Get PolitiFact in your inbox.

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke November 29, 2021

Baseless claims about COVID-19 vaccine paralysis and Celine Dion spread online

If Your Time is short

  • There’s no evidence to support this claim. Celine Dion said she had to cancel some performances due to muscle spasms.
 

On Oct. 19, singer Celine Dion announced on her website that she was canceling several scheduled performances in Las Vegas due to "unforeseen medical symptoms." 

"Celine has been experiencing severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing," the statement said. "Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat her. However, the symptoms she is experiencing are prohibiting her from participating in the ongoing rehearsals for the new show." 

"I am heartbroken by this," Dion said, tweeting the statement. "My team and I have been working on our new show for the past eight months and to not be able to open this November saddens me beyond words. I have to focus on getting better." 

Neither her tweet nor the statement mentions COVID-19 or the COVID-19 vaccine. But that hasn’t stopped claims from circulating that the singer "has been paralyzed by the COVID vaccine and cancels her tour." 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Featured Fact-check

We found no news reports, tweets, or statements to support this claim. 

Claudette Dion, the singer’s sister, said on a TV show that "she shared with me that the stage had a steep incline when she was performing that would cause problems to her muscles, legs and feet." 

RELATED VIDEO
 

Dion delayed the opening of her Las Vegas show, canceling performances from Nov. 5 through Feb. 5, 2022, but she still has 19 shows on the books in North America in March and April 2022, and more shows scheduled abroad well into 2023.  

We rate this post False.

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

Baseless claims about COVID-19 vaccine paralysis and Celine Dion spread online

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up