Original article (in Croatian) was published on 19/2/2026; Author: Ana Sorić
A speech attributed to well-known British actor Rowan Atkinson is part of a broader campaign of AI-generated fake content commonly referred to as “Vietnamese spam.”
Disinformation is circulating on Facebook in the form of a fabricated statement falsely attributed to various celebrities. The content typically features a famous person announcing that they will share their wealth and help others financially. In this particular case, shared by a private Facebook user, Rowan Atkinson allegedly promises to donate 160 million U.S. dollars.
The status reads in full:
“Rowan Atkinson, legenda komedije, televizije i filma, iznenadio je čak i najbogatije i najmoćnije osobe svijeta – ne samo svojim riječima, nego i odlučnim djelovanjem. Na glamuroznom gala događaju u Los Angelesu 20. prosinca, na kojem su prisustvovali filmski magnati, tehnološki milijarderi i najveće hollywoodske zvijezde, Rowan Atkinson stupio je na pozornicu kako bi preuzeo nagradu za životno djelo. Međutim, umjesto uobičajene zahvalne govore, odlučio je iskoristiti trenutak istine – iskreno, odvažno i duboko humano. Nije zahvalio Akademiji niti se prisjetio likova Mr. Bean, Blackadder ili desetljeća globalnog smijeha. Umjesto toga, Atkinson je pogledao publiku punu bogatstva i utjecaja i izjavio:
“Sjedimo ovdje, okruženi dijamantima i umjetničkim blistavostima, dok se svijet oko nas raspada. Ako vaš glas može premjestiti milijune, a vi ga ne koristite za one koji nemaju glas, ne činite promjenu – samo stvarate buku.” Tišina se proširila dvoranom. Filmski menadžeri i pozvani gosti bili su oduševljeni snagom njegovih riječi. Neustrašiv, nastavlja: “Ako imate više nego što vam treba, to više nije samo vaše. Vaša je odgovornost pomoći onima koji su ispod vas.” I nije to ostalo samo na riječima. Istog dana Atkinson je objavio da će sve profite od svojih arhiviranih djela i budućih kreativnih projekata – procijenjenih na 160 milijuna američkih dolara – biti donirani za projekte vezane uz dječje zdravlje, programe za zaštitu klime i umjetničko obrazovanje marginalizirane mladeži. Njegova poruka bila je nedvosmislena: „nasljeđe se ne stvara zaslugama, već davanjem.” U vremenu kada se poznatosti često smatraju praznim simbolima, Rowan Atkinson podsjetio je svijet da pravi utjecaj ne proizlazi iz pljeska, već iz ublažavanja patnje drugih.”
The Same Scam, Different Celebrities
The fact-checking outlet Lead Stories found that the same or nearly identical speech has been attributed to numerous other public figures, including Barbra Streisand, Jon Bon Jovi, Andrea Bocelli and Stevie Nicks, among others.
Lead Stories identified the quote as part of a broader trend of AI-generated fake news originating from Vietnam. The outlet has published more than 50 articles about this type of scam, referring to it as “Vietnamese spam.”
The British actor best known for his roles in Blackadder and Mr. Bean did not deliver the speech attributed to him in the Facebook post. An almost identical speech attributed to other celebrities has not been published by any credible media outlet and appears only on obscure websites and social media pages.
A Google search of key excerpts from the quote yields no reports from reputable news sources. If such a speech had actually been delivered at a high-profile gala event, it would have been widely covered by entertainment and show business media.
Lead Stories also searched Facebook using portions of the quote and found numerous nearly identical posts attributed to different celebrities, including Celine Dion, Stevie Nicks, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner, Bob Dylan and violinist Itzhak Perlman, among many others.
Vietnam Identified as a Major Source of Scam Pages
The Spanish fact-checking organisation Maldita.es published a large-scale investigation, conducted in collaboration with numerous international fact-checking organisations including Faktograf, identifying similar scam patterns worldwide.
The investigation focused on Facebook pages falsely impersonating public transport providers and offering tickets at unrealistically low prices. In a report published in June 2025, Maldita concluded that Vietnam was the most frequent source location for such fraudulent Facebook pages, identifying fake advertisements in 746 cities across 60 countries.
Meta confirmed that more than half of the administrators of those pages were located in Vietnam, while IP addresses were linked to a Russian service provider.
In conclusion, Rowan Atkinson did not receive a lifetime achievement award in Los Angeles in December, nor did he deliver a speech calling on celebrities to share their wealth and pledging to donate approximately 160 million U.S. dollars.
Research shows that this is an AI-generated fake story that has been circulating for months, repeatedly republished with different celebrities cast in the leading role.
