A celebrity endorsement can sell a movie, cosmetics and, sometimes, a bogus health claim.<\/p>\n
When stars share personal health experiences or opinions, those messages can reach millions of people and spark real-world behavior change.<\/p>\n
A 2018 study<\/a> found that an op-ed penned by Angelina Jolie about her BRCA testing and preventative mastectomy led to a \u201cstatistically significant increase\u201d in BRCA testing and mastectomy rates among women who had not been previously diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n But that same reach can amplify claims that conflict with medical evidence or mislead people about their health. From vaccine misinformation to miracle cures, here are five celebrity health claims that needed a reality check rooted in science.<\/p>\n Jenny McCarthy has been a prominent voice in the vaccine-autism debate for more than a decade. Getty Images<\/p>\n Jenny McCarthy helped popularize the false claim that childhood vaccines causes autism, becoming one of the most recognizable figures<\/a> in the anti-vaccine movement in the US since 2005.<\/p>\n McCarthy has said she believes her son developed autism shortly after receiving childhood vaccines, including the MMR shot, Children typically receive the MMR vaccine around the same age when autism symptoms would become noticeable, usually between 15 and 18 months as language and social development progress.<\/p>\n Large studies around the world have found no link between MMR vaccines, thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism<\/a> \u2014 and experts have called out her crusade as dangerous<\/a>.<\/p>\n In fact, autism has no single known cause, and researchers believe multiple factors, like genetics and environmental influences, play a role. <\/p>\n Still, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, a long-time critic of vaccines, said he ordered the CDC to change the language regarding vaccines and autism<\/a> on the organization\u2019s website in 2025.<\/p>\n The phrase \u201cvaccines do not cause autism\u201d remains on the website, though, with an asterisk disclaiming that is \u201cdue to an agreement with the chair of the US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee\u201d \u2014 Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) \u2014 \u201cthat it would remain on the CDC website.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases,\u201d Cassidy shared on X, regarding the change. \u201cWhat parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.\u201d<\/p>\n Gwyneth endorsed vaginal treatments and products via her popular wellness brand Goop. WireImage<\/p>\n #2: Gwyneth Paltrow: Vaginal steaming<\/a> \u201cbalances female hormone levels\u201d and jade eggs \u201cincrease sexual energy\u201d<\/p>\n In 2015, Gwyneth Paltrow decided to loop her Goop audience in on her LA spa treatment obsession: vaginal steaming. She described the service<\/a> as having \u201ca combination of infrared and mugwort steam [that] cleanses your uterus,\u201d offering an \u201cenergetic release\u2026that balances female hormone levels.\u201d<\/p>\n The practice has been used in some age-old traditional and indigenous Asian and African cultures, but medical experts don\u2019t advise it \u2014 and insist the glorified down-below facial has no scientific basis or benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cThe steam almost never gets inside the vagina,\u201d Dr. Lynette J. Margesson told Women\u2019s Health<\/a>. \u201cSteaming would just affect the vulva and potentially scald the skin<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n A few years later, Goop claimed jade yoni eggs<\/a> \u2014 stones inserted vaginally \u2014 lead to pelvic floor gains, \u201cincrease sexual energy and pleasure<\/a>,\u201d balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles and prevent uterine collapse.<\/p>\n OB-GYNs immediately pointed out that jade is a pretty \u2014 but porous \u2014 material, making it a prime place for harboring bacteria and increasing the risk of infections like bacterial vaginosis.<\/p>\n Goop ended up settling a lawsuit<\/a> in 2018 for $145,000 regarding unsubstantiated marketing claims about the egg.<\/p>\n Kim Kardashian introduced a self-proclaimed \u201cMedical Medium\u201d to her \u201cKeeping Up with the Kardashian\u201d audience. Kim Kardashian<\/p>\n #3: Kim Kardashian: Celery juice<\/a> flushes toxins and cures psoriasis<\/p>\n Kim Kardashian put celery juice on the map in 2019. On \u201cKeeping Up with the Kardashians,\u201d self-proclaimed \u201cMedical Medium\u201d Anthony William<\/a> told her the drink flushes toxic copper from the liver, a theory he says comes from a paranormal entity he calls the \u201cSpirit.\u201d<\/p>\n She hoped it would help treat her chronic psoriasis. <\/p>\n \u201cI tried celery juice for eight weeks,\u201d she shared<\/a> on Poosh, Kourtney\u2019s lifestyle and wellness website. \u201cThen I\u2019d do celery juice mixed with the tea. I would do that twice a day.\u201d<\/p>\n But the National Psoriasis Foundation called the celery juice trend a fad with no solid clinical evidence of treating autoimmune diseases. <\/p>\n \u201cOn a medical perspective, celery does not improve the infections in the body that could be triggers for these flares,\u201d said <\/a>Abby Van Voorhees, MD, NP, NPF Medical Board Chair.<\/p>\n Mel Gisbon claimed ivermectin cured his friends of Stage 4 cancer. PA Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n #4: Mel Gibson: Ivermectin cures cancer<\/a><\/p>\n In 2025, Mel Gibson sang the praises<\/a> of a combination ivermectin-fenbendazole regimen as an off-label cancer treatment on the Joe Rogan podcast. He claimed that the drug cured Stage 4 cancer in three of his friends.<\/p>\n \u201cAll three of them don\u2019t have cancer right now at all and they had some serious stuff going on,\u201d the actor said.<\/p>\n A study published in JAMA<\/a> found that prescriptions for the drug more than doubled, jumping over 150% among cancer patients since Gibson\u2019s widely-viewed podcast episode.<\/p>\n That sturge among patients with cancer is particularly concerning to the study authors: \u201cIndividuals facing life-threatening illness may delay or forgo conventional treatments in favor of unproven therapies, potentially allowing their disease to progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Skyler B. Johnson told<\/a> the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy that while some cell and animal studies show that the drugs can produce anti-cancer activity, \u201cthe dose needed to have even a small effect would typically be considered toxic for humans.\u201d<\/p>\n Shailene Woodley recommended her clay diet to a friend: \u201cshe called me and said, \u2018Dude, my shit smells like metal.’\u201d FilmMagic<\/p>\n #5: Shailene Woodley: Eating clay<\/a> pulls heavy metals out of your body<\/p>\n In a 2014 interview with Into the Gloss<\/a>, actress Shailene Woodley praised eating bentonite clay, calling the material \u201cone of the best things you can put in your body.\u201d <\/p>\n She claimed that the clay provides a negative charge that binds to \u201cnegative isotropes,\u201d helping to \u201cclean heavy metals out of your body.\u201d \u201cMy friend starting eating it and the next day she called me and said, \u2018Dude, my shit smells like metal,’\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n Woodley isn\u2019t alone in her pottery-preferring palate. A recent TikTok trend<\/a> involved users filling mini clay pots with lime juice, sprinkling them with Taj\u00edn and snacking on the earthy bites.<\/p>\n \u201cCraving non-food substances like clay<\/a>\u00a0is known as pica, which is sometimes associated with\u00a0iron deficiency<\/a>\u00a0or other nutrient gaps, especially during pregnancy,\u201d\u00a0Amy Shapiro<\/a>, a registered dietician and nutritionist, told the Post.<\/p>\n While geophagy \u2014 the practice of eating clay as a wellness or spiritual practice \u2014 is done globally for a range of wellness and spiritual purposes, the safety has yet to be confirmed, according to a 2022 review<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is \u2018food grade\u2019 clay that has been processed, purified and tested to be safe for human consumption, unlike other forms of clay,\u201d Dr. Lauren Shawn, a medical toxicologist and emergency medicine physician at Northwell\u2019s\u00a0Phelps Hospital<\/a>, told the Post. <\/p>\n \u201cHowever, even if labeled as food grade, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s FDA regulated.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A celebrity endorsement can sell a movie, cosmetics and, sometimes, a bogus health claim. 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