No, Mark Wahlberg didn’t say, "Hollywood pedophiles have ‘nowhere left to hide’"

Context

Viral posts are circulating online with the claim that Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg recently said, "Hollywood Pedophiles Have 'Nowhere Left To Hide.'" Twitter posts with hundreds of thousands of views were accompanied by a People's Voice article, which has now been deleted. The story's blurb, still visible on social media posts, further claimed that Wahlberg had stated that "a small yet powerful group of Hollywood insiders has declared war on the industry elite." 

Former Fox News reporter Lara Logan also shared a similar article published on sgtreport.com on her Twitter account on July 14, which has been viewed 1.5 million times so far. Similar claims were also seen on Instagram, with posts garnering hundreds of likes.

However, there is no evidence that Wahlberg said such a thing, and his representative has refuted it. 

In Fact

We found that the earliest source of the viral claim is an article published on the website of The People's Voice on July 12, 2023, which has been deleted. The archived link took us to the original article, which read, "Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg told hundreds of people at a Sunday school meeting in Los Angeles that a small yet powerful group of Hollywood insiders has declared war on the "evil" entertainment industry elite who traffic in children, and "Hollywood pedophiles have nowhere left to hide."

The article went on to further claim that according to Wahlberg, "Hollywood is a huge network of pedophilia, child prostitution, and human trafficking" controlled by "sick freaks," and there is silence about it because speaking out about "elite pedophilia" will be punished by death.  

We could not find any report from a credible news source that substantiated the claim that Wahlberg had made such comments. His social media accounts also did not show any such statements. 

The People's Voice is a known misinformation spreader that routinely publishes fake news and fabricated articles with no foundation. Logically Facts has previously fact-checked several false and misleading claims propagated by this website.

IFCN-certified fact-checking organization Lead Stories contacted the actor's representative, who stated the claim was false. Logically Facts has also contacted Wahlberg through his social media accounts. This story will be updated if and when we receive a response.

Further, the featured image used in the article is a photo of Wahlberg speaking on a podium. A reverse image search led us to the original photo, published as part of an article in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper in 2017. The description states that the photo was taken when Wahlberg had joined Cardinal Blase J. Cupich for an event at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago, to engage young adults. The photo was credited to one Ashlee Rezin of the same newspaper. Wahlberg did not talk about pedophilia at this event.

Similar false claims involving other Hollywood celebrities and pedophilia have been seen before. Logically Facts has debunked another false claim involving Hollywood actor Mel Gibson in 2022. Another false claim connecting the popular conspiracy theory "Pizzagate," an alleged human trafficking and child sex ring involving top Democratic Party officials and U.S. restaurants, with celebrities like Laurance Rockefeller, John Podesta, and Chester Bennington, was debunked by Logically Facts in May 2023. 

The Verdict

There is no evidence that Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg recently declared war on "Hollywood pedophiles" and said that they have "nowhere left to hide." The claim stems from a website that is known for spreading misinformation. Wahlberg's representative has reportedly refuted the claim. Therefore, we are marking the claim as false.