Did Robert De Niro lose film role after anti-Trump comments? No, claim is from satire sites

After Robert De Niro clashed with Donald Trump supporters outside the Manhattan courthouse where the former president is on trial, social media users shared a headline that said Warner Bros. had canceled a project with the "woke" actor.

De Niro spoke at a President Joe Biden campaign news conference May 28, warning of what he said were the dangers of putting Trump back in the White House. His punishment, according to the social media posts, was losing a movie role.

"BREAKING: Warner Bros Cancels $10 Million Project Starring 'Woke' Robert De Niro," said one X post shared after De Niro’s comments.

We found multiple examples of social media users sharing similar posts, some of which predate De Niro’s courthouse news conference. 

The X post, which had more than 614,000 views, did not link to a story, but a Google and social media search using its words shows that it originated on satirical websites in December.

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TikTok posts

stated on June 5, 2024 in a TikTok video

Audio of President Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur leaked.

(X screenshot)

One satirical Facebook account on Dec. 6 linked to an article on SpaceXMania, which describes itself as a satire site. Another satirical Facebook account on Dec. 7 linked to an article on Esspots, which also calls itself satire.

The X post was tagged with a community note linking to the Esspots article. Reuters fact-checked this claim in December.

Another clue that the X post isn’t true is the dollar figure cited. While small films can be made for $10 million, that amount likely wouldn’t cover De Niro’s fee. The actor’s recent film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," for example, had a budget of about $200 million, and De Niro’s fee was in the $15 million range, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The X post’s claim that Warner Bros. canceled a $10 million project with the "woke" De Niro originated on satirical websites and is being shared without that disclaimer after the actor was critical of Trump. The claim is False.