The 'Night at the Museum' actor has spoken out against misleading social media posts that alleged American tax dollars funded his humanitarian trip to Ukraine in 2022.
- Feb 7, 2025
AceShowbiz - Over the past week, viral social media posts have circulated falsely claiming that Ben Stiller's 2022 trip to Ukraine, along with similar trips by other celebrities, was financed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) using public funds. Stiller has categorically denied these allegations, calling them "totally false" and "untrue."
Stiller reposted a video that spread these rumors, including the speculation that his trip cost $4 million and was funded by USAID. This video gained traction after being shared by figures such as Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and Sidney Powell.
The "Night at the Museum" actor spoke out, "These are lies coming from Russian media. I completely self-funded my humanitarian trip to Ukraine. There was no funding from USAID and certainly no payment of any kind."
The video also claimed large sums of money purportedly paid to celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, Orlando Bloom, and Jean-Claude Van Damme for visiting Ukraine. However, Community Notes appended to the video clarify that it was fabricated along with the E! News watermark.
Stiller's visit to Ukraine occurred in June 2022, in his capacity as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), to mark World Refugee Day.
At the time, he commented on his experiences, stating, "I'm meeting people who've been impacted by the war and hearing how it's changed their lives. War and violence are devastating people all over the world. Nobody chooses to flee their home. Seeking safety is a right and it needs to be upheld for every person."
The Trump administration is currently making efforts to shut down USAID. Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a team supervised by the White House, has labeled USAID a "criminal organization" and stated it will soon be "put into the wood chipper."
This push for dismantling USAID raises significant concerns, especially given its mission to support global stability by mitigating conflict and providing disaster relief.
