No, Daniel Radcliffe does not have the coronavirus

Harry Potter is not in the hospital wing with coronavirus.

As the number of cases continues to grow, false claims about notable figures and celebrities contracting the virus are circulating on social media. 

The latest one comes by way of a now-deleted tweet from a fake BBC Twitter account, which claimed that actor Daniel Radcliffe, known for his portrayal of Harry Potter in eight films, had become the "first famous person" to test positive for the coronavirus. 

The tweet was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The Twitter account, @BBCNewsTonight, is not affiliated with the British Broadcasting Co. and appears to have been suspended. 

Featured Fact-check

Threads posts

stated on October 23, 2024 in a Threads post

Kamala Harris’ statements about Trump invoking Adolf Hitler were based on a “debunked hoax from The Atlantic.”

The tweet provided a link for users to learn "more information." That led to a genuine BBC news alert page, but one that hasn’t been updated since 2017 and has nothing to do with Radcliffe or his fake diagnosis. 

The actor’s publicist also told Buzzfeed News the rumor was "not true."

Still, the tweet fooled users before it was deleted, including New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who later apologized on Twitter for sharing the false claim. 

The Boy Who Lived does not have the coronavirus. Obliviate this from your memories.

Pants on Fire!