On March 24, 2024, a post went viral on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Mark Wahlberg had turned down the chance to work with Tom Hanks (archived):
(X user @dom_lucre)
However, this was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The claim originated from a story that was satirical in nature.
The post referred to a story on The Dunning-Kruger Times positing that rather than work with Tom Hanks, Mark Wahlberg would pray for his soul:
Mark Wahlberg Turned Down a $30 Million Role Opposite Tom Hanks: "I'll Pray for His Soul But I Won't Work With Him."
Mark Wahlberg certainly has come a long way since his days with The Funky Bunch. A devout man of God, Wahlberg is the only top-earning Hollywood celebrity willing to talk about his relationship with the Almighty.
That's why it wasn't surprising to hear that he turned down a huge offer to work alongside Tom Hanks in Rob Reiner's upcoming film "Insurrection." According to the actor's spokesmodel, Joe Barron, Wahlberg never even considered it.
The website is part of the America's Last Line of Defense network and describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its disclaimer, which includes a nod to Snopes, reads as follows:
Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is a subsidiary of the "America's Last Line of Defense" network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery, or as Snopes called it before they lost their war on satire: Junk News.
Further, the alleged "Joe Barron" spokesperson was a fictional character whose name had appeared in many other stories published by The Dunning-Kruger Times.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.