Fact Check: Did 9 GOP congressmen get divorce papers from wives after Trump's reelection?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral online claim is suggesting that nine male GOP Congress members were served with divorce papers by their wives after the reelection of President-elect Donald Trump in November 2024.

The claim, which quickly circulated on social media, has caused widespread speculation about whether it is a case of political rumor or an actual scandal involving notable legislators.

What was the claim about GOP Congress members?

On November 15, the Feminist News Facebook page made a post to its audience of over 1.8 million followers. "Nine male GOP members of Congress have been given divorce papers by their wives since Donald Trump was reelected."

The post garnered over 24,000 reactions and 2,000 shares within the first six hours of its publication. Additionally, other Facebook users circulated the claim by sharing it in their own posts, often with text that closely resembled the original.

Some readers appeared to take the rumor as an accurate account of real-life events. For instance, a comment by a user on the Feminist News post, which garnered over 700 likes, read, "It's in the Washington Post! The wives might be afraid that Congress will overturn the no-fault marriage act?!"

Other users have mentioned "consequences" in relation to comments, indicating a discussion or feedback on the topic, "If this is true, elections have consequences," "It's almost as if actions have consequences" and "Actions have consequences!!"

The fact check

Verifiable evidence to support the claim has not been found.

Fact-checking organizations, such as Snopes, have conducted extensive investigations and found no credible sources or news outlets confirming the divorces of nine Republican congressmen after Trump's second-term victory.

Snopes reported that there is no evidence that nine male GOP members of Congress were served with divorce papers from their wives in November 2024, nor has The Washington Post reported on such an event. The narrative is fictional.

Numerous representatives referenced in the posts have remained silent on the rumors, and there has been no emergence of legal documents or confirmed news reports to support the allegations.

Origins of the claim

The rumor actually started with The Halfway Post, a collection of social media accounts and a website that characterizes its content as satirical.

On November 14, The Halfway Post's Twitter account (@HalfwayPost) shared an update, "BREAKING: Nine male GOP members of Congress have been given divorce papers by their wives since Donald Trump was reelected."

The Halfway Post shared the rumor on Threads as well. The post on X garnered over 2 million views, and the version on Threads accumulated thousands of likes.

The About page on halfwaypost.com indicates that the website's owner publishes content that is "real comedy news and satire."