Visuals of 'oil' being thrown at actor Jennifer Aniston are from the filming of a TV show

What is the claim?

An image circulating on social media is being shared to claim that protestors doused Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston in the substance at a demonstration. The viral photo shows the actor with a black-colored substance being thrown at her. 

A Facebook user shared the photo on the platform in an anti-climate change group, writing, "JENNIFER ANISTON GETS OIL THROWN OVER HER." Another user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a video of the scene. Archived versions of these posts can be accessed here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the social media posts. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is misleading. The visuals show Aniston filming a scene for the television series The Morning Show. The substance is thrown as part of the scene. 

How did we find the truth? 

We found several news reports stating that the visuals do not depict a genuine incident.

According to the entertainment news website Deadline, Aniston was photographed while filming, coated with a black substance, for the fourth season of the Apple TV series The Morning Show in New York City. She appeared to be shooting a scene in which her character, Alex Levy, was surrounded by protesters who flung oil at her. The report included several photos from the shoot, including the viral image. The image is credited to photographer James Devaney of GC Images. Several other pictures in the report also matched the scene captured in the viral video.

An image showing Jennifer Aniston coated in black substance on the set of The Morning Show. (Source: Deadline/Screenshot)

Further, we noted that one of the images showed Aniston in the same outfit, walking alongside a woman dressed identically. The caption of this photo reads, "Jennifer Aniston (L) and Kelly Phelan are seen filming 'The Morning Show' Season 4." We found that Phelan (archived here) is an actor and a stunt double who has previously body doubled (archived here) for Aniston. This also indicates that the photos and videos were taken during filming.

We also found several images showing Aniston coated in the black substance from the set of The Morning Show, including the viral image published on Getty Images on July 28. The captions and images noted that they were captured on the set of The Morning Show in the Flatiron District of New York City.

We could spot a clapperboard and multiple cameras filming the scene in several images. Many such photos on Getty Images prove it was a film set, not an actual protest.

We found that E! News also posted an extended version of the viral video (archived here) on Facebook, stating that Aniston was filming for The Morning Show. In this video, we can see the black substance being thrown at the actor. After a moment of shock, Aniston hands her phone to someone else, saying, "Will you please keep filming, I'm live." Immediately afterward, someone in the background says, "It's Alex Levy, hey, hey, it's Alex Levy." Further, a person in the background shouts "cut," an instruction given by the director to stop filming. It marks the end of a take or scene. All this indicates that the viral video and image were captured during the shooting of The Morning Show.

Entertainment Tonight also published a video report (archived here) that included the viral image and video. In this video, multiple cameras film the scene while Aniston speaks to a protester after she is coated in the oil-like substance. We also found that the protester is played by actor Steve M. Robertson, who, according to Getty Images, was filming for The Morning Show in New York on July 28.

A video published by Hello! (archived here) also captures Aniston speaking to one of the crew members while covered in the black substance. 

The verdict

Visuals from the filming of a TV show have been circulated to falsely claim that a protester threw oil at actor Jennifer Aniston. The viral image and video are from the filming of the fourth season of the Apple TV+ show The Morning Show.