Ben Stiller Denies USAID Claims, Meets Zelensky

Actor Ben Stiller has firmly denied allegations that his 2022 humanitarian trip to Ukraine was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), attributing them to Russian media. The false rumor, amplified by a fake video with an E! News watermark shared by Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and others, suggested USAID funded celebrity visits to Ukraine. Stiller clarified that he self-funded his trip as a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassador, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and supporting displaced Ukrainians. The misinformation claims were debunked by community notes and fact-checkers, but the misleading video has not been removed from platforms like X. Stiller's public denial aims to correct the narrative and highlight his commitment to humanitarian efforts.