Viral images shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, purport to show former First Lady Michelle Obama while pregnant.

BREAKING:

Michelle Obama silences ALL conspiracy theorists and demands a universal apology after FINALLY releasing glowing pregnancy photos when she was expecting Sasha and Malia. pic.twitter.com/rMFs3XbqF9

— Charlotte, The Baroness 💫 (@CharlotteEmmaUK) September 20, 2023

Verdict: False

A content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation” indicates the photos have been created using artificial intelligence (AI). A media forensics and AI expert also confirmed the photos were not authentic in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz recently said Democrats could “parachute” Michelle Obama in to be their 2024 presidential nominee if incumbent President Joe Biden were to drop out of the race, according to The Hill. Cruz made the comments on his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” the outlet reported.

“BREAKING: Michelle Obama silences ALL conspiracy theorists and demands a universal apology after FINALLY releasing glowing pregnancy photos when she was expecting Sasha and Malia,” the X post, viewed over 900,000 times, purports. The X post features four images that appear to show Obama while pregnant.

The images are not authentic, however. A content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation” indicates the photos have been created using AI. Based on the results of the scan, Stable Diffusion and Stable Diffusion XL are the programs that were most likely used to generate the images.

Screenshot captured via Hive Moderation

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the images referenced in any credible news reports about the former Democratic First Lady or her pregnancies. The photos also do not appear on the Obama Foundation’s website. In addition, Obama has not publicly commented on the claim.

Dr. Walter Scheirer, a media forensics and AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, also confirmed the photos were not authentic in an email to Check Your Fact.

“One need only look at the hands in these images to determine that they are AI-generated. Extra fingers can be seen, along with poorly rendered fingers that appear deformed in a highly unnatural way. These are common artifacts found in imagery produced by generative models,” Scheirer said.

Check Your Fact reviewed the images included in the X post, and in the second and third images, Obama appears to have both extra and deformed fingers.

Obama used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive her two daughters, according to The Associated Press. The viral X claim appears to have circulated in relation to another claim that the former Democratic First Lady is transgender, which has been previously debunked. (RELATED: Video Falsely Claims Michelle Obama Responded To Barack Obama’s “Hidden Gay Secret”)

Check Your Fact has also contacted Obama via the Obama Foundation she shares with her husband, former President Barack Obama, for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.