Ben Stiller denies fake news about funding for his trip

American actor and UN goodwill ambassador Ben Stiller stated that reports claiming his visit to Ukraine was funded by the US agency USAID are untrue.

“Это ложь из российских СМИ” (“This is a lie from Russian media”), he wrote on social media platform X, emphasising that he covered all expenses related to the trip himself.

Stiller categorically denied any financial ties with USAID, adding: “Не было финансирования от USAID и, конечно, никаких платежей. 100% ложь” (“There was no funding from USAID and, of course, no payments. 100% lie”).

False claims about “million-dollar payments”

Previously, information spread on social media claiming that USAID allegedly paid for trips to Ukraine by world stars to boost the popularity of President Volodymyr Zelensky. These assertions included specific payment amounts to celebrities:

• Angelina Jolie — $20 million,
• Sean Penn — $5 million,
• Jean-Claude Van Damme — $1.5 million,
• Orlando Bloom — $8 million,
• Ben Stiller — $4 million.

However, no evidence was provided to support these claims.

Actors visited Ukraine on their own initiative

Ben Stiller, like other celebrities who previously visited Ukraine, has repeatedly emphasised that his visit was a personal initiative and part of a humanitarian mission.

Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn and Orlando Bloom previously visited Ukraine, where they met with local residents and expressed support for those affected by the war. All of them stated that their trips had no financial underpinning and were aimed exclusively at helping Ukrainians and drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis.