Athlete Riley Gaines didn’t win $10 million against “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg

On social media, "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg seems to always be fending off lawsuits. 

In 2021: a $60 million lawsuit from Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted in a fatal shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the previous year. In 2023, country singer Jason Aldean supposedly sued her, too. And in 2024, X owner Elon Musk reportedly sought $60 million from Goldberg in court.

All of those claims are false, and originated on self-described satire websites. 

That’s also the case for a new claim shared June 25 on Facebook: "Riley Gaines won $10 million against Whoopi Goldberg for defaming her reputation." 

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

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Gaines, an athlete who opposes transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, didn’t win a $10 million judgment against Goldberg. 

This claim originated on a self-described satire site. But it’s now circulating on social media without the caveat that it was fabricated.

We looked for, but found no, credible sources, such as news stories, that Gaines and Goldberg are in a legal dispute over defamation, or anything else. 

We rate this claim False.