false news with no transparency and no editorial accountability.”
A Facebook page named Country Heartstrings posted on Sunday that Strait, “a man known for his private, quiet demeanor, surprised everyone by donating $3.5 million to support the victims and the families of those still missing in this horrific flood.”
The post included a statement allegedly from Strait through his publicist, according to the fact-checking website, Snopes.
“The post received more than 99,000 reactions as of this writing, with at least two other similar claims appearing elsewhere on Facebook. However, our investigation found no credible evidence supporting reports that Strait made a $3.5 million public donation to Texas flood relief efforts,” Snopes reported.
Contributions that have been reported by reputable news sources and the NFL include $1.5 million for relief efforts from a combined effort by the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.
Colombian pop star Shakira said Saturday that she would donate proceeds from her San Antonio world tour concert that night to Catholic Charities of San Antonio, Yahoo reported.
Texas native Eva Longoria shared a list of agencies her fans can contribute to.
Texas native Miranda Lambert has announced that her nonprofit organization, MuttNation, is starting a fundraiser to help people whose pets have gone missing in the flooding.
And fellow Texan Maren Morris shared that she is donating to the Texas Hill Country Community Foundation, which has “set up a specific to support local efforts (nonprofits, local government, first responders and local shelters).”
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 4:05 PM.
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