The $60 Million Lie: How Fake News Tricks Us

The Viral Rumor

In October 2025, a wild story spread online. It claimed that Robert Irwin, the famous zookeeper and son of the late Steve Irwin, sued Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, for $60 million. The rumor alleged this happened after a heated argument on a TV show. However, there was no proof this ever happened.

The Spread of Misinformation

Many Facebook pages shared this story, using catchy headlines like:

"BEATEN, BEATEN – PAY NOW!"

Some posts even linked to shady websites filled with ads. But here's the truth: none of it was true. A quick search on Google, Bing, or any other search engine showed no real news about this lawsuit.

The Bigger Problem

This fake news story is part of a bigger issue. People make up stories about celebrities and politicians all the time to make money from ads on their websites.

The Facebook page "Irwin Generations" shared this story, along with other false claims. They even posted a fake story about Robert Irwin dropping out of a dance show.

Previous Incidents

This isn't the first time this has happened. Snopes, a fact-checking website, has debunked similar stories before. They even found that the same catchy phrase "BEATEN, BEATEN – PAY NOW!" was used in another fake story about Tiger Woods suing Pete Hegseth.

No Response from the Source

Snopes tried to contact the people behind the "Irwin Generations" Facebook page to ask why they shared these fake stories. As of now, there's no answer.