Fact Check: Viral Video Claimed John Travolta's Daughter Ella Bleu 'Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along.' Here's the Truth
Claim:
Videos that surfaced in April 2024 claimed that John Travolta’s "daughter finally confirms what we thought all along."
Rating:
In April 2024, a series of blog posts and clips about John Travolta and his daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, began surfacing across social media and on various websites, accompanied by the headline, "At 24, John Travolta's Daughter Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along."
These posts, including TikToks and YouTube videos, made an opaque assertion hinted at in the headline without saying what it was about or sharing evidence to back it up.
For example, one 30-minute video shared to YouTube by the channel The Ultimate Expedition promised to reveal the daughter's revelation about her 70-year-old father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL0egTYVR48
Without naming a source for its information, the narrator claimed at the beginning of the video:
"In a statement that has sent shockwaves through the entertainment world, she's confirmed what we've all been thinking. In today's video, we will dive deep into the details of John Travolta's daughter's revelation."
As of this writing, that YouTube video had garnered more than 363,000 views since its upload on April 10, 2024. Similarly, several TikTok videos with the same claim collectively gained thousands of views, and posts on Facebook also spread the claim by linking to such videos.
The video delved into Travolta's backstory and career trajectory before returning to his family, touching on his eldest son Jett, and wife, actress Kelly Preston, who died of breast cancer in 2020. Toward the end of the YouTube video, the narrator claimed that Ella Bleu Travolta, who has followed the acting and performing path of her famous parents, "attests to her father's unwavering spirit and enduring strength," referred to her dad as "her hero and the most incredible father, friend and role model anyone could ask for," and said "working with her dad is always a blast."
Within the videos shared across the internet, there was no revelation to support the assertion that "John Travolta's daughter finally confirms what we thought all along." If there was some new piece of revealing information shared about the "Saturday Night Fever" icon that came from his daughter, reputable entertainment media outlets would have interviewed parties involved and documented the ordeal. That had not happened.
In short, the unfounded assertion appeared to be made up for the purpose of gaining clicks, or views, online. A disclaimer at the bottom of one YouTube video shared on the channel Golden Rewind stated:
The content of our videos is provided for entertainment purposes only. It may include factual elements, speculation, rumours, and fictional content. No portion of the content should be considered accurate or relied upon as fact. Viewers should not interpret any part of the content as factual or definitive information. Please enjoy responsibly.
Despite the fact that the video's underlying claim revealed nothing new, the video about the daughter's revelation about her father could seem revealing and newsworthy because it covers his early life, family, career successes and personal setbacks. With that mixture of true information coupled with emotionally charged language and dramatic background music, such videos with baseless celebrity rumors often generate hundreds, or thousands, of comments from YouTube users. Some of those messages indicate that people interpret the videos to be real news.
However, rather than eagerly anticipating controversial revelations about John Travolta and his family, many of the reactions to the videos were supportive, with followers writing such comments as, "Travolta is an Icon, a talent far beyond most. He's as versatile as any great actor can be...I'm a forever fan," and, "He is a hero to his children, his departed wife and child and in some way to all of us."
The posts began surfacing around what would have been Travolta's eldest son Jett's 32nd birthday in early April. Ella Bleu Travolta's older brother, Jett, who had a history of seizures, died in 2009 at the age of 16 after he fatally hit his head on a bathtub while on a family vacation in the Bahamas.
On April 13, she shared her most recent Instagram post at the time of writing, a birthday dedication honoring Jett, in which she posted a photo of the two siblings when they were young, along with the caption, "Happy Birthday, Jetty. I love you always."
(ella.bleu/Instagram)
This was not the first misleading revelation related to John Travolta that captured social media users' attention. For example, we previously debunked the false claims that he had a new wife less than a year after Preston's death, an assertion that originated from a website called MissPennyStocks.com, and that he had died as part of yet another celebrity death hoax.
Sources:
America, Good Morning. "John Travolta Walks Red Carpet with Daughter Ella: What to Know about His Kids." Good Morning America, https://goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/john-travolta-kids-106071560. Accessed 7 May 2024.
At 24, John Travolta's Daughter Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along. 11 Apr. 2024, https://filmflicks.net/at-24-john-travoltas-daughter-finally-confirms-what-we-thought-all-along/.
"---." Curious World, 12 Apr. 2024, https://www.curiousworld.net/john-travolta-daughter-truth-confirmed/.
At 24, John Travolta's Daughter Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along | At 24, John Travolta's Daughter Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along | By Viral 1Facebook. www.facebook.com, https://www.facebook.com/100088850752861/videos/at-24-john-travoltas-daughter-finally-confirms-what-we-thought-all-along/2839015619583661/. Accessed 7 May 2024.
Golden Rewind. At 24, John Travolta's Daughter Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along. 2024. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E65Op2JfaUc.
Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/ella.bleu/?hl=en. Accessed 7 May 2024.
"John Travolta's 16-Year-Old Son Dies." Peoplemag, https://people.com/celebrity/john-travoltas-16-year-old-son-dies/. Accessed 7 May 2024.
Log in or Sign up to View. https://www.facebook.com/login/. Accessed 7 May 2024.
---. https://www.facebook.com/login/. Accessed 7 May 2024.
Ramirez, Christina Dugan. "John Travolta Pays Tribute to Late Son Jett on What Would Have Been His 32nd Birthday." Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/john-travolta-pays-tribute-to-late-son-jett-on-what-would-have-been-his-32nd-birthday.
The Ultimate Expedition. At 24, John Travolta's Daughter Finally Confirms What We Thought All Along. 2024. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL0egTYVR48.
TikTok - Make Your Day. https://www.tiktok.com/@newstodaytv1/video/7356374126853901610. Accessed 7 May 2024.
---. https://www.tiktok.com/@dnews2024/video/7362935324974058794. Accessed 7 May 2024.
