History Main / NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer

[[folder:Real Life]]
* In journalism and academic writing, the "[sic]" disclaimer serves as this. It tells the reader that the author is quoting someone verbatim, with the spelling/grammatical mistake and/or factual error left intact.
* From ''Howl'', by Allen Ginsberg. Of course, given his reputation for being a little bit of a drug enthusiast, there's no telling if it really ''did'' happen.
-->who jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge this actually happened and walked away unknown and forgotten into the ghostly daze of Chinatown soup alleyways & firetrucks, not even one free beer
* As Creator/MarkTwain put it - "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't."
* Creator/GKChesterton said something similar: "Truth must of necessity be stranger than fiction… for fiction is the creation of the human mind, and therefore is congenial to it."
* Humor columnist Creator/DaveBarry used this as a catchphrase when reporting strange news (e.g., exploding toilets), and even used it as [[https://www.amazon.com/Dave-Barry-Not-Making-This/dp/0449909735 the title of a book]].
* Said by Creator/KevinSmith in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbAEmvZyKQ an anecdote about his interactions with]] Creator/TimBurton, when he brings up Burton's publicist, whose actual, real name is ''Bumble Ward''.
-->I am not making it up. I'll say it one more time: Tim's publicist's name is ''Bumble Ward''. There is somebody on this planet... named Bumble.
* Part of the reason why the Strangeways Prison riot was able to spread so quickly was that it started on April 1st, causing several of the upper staff in control of the prison to question the authenticity of the calls for help.
* "I am not kidding," said Dick Van Dyke, after [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov/11/Dick-van-dyke-porpoises-rescue being rescued by porpoises.]] ("The porpoises were unavailable for comment.")
* [[http://www.tv.com/shows/once-upon-a-time-2011/community/post/once-upon-a-time-swan-queen-138316970768/ This]] article discusses in length the (fan supported) sexual tension between [[Series/OnceUponATime Emma and Regina]]. Included in the article are several pictures as evidence, with the words "NOT FAN ART - ACTUAL SHOW" on the bottom.
* The first semifinal game of the [[UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup 2014 World Cup]] between Brazil and Germany became an unexpected CurbStompBattle, highlighted by four German goals between the 23rd and 29th minutes to make it 5-0 and spurring ESPN's broadcaster Ian Darke to quip, "If you're just tuning in, yes, the number on the scoreline is correct." Germany ended up winning 7-1.
* On October 30, 2012, {{Creator/Disney}} bought [[Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} Lucasfilm Ltd.]], including the rights to ''Franchise/StarWars'', and immediately announced that they had begun pre-production on [[Film/TheForceAwakens Episode VII]]. Within minutes, news websites, columnists, and bloggers everywhere had to preface their articles with "No, this is not a joke."
* When presenting the Medal of Honor to a captain who got injured tackling a suicide bomber, UsefulNotes/BarackObama [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mwANv49ZxI recalled his story]]: "He wasn't sure, but he thought that he was in Germany, and someone was at his bedside talking to him And he thought that it was the lead singer from the heavy metal band Music/{{Korn}}. Flo thought, "What's going on? Am I hallucinating?" [[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/barack-obama-i-am-not-the-lead-singer-from-korn-31626/amp/ But he wasn't, it was all real.]] Today, Florent Groberg, I want to convince you that you are not hallucinating. You are actually in the White House. Those cameras are on, I am not the lead singer from Korn..."
* [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/06/17/meow-ludo-disco-gamma-meow-meow-really-wants-you-to-care-about-s Prior to the last Australian Federal Election in 2016,]] one candidate gained some notoriety for his name. [[http://www.mamamia.com.au/meow-ludo-meow-meow/ More]] than one news article had to state that they were not making up the name and that it was, in fact, his legal name. The name? Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow. (And for the record, yes he's an actual scientist!)
* At the 89th [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Awards]], no one was surprised when Faye Dunaway announced that ''Film/LaLaLand'' had won Best Picture, as the film had [[AssumedWin a record-tying fourteen nominations and had already won six awards that evening.]] But then, a few minutes into the speech, producer Justin Hurwitz jumped in to say that there had been a mix up and ''[[Film/Moonlight2016 Moonlight]]'' had actually won. Not only was this the one and only time in Oscar history that the wrong winner had been announced, but it was a huge upset, and it was for the final category of the night. It's no wonder Hurwitz had to say, "This is not a joke!" and then actually display the envelope to the camera to confirm that this was real.
* Creator/{{NPR}}'s website wrote a story about Cornell University's [[http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/31/561217424/after-20-years-can-cornell-finally-bust-open-its-great-pumpkin-mystery infamous pumpkin prank.]] The same day the story came out, the author had to write that no, she wasn't making it up, that the university revealed that they managed to sequence the genome of two pumpkin species.
* The winner of the 2019 U.S. Women's Open in golf was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Jeong-eun_(golfer,_born_1996) Lee Jeong-eun.]] Professionally, though, she plays as [=Jeongeun Lee6=], as when she had joined the LPGA of Korea Tour there were five other golfers also known as Lee Jeong-eun. When ESPN announced the winner of that tournament, they had to add an extra line that "[=Lee6=]" was not a typo of any kind.
* In the board game ''Stupid Deaths'', this is a common reaction by the person reading out a True case when accused of cheating by making it up, or other reactions by the other players that can mostly be summed up as 'No way!'. (Despite being a board game, this happens fairly often. As you'd expect of a board game that details such deaths as a poodle falling out of a window, killing the person it landed on. A witness stepped into the street and was hit by a bus, whereupon another witness had a heart attack and died on the spot.)
* Legendary actor Creator/AbeVigoda had been a victim of so many [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated death hoaxes]] starting in the 1980's that it became a RunningGag to refer to him as though he was dead. Sometimes Vigoda himself would appear to show that he is in fact still alive. It got so ridiculous that an entire website was created with the sole purpose of reporting whether Vigoda was alive or dead was created. When he ''actually'' died in January 2016 at the ripe old age of 94, nearly all of the articles and videos reporting his death had to put disclaimers saying that it was not a hoax and that he was really dead.
[[/folder]]

** At several points during his review of ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'', a message on screen states that "This gameplay is not sped up", hammering home that despite Max0r's RapidFireComedy editing style, the game really is that fast-paced.

* During some fights in {{Manga/Holyland}}, the manga takes a little sidebar to explain the actual physics of some of the real-life techniques being used and why they are or are not effective in that situation.

* ComicBook/{{Persepolis}} has this in one scene — where the headmistress yells at the girls' parents for not wearing their veils properly because hair is arousing. Marjanne's dad says "If hair is as arousing as you think, then you should shave your mustache!". Marjanne put in a disclaimer that said: "Yes, he really did say that."
* One ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' story had Beast Boy's cousin Matt Logan run an official Titans West recruitment drive (a.k.a. a house party). One-time Titan Duela Dent busts out of her mental hospital and crashes the scene with some villains and henchmen, pissed that she didn't receive an invitation. Matt says he tried calling her but claims she was in the middle of electroshock therapy. Matt asserts he's not kidding.

* In ''Comicbook/{{Asterix}} and the Griffin'', when Julius Caesar's best animal tracker assures him that there are griffins in Sarmatia, Caesar retorts that it was this tracker's advice that led to him writing in ''Literature/CommentariesOnTheGallicWar'' that there are unicorns in Germania. A footnote clarifies that he really did claim this. [[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=E55F2528FFD1A206832F2C5A48CB954B?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0001%3Abook%3D6%3Achapter%3D26 Volume 6, Chapter 26.]]

* In ''[[FanFic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed Equestria: A History Revealed]]'', this trope is played straight in the essay's abstract and several times throughout. However, the content and the [[InsaneTrollLogic methods used to derive those theories]] then [[UnreliableNarrator calls the narrator's claims into question]].

* Everything in the [[Fanfic/{{Cinderjuice}} Contractually Obligated Chaos]] series is made up - except the author's assertion that [[WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}} Prince Vince himself]] was responsible for her writing the {{interquel}} ''Meteor Shower''. In response to the RunningGag in the series that Prince Vince is an avid Website/{{Tumblr}} user, someone actually created a Tumblr account for the character, which proceeded to badger the author to write the story. [[http://ladynorbert.tumblr.com/post/141398374109/dear-lady-norbert (Yes, really.)]] So the author's notes for the interquel had to include this slightly bewildered disclaimer.

* After being accused of "distorting" Carol Danvers as a character by turning her into a "moustache-twirling villain," the writer of ''FanFic/OriginStory'' added a pair of Author's Notes to the story's twenty-sixth chapter that describe, in detail, how Carol Danvers was portrayed by Marvel Comics itself, prior to Disney acquiring Marvel and deciding that Captain Marvel needed to be "spit-shined and spruced up and rehabilitated from her anti-hero roots" (the writer's exact words), and how if anyone was to blame for Carol Danvers being an asshole, it was Marvel. And in terms of the evidence, at least, he's right. Everything he cites as evidence that his portraying Danvers as a bitch is justified actually happened - though the CharacterDevelopment, both negative and positive, took place well before the Disney deal was in the pipeline, and as fans of the character countered, it wasn't the whole picture:

* In ''FanFic/ThisBites'', while broadcasting that Luffy got into a surfing contest against the Octopi Shogunate Octavio, Cross reassures listeners that he couldn't make this up if he tried.

* ''FanFic/HowTheLightGetsIn'': Two of Felicity's actions in Chapter 3 (suggesting they [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay test if it's really]] [[RecoveredAddict Laurel]] by offering her alcohol and referring to her as "[Oliver's] dead ex") pissed off a lot of readers. Whether they accused the author of writing her badly, or just raged against Felicity in general varied. Becks Rylynn defended herself by pointing out those are both things Felicity has actually done in the show.
* Doctor Fluffy states that in the draft of ''[[FanFic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum TCB: Spectrum: Case Files]]'', he had to put a [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/178621/tcb-spectrum-case-files#comment/4609791 note]] reading "DISCLAIMER: ACTUAL CHATOYANCE QUOTE" over some of Reitman's lines as some of the editors thought they were exaggerated for the sake of making her a StrawCharacter.

* The author of the ChivalricRomance ''Sir Orfeo'' ([[Myth/ClassicalMythology Orpheus and Eurydice]] [[RecycledInSpace WITH KNIGHTS!]]) added this disclaimer in when claiming that [[BlatantLies Thrace (a region in modern-day Turkey) was the old name for the city of Winchester in England]], and this was, in fact, where "Orfeo" reigned.

* On ''Series/TopGear'' Jeremy is describing the large array of health and safety warnings that come with his quad-bike/jet-ski to James. His favorite warns about "forceful water penetration into the rectum or vagina". James put on a pair of glasses to take a closer look and confirmed that was the actual text of the warning.

* In ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy,'' Marvin the robot reveals that the question to the answer ("42") to Life, the Universe and Everything is imprinted in Arthur Dent's brainwaves. Zaphod waves it off as Marvin making it up.

--->'''TheRant:''' In case you aren't familiar with [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Pokemon X/Y]], most of the dialogue in this comic is taken from actual in-game dialogue and Prof Sycamore's reaction is how he actually responded to Lysandre's weird Serial killer rant.

-->Beavis and Butt-head are not real. They're two stupid cartoon people created by some guy from Texas we never even head of. Beavis and Butt-head are ugly, dumb, sexist, rude, thoughtless and self-destructive jerks. But the little wienerheads make us laugh.

-->Beavis and Butt-head are not real. They're two stupid cartoon people created by some guy from Texas we never even head of. Beavis and Butt-head are ugly, dumb, sexist, rude thoughtless and self-destructive jerks. But the little wienerheads make us laugh.

-->Beavis and Butt-head are not real. They're two stupid cartoon people created by some guy from Texas we never even head of. Beavis and Butt-head are ugly, dumb, sexist, rude thpughtless and self-destructive jerks. But the little wienerheads make us laugh.

-->Beavis and Butt-head are not real. They're two stupid cartoon people created by some guy from Texas we never even head of. Beavis and Butt-head are ugly, dumb, sexist, rude and self-destructive jerks. But the little wienerheads make us laugh.

-->Beavis and Butt-head are not real. They're two stupid cartoon people created by some guy from Texas we never even head of. Beavis and Butt-head are ugly, dumb, sexist, rude and seld-destructive jerks. But the little wienerheads make us laugh.

* In ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy,'' Marvin the robot reveals that the question to answer ("42") to Life, the Universe and Everything is imprinted in Arthur Dent's brainwaves. Zaphod waves it off as Marvin making it up.

* In ''Podcast/MomCantCook: A DCOM Podcast'', hosts Andy and Luke note that in several Creator/DisneyChannel Original Movies, there are occasions when the connection between two scenes seems random or disjointed, and feel the need to state that they aren't glossing over anything for comedic effect. This is emphasised especially strongly for ''Under Wraps'' and ''The Other Me'', which aren't as easily findable as the other films watched (and therefore the listeners are more reliant on their descriptions).

[[folder:Other]]

* ''Fanfic/{{Afterglow}}: The story stops to confirm that yes, you really can buy caviar-topped ice cream sundaes in Dubai.

** As some reviewers have somewhat tetchily observed: First, the incidents cited were either taken wildly out of context, or were flat-out OutOfCharacter - it is no coincidence that a lot of the incidents cited were from ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', a storyline infamous for the number of characters it railroaded, including characters like Tony Stark, who did far worse and yet was generally sympathetically portrayed in the fic. Second, portraying Carol as an anti-hero is one thing, except that the author portrayed her as if her negative traits were her ''only'' traits.

* On October 30, 2012, {{Creator/Disney}} bought [=LucasFilm=] Ltd., including the rights to ''Franchise/StarWars'', and immediately announced that they had begun pre-production on [[Film/TheForceAwakens Episode VII]]. Within minutes, news websites, columnists, and bloggers everywhere had to preface their articles with "No, this is not a joke."

* In the ''WebAnimation/HistoryMatters'' episode "Why Are Purple Flags So Rare", the narrator explains that [[https://youtu.be/IFMRtGyuVCo?t=55 the Royal French flag really was all white]] and not a mean joke about the [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys French infamous reputation to always surrender]].

--->[[spoiler:'''''"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! OH SORRY, WHAT'S THAT? THAT'S JUST THE 'YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP' ALARM!"''''']]

** In "An Incorrect Summary of ''VideoGame/EldenRing''", when discussing the motivations of the demigods for starting the Shattering, most of them are humorous and plainly false, except Mogh, who it is stated "was just really, really attracted to his younger brother". A note pops on the screen saying "This is canon"... and it is, in fact.

* At the 89th [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Awards]], no one was surprised when Faye Dunaway announced that ''Film/LaLaLand'' had won Best Picture, as the film had [[AssumedWin a record-tying fourteen nominations and had already won six awards that evening.]] But then, a few minutes into the speech, producer Justin Hurwitz jumped in to say that there had been a mix up and ''[[Film/Moonlight2016]] Moonlight'' had actually won. Not only was this the one and only time in Oscar history that the wrong winner had been announced, but it was a huge upset, and it was for the final category of the night. It's no wonder Hurwitz had to say, "This is not a joke!" and then actually display the envelope to the camera to confirm that this was real.

* At the 89th [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Awards]], no one was surprised when Faye Dunaway announced that ''Film/LaLaLand'' had won Best Picture, as the film had [[AssumedWin a record-tying fourteen nominations and had already won six awards that evening.]] But then, a few minutes into the speech, producer Justin Hurwitz jumped in to say that there had been a mix up and ''Film/{{Moonlight2016}}'' had actually won. Not only was this the one and only time in Oscar history that the wrong winner had been announced, but it was a huge upset, and it was for the final category of the night. It's no wonder Hurwitz had to say, "This is not a joke!" and then actually display the envelope to the camera to confirm that this was real.

* At the 89th [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Awards]], no one was surprised when Faye Dunaway announced that ''Film/LaLaLand'' had won Best Picture, as the film had [[AssumedWin a record-tying fourteen nominations and had already won six awards that evening.]] But then, a few minutes into the speech, producer Justin Hurwitz jumped in to say that there had been a mix up and ''Film/{{Moonlight}}'' had actually won. Not only was this the one and only time in Oscar history that the wrong winner had been announced, but it was a huge upset, and it was for the final category of the night. It's no wonder Hurwitz had to say, "This is not a joke!" and then actually display the envelope to the camera to confirm that this was real.

* At the 89th [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Awards]], no one was surprised when Faye Dunaway announced that ''Film/LaLaLand'' had won Best Picture, as the film had [[AssumedWin a record-tying fourteen nominations and had already won six awards that evening.]] But then, a few minutes into the speech, producer Justin Hurwitz jumped in to say that there had been a mix up and ''Film/{{Moonlight}}'' had actually won. Not only was this the one and only time in Oscar history that the wrong winner had been announced, but it was a huge upset, and it was for the final category of the night. It's no wonder Hurwitz had to say, ''This is not a joke!"" and then actually display the envelope to the camera to confirm that this was real.

* At the 89th UsefulNotes/AcademyAwards, no one was surprised when Faye Dunaway announced that ''Film/LaLaLand'' had won Best Picture, as the film had [[AssumedWin a record-tying fourteen nominations and had already won six awards that evening.]] But then, a few minutes into the speech, producer Justin Hurwitz jumped in to say that there had been a mix up and ''Film/{{Moonlight}}'' had actually won. Not only was this the one and only time in Oscar history that the wrong winner had been announced, but it was a huge upset, and it was for the final category of the night. It's no wonder Hurwitz had to say, ''This is not a joke!"" and then actually display the envelope to the camera to confirm that this was real.

* The {{Creator/HBO}} TV movie ''Film/ThePentagonWars'' has a title card that goes something like "The [[DarkComedy following story]] would be a comedy (beat) if it didn't really happen". Imagine you want to make, essentially, an armored Humvee for fast troop transport but your higher-ups kept adding MoreDakka to the CoolCar to the point of ''actually endangering the troops'' [[spoiler:and when your idea is finally made in the way you wanted it to be in the first place you're fired and the dakka-obsessed generals get promoted]].

* The end of ''Film/CSATheConfederateStatesOfAmerica'' has a section dedicated to showing the reality behind some of the wilder aspects of the AlternateHistory. Notably, a majority of the products advertised in the faux commercials, the ones with racist caricatures and slave imagery? ''All were real products'', and the section concludes that there is still unnoticed slave imagery in modern advertising (such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, two brands which weren't retired for being racist until 2020).

* The non-fiction book ''The Website/{{WrestleCrap}} Book Of Lists'' said that [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]] [[Wrestling/{{Chyna}} Joanie Laurer (Chyna)]] appeared as a judge for a Most Beautiful Transsexual contest, following that statement up with a "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer.

* From [[http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-italy-scandal6-2010mar06,0,5062523.story an LA Times article]] about an Italian politician whose sex scandal with transsexual South American prostitutes drove him to a monastery: "Note to reader: The writer would love to pretend he has made all this up, but this is Italy, where one's imagination pales beside the operatic brio of real-life librettos that unfold with delicious, unseemly decadence."

* ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' had an episode, [[https://youtu.be/GU85MvwMuyU?list=LL&t=329 Tango Mysterioso]], where Greg Lee's own mother appeared as an informant to drop a clue. A subtitle below her said "Greg's Mother (Really...No Kidding)". His reaction sells the claim.

* ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' had an episode where the host's own mother appeared as an informant to drop a clue. A subtitle below her said "Greg's Mother (Really...No Kidding)"