Fact Check: Karoline Leavitt didn't organize fundraiser for janitor at her old high school
Claim:
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reconnected with and organized a fundraiser for her old high school's elderly janitor.
Rating:
A rumor circulating online in March, April and May 2025 claimed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reconnected with and organized a fundraiser for her old high school's elderly janitor.
For example, on April 25, the manager of a Facebook page named Animals & Pets posted (archived), in part, "Karoline Leavitt Discovers Her Old High School Janitor Still Working at 80—And Her Next Move Leaves the Entire Town Stunned!" The post received over 92,000 reactions.
An article featured under the post hosted on the website viralstoryus.noithatnhaxinhbacgiang.com tells the story of Leavitt reconnecting with a janitor named "Mr. Reynolds" at "Jefferson High School" in Concord, New Hampshire. According to the story, Leavitt organizes a fundraiser for Reynolds, receiving a total of $137,492 in donations, allowing him to purchase a new car, "fully paid apartment," health insurance and "freedom to visit his grandchildren without worrying about rent."
(Animals & Pets/Facebook)
However, the story of Leavitt and her old high school janitor was false. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no reports from news media outlets about this matter, including from conservative political blogs. The White House has not yet responded to a general request asking if they wished to share comment about this story.
Multiple sources reported Leavitt attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts — not a "Jefferson High School" in Concord, New Hampshire. A search for a "Jefferson High" found no school by that name in Concord.
Further, the photo of "Mr. Reynolds" displayed in the Animals & Pets post matched a picture previously featured in a rumor making similar false claims about NBA great Michael Jordan reconnecting with his old high school janitor.
In the weeks prior to the Animals & Pets Facebook page's post, as well as posts on other social media pages, YouTube creators first promoted the rumor in videos. For example, in early March, the Gentry Stories YouTube channel's video (archived) and Ikonic Stories channel's clip (archived) received 88,000 and 55,000 views, respectively. Both videos featured generative artificial intelligence (AI) scripting, visuals and voice narration, as well as the shared title, "Karoline Leavitt Discovers Her High School Janitor Still Working at 80, Her Next Move Stuns Everyone."
Such made-up stories — often featuring inspiring stories about famous people from the worlds of entertainment, politics and sports — drive social media engagement, potentially with the goal of Facebook page managers or YouTube creators one day selling their pages or accounts after earning high follower or subscriber counts. The content also possibly allows for monetization, whether through the ads on a website or directly included with YouTube videos.
For further reading, a previous fact-check article claimed Leavitt was kicked off "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after a confrontation with host Jimmy Kimmel.
Attridge, Margaret. "Where Did Karoline Leavitt Go to College?" BestColleges, 9 Apr. 2025, https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/where-did-karoline-leavitt-go-to-college/.
Costa, Jamie L. "Taking Flight: Karoline Leavitt's Rise from Atkinson to the West Wing." The Derry News, 28 Nov. 2024, https://www.derrynews.com/news/local_news/taking-flight-karoline-leavitts-rise-from-atkinson-to-the-west-wing/article_410d653d-a296-5407-938b-5720b7d431c0.html.
Holman, Jim. "Karoline Leavitt Open about Her Catholic Faith." California Catholic Daily, 19 Nov. 2024, https://www.cal-catholic.com/karoline-leavitt-open-about-her-catholic-faith/.
Wazer, Caroline. "Don't Fall for This Story about Michael Jordan Reconnecting with His High School Janitor." Snopes, 5 Mar. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/michael-jordan-high-school-janitor/.
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