Fact Check: Did Democrats drink artificial food dyes to protest Robert F Kennedy Jr’s policies?

WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor began making the rounds on social media this month that prominent Democrats were chugging artificial food dyes in protest of any policy announcement made by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

The story quickly spread across platforms like Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Truth Social, and X, claiming that Democratic lawmakers were fighting back against Kennedy Jr's policies in the most absurd way possible — by gulping down brightly colored synthetic dyes.

Posts included a photo that allegedly showed Sen Elizabeth Warren and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gulping down green and pink drinks, as well as a meme proudly declaring, "Democrats Chug Food Dyes to Protest RFK!"

Fact Check: False

Naturally, people started asking questions. Readers reached out to Snopes with concerns. “Did Democrats drink artificial dye in protest?” one asked, while another added, “I’m doubtful, but is this true?”

“Would like a fact check on a photo and article showing Elizabeth Warren and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez drinking green and pink drinks in protest of food dye outlaw. By Babylon Bee," someone else requested.

Some readers genuinely seemed to believe it was real. But after digging through Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo, Snopes found zero reports from any credible news outlet about Democrats staging a liquid-dye protest in response to Kennedy Jr.

Turns out the whole thing started with an article published on the well-known satirical website Babylon Bee. Their “About” page makes it clear: “The Babylon Bee is the world’s best satire site, totally inerrant in all its truth claims. We write satire about Christian stuff, political stuff, and everyday life.”

The piece in question began, “US — On the heels of news that HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr would be banning synthetic colors in the manufacturing of foods, Democrats across the country began chugging artificial food dyes as a bold act of protest.”

“The civil disobedience served to underscore the displeasure of citizens on the Left for what they described as oppressive fascism that would deprive them of their right to develop severe hormonal, autoimmune, and reproductive side effects, as well as put themselves at increased risk for various cancers," it added.

Not the first time for Babylon Bee

This isn’t the first time Babylon Bee has confused the masses.

In fact, their CEO Seth Dillon openly acknowledges how blurry the line between parody and reality has become. “People believe it, sometimes. They can’t tell if it’s real. I can never blame them," Dillon said in an October 2023 interview with billionaire X owner Elon Musk.

Musk agreed, pointing out the absurdity of the status quo. “Some of these articles are, I can’t tell… the actual text of the headline is indistinguishable from a Babylon Bee piece," he said.

Dillon doubled down: “Yeah, that’s why I don’t blame people when someone says that they, you know, they make fun of people who think that satire is true. I’m like, I don’t, you know, it’s… the real headlines are so satirical in nature. They seem like a parody, so. If you believe a Bee article, it’s just… and naturally it’s gonna happen.”

Even President Trump himself once fell for a Bee article. Back in October 2020, he shared a story from the site claiming X (then Twitter) had shut down entirely to stop the spread of negative news about then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. According to USA Today, Trump posted the article “in earnest".

That said, this wasn’t even the first Kennedy-related hoax to go viral. Snopes previously debunked another hoax claiming Kennedy Jr had ordered an immediate nationwide ban on all artificial dyes in food products.