The jaw-dropping claim that Brooklyn-born Neil Diamond and his wife, Katie McNeil, donated $5 million to build homeless centers in Brooklyn made waves online — but delivered nothing for the borough itself.
The post, which referenced “recent” royalties — possibly inspired by Diamond’s real Boston donation years ago — and alleged sponsorship revenue was another example of how fast falsehoods spread on social media.
It was part of a stream of fake “good news” donation posts targeting celebrities, with this one zeroing in on Diamond’s home borough.
Shared across Facebook groups with thousands of Neil Diamond fans, the post aimed to drive clicks to a longer, ad-filled article.
“Music icon Neil Diamond and his wife Katie McNeil have donated their entire $5 million in recent royalties and sponsorship earnings,” the post read, “to build a network of homeless support centers in Brooklyn, New York — the place where Neil’s legendary journey first began.”
Diamond’s Brooklyn roots, of course, are real. He was born in Brooklyn and attended Erasmus Hall High School for two years, singing in the freshman chorus and choral club alongside fellow Brooklyn alum Barbra Streisand.
His family later moved to Brighton Beach, where he attended Abraham Lincoln High School before heading to Surprise Lake Camp upstate. There he heard Pete Seeger perform and began taking guitar lessons upon returning to Brooklyn — “almost immediately began to write songs,” he has said.
But the heartwarming donation story generating thousands of clicks was pure fiction — at best, a beautiful noise.
The post appeared in Facebook groups including Neil Diamond Fans (56,200 members), Forever Blue Jeans (21,000 members) and Timeless Songs (17,000 members).
“There are hundreds of pages out there about him that are fake,” said Duane Kaufman, a member of Real Neil Diamond Fans, which did not post the story. “A lot of it is fake AI with a fake story and fake pictures.”
Kaufman said these posts — often generated abroad — are designed to generate clicks, comments and Facebook traffic, which can be monetized.
“It’s all fake stuff,” Kaufman added. “People need to learn how to research stuff and quit commenting and clicking on the links.”
Some say the speed of the spread has everything to do with how platforms like Facebook reward viral content.
“I constantly see these fake stories in my news feed, many from sites I don’t recognize,” said Ginny Gnadt, another member of Real Neil Diamond Fans. “I assume these stories are all created by AI. I basically don’t believe any ‘news’ about Neil unless I can verify it with legitimate media sources.”
A study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that platforms — along with users — help spread viral posts. The study said shares are “automatically activated by cues on the platform without users considering response outcomes, such as spreading misinformation.”
The Brooklyn post included fabricated specifics such as 150 permanent housing units and 300 shelter beds. It claimed Diamond fought back tears as he announced his donation and desire to give back to Kings County.
“We’ve seen too many people struggling just blocks from where success and opportunity shine brightest,” the post quoted the Grammy Award–winning singer as saying. “No one should be invisible — not in this country, not in this city.”
The post said construction would begin later this year, and that unnamed community partners emphasized “long-term stability, mental-health services, and job training alongside safe housing.”
Reactions — real or not — poured in, with comments like “Way to go Katie and Neil!” and “Bless you both for your caring and generosity!!!”
“Neil, you have been one of my favorites for many years. I thank you for what you are doing to help those in need,” another comment said. “If more rich people would donate to help, think how many people would be off oft the streets!”
One added, “Thanks Neil for years and years of enjoyable, clean entertainment and thanks to Katie for being a spouse that stands next to and behind her husband.”
Others were more skeptical, posting responses such as “Unconfirmed Rumor,” “Not a true story unfortunately,” and “Fake News,” while another commenter asked, “Why is this only on fb? Probably because it’s not true (nice as it would be).”
“Fake, I am pretty sure,” another poster wrote. “Cannot verify it anywhere other than Facebook, which sadly indicates it is not true.”
The linked fake article — complete with ads — said “the announcement was made quietly, without fanfare or celebrity spectacle, reflecting a philosophy the couple says is rooted in dignity rather than publicity.”
“Brooklyn has long been a place of contrasts: creative energy and economic hardship existing side by side,” it said, adding that Diamond “grew up in the borough” and the project “represents a return to his roots.”
It also claimed “public reaction has been swift and emotional” and that “fans around the world have flooded social media with messages of gratitude and admiration.”
Even Google’s AI function repeated the falsehoods before noting doubts.
“Based on reports from early 2026, Neil Diamond and his wife, Katie McNeil, reportedly donated $5 million in royalties and sponsorship earnings to establish homeless support centers in Brooklyn, where he grew up,” it said. “The initiative aims to provide permanent housing units and shelter beds for people in the area.”
At the bottom of a search page, Google AI added that while “social media posts claim massive donations for homeless shelters,” these reports “appear to be unverified or part of viral misinformation networks.”
The Timeless Songs post alone drew 1,900 emojis, 112 shares and 81 comments — though it’s unclear how many were genuine.
Some of the images, according to Google’s AI function, included a shot of the San Mateo Navigation Center, a 240-bed temporary housing facility in Redwood City, Calif., and a temporary emergency shelter for unaccompanied migrant children in Florida used since 2016.
The post resembled an earlier bogus claim on Forever Blue Jeans asserting Diamond donated to “build a series of homeless support centers in Salt Lake City, his hometown.”
That quickly drew pushback from fans pointing out the obvious.
“As someone living in Salt Lake City, would love this story if it was accurate,” one poster wrote. “He was born and raised in Brooklyn, and wrote Brooklyn Roads as a tribute to his experiences as a youth.”
“I thought Brooklyn was home to him and I know a lot about Neil Diamond,” another wrote. “Home town ? Utah ??? NO.NYC !!”
Diamond did donate some “Sweet Caroline” royalties in 2013 to OneFund Boston after a surge in sales following the Boston Marathon bombings.
He stopped touring in 2018 after a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. In 2023, the producing team behind “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” donated $500,000 to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
