Claim:
A photo authentically depicted Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic nominee for U.S. vice president, in blackface.
Rating:
Originated as Satire ( About this rating? )
Context:
A Facebook page that describes its output as satirical or humorous in nature posted the photo alleging it showed Walz. In reality, the image is from an episode of "Mad Men" called "My Old Kentucky Home" in which the fictional character Roger Sterling, played by actor John Slattery, sings a song in blackface to entertain guests at a party.
A photo supposedly showing the Democratic nominee for U.S. v ice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in blackface circulated online in late summer 2024. For example, the Facebook page American Liberty shared the photo on Aug. 23, 2024, with a caption that claimed Walz, a former teacher, wore the racist face paint "years ago to amuse his student body alumni."
(Facebook Page American Liberty)
The claim spread across Facebook and X , where some readers seemed to interpret it as true. Several Snopes readers submitted requests for us to determine its legitimacy.
However, the photo in question does not show Walz in blackface. Rather, it is a still image from an episode of the TV show "Mad Men ," in which the fictional character Roger Sterling, played by actor John Slattery, sings the song "My Old Kentucky Home" (also the title of the episode) in blackface. Running the photo through the reverse-image search engine TinEye revealed links to multiple news stories about the episode.
The depiction of blackface in the "Mad Man" episode generated controversy. In 2020 , the production company Lionsgate added a disclaimer to the episode to remind audiences "how commonplace racism was in America in 1963."
The false claim that the image shows Walz originated with a Aug. 23, 2024, post on the American Liberty Facebook page. That page says it belongs to America's Last Line of Defense — a network of social media pages and websites that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature — and that nothing it posts is real.
The page's bio includes a link to a website, patriotpartypress.com , that displays the following disclaimer:
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. if you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. [...]
Snopes has addressed other satirical claims targeting Walz in the past, such as a rumor that his daughter received $82,000 in student loan forgiveness .
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
Sources:
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voBcDtXIMvA . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Brito, Christopher. "Mad Men" Won't Remove Scene Showing John Slattery's Character in Blackface - CBS News. 2 July 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mad-men-blackface-episode-john-slattery-content-warning/ .
Ibrahim, Nur. "No, Tim Walz's Daughter Didn't Get $82K in Student Loan Forgiveness." Snopes, 13 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/hope-walz-student-loan/ .
Liles, Jordan. "No, Video Doesn't Show Walz Being 'Abusive' Toward Son at 2024 DNC." Snopes, 23 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/walz-anger-abusive-son-video/ .
"Mad Men: 'My Old Kentucky Home.'" AV Club, https://www.avclub.com/mad-men-my-old-kentucky-home-1798206877 . Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
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