The two Academy Award-winners went viral on social media in spring 2024.

Image courtesy of Save America/X

In May 2024, a viral post on X from the account Save America claimed that two Hollywood greats, actors and filmmakers Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood, were joining forces to launch a “non-woke” movie studio:

BREAKING: Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood Join Forces to Launch Non-Woke Movie Production Studio.

Do you support this?

Yes or No

Here is the full post, which was viewed 289,300 times, as of this writing:

Many followers posted comments in support of the apparent news. “Omg. PLEASE. So sick of the absolute garbage being put out now,” wrote one account, while another responded, “Yes!!! I never watch movies anymore it would be nice to watch something that was built on good writing not on being PC all the time.”

A second account on X, TRUMP ARMY, shared the same post on June 12, 2024, receiving 137,000 views, as of this writing.

Snopes conducted a Google keyword search and found an earlier Facebook post from the account The Patriots Network dated May 6, 2024. That post shared a similar headline to the viral posts on X, along with the following information:

Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood have joined forces to establish a new film production studio that promises to deliver bold, unfiltered storytelling. This unique partnership brings together two cinematic legends who share a vision for creating films that challenge the status quo and present compelling narratives without bending to industry trends.

The Patriots Network Facebook post linked to a story on the website SpaceXMania, dated April 14, 2024, which included the following details:

In an era dominated by divisive rhetoric and polarizing narratives, Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood’s venture represents a beacon of hope for those seeking authentic and inclusive storytelling. Their un-woke film production studio promises to usher in a new era of filmmaking that celebrates diversity of thought and captures the essence of the American spirit.

However, this story proved untrue, and the post did not factually recount real-life events. No reputable news outlets or websites have shared the alleged news about Washington and Eastwood creating a “non-woke” movie studio. The image accompanying the Facebook post from The Patriots Network bears a “Rated Satire” stamp in the top-right corner, while the account’s “About” section lists it as a part of “a Network of Satire and Parody affiliated with SpacexMania.com.”

SpaceXMania.com describes its output as humorous and satirical in nature, both on its “About Us” page and as a label above its articles.

Within the SpaceXMania network of parody and satire pages and social media accounts, another web page, Esspots, ran the story about Washington and Eastwood’s “non-woke” movie studio, which appeared on April 12, 2024, two days before SpaceXMania published its version.

In the “About Us” section of the Esspots page, the website describes itself as “A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News,” and “your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.”

This is not the first time we’ve debunked such claims from this network of parody accounts. Snopes has previously fact-checked satirical claims, including the NFL banning singer Taylor Swift from attending all future games because she’s “too distracting,” and Elon Musk investing $1 billion into actors Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg’s “un-woke” production company.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.