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MSNBC reporter Manny Fidel swiftly fact-checked Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty after Finnerty claimed he "couldn't find any" dolls that looked like his young daughter during a visit to the American Girl store in Rockefeller Center in New York City.
Finnerty said he couldn’t find a single doll that resembled his “cute little 6-year-old White girl" and accused the store of being "wokeified"—a common attack from conservatives who complain about any diversity and any efforts to raise a broader awareness of prejudice and discrimination.
Fidel took it upon himself to fact-check Finnerty's claims and found—during his own visit to the same store—Finnerty simply made the whole thing up.
You can see Fidel's fact-check in the video below.
\u201ca newsmax host claimed there weren't any white dolls at the American Girl store in nyc, so I conducted an investigation\u201d— manny (@manny) 1671049217
Indeed, the "literal first doll that you see when you walk into the store," Fidel noted, is a smiling White doll with blonde pigtails. As he walked through the store, he came across a multitude of White American Girl dolls.
There were so many in fact, Fidel remarked while the store has “thrown in some other races,” a “great portion” of the dolls on display in the store are White. A simple fact-check showed Finnerty was blatantly lying to Newsmax's conspiratorial base—feeding their Great Replacement conspiracy theory paranoia.
People swiftly criticized Finnerty and Newsmax for pushing a bold racist lie.
\u201cAnyone else not surprised to find out @NEWSMAX host lied when he claimed he couldn\u2019t find any White @AmericanGirDoll for his daughter?\u201d— EpiDoc MD, MS, FISPE \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc99 (@EpiDoc MD, MS, FISPE \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc99) 1671163519
\u201cIt\u2019s so funny when they show their racism \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02 whole time he seen white dolls in there but mad it wasn\u2019t MAJORITY white dolls \ud83d\ude02\u201d— \ud83e\udddc\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u2728 (@\ud83e\udddc\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u2728) 1671143554
\u201cThere is no place in America where a parent enters a large toy store and can\u2019t find a white doll, ESPECIALLY IF THE STORE IS AMERICAN GIRL PLACE in NYC. Y\u2019all lie so damn unprovoked.\u201d— Shi (@Shi) 1671060425
\u201cNeed any more proof Newsmax is full of it?? #AmericanGirl\u201d— Anella Writes (@Anella Writes) 1671070952
\u201cWait are you saying that someone from Newsmax told a boldfaced lie to push a negative stereotype about a store for children trying to be inclusive and make kids feel welcome?!? Whoa\u2026when will this wokeism end! These guys are pathetic! #Newsmax #AmericanGirl\u201d— Colleen \u2618\ufe0f (@Colleen \u2618\ufe0f) 1671087108
\u201cScratch below the surface on this. . .this is not harmless when racists get a public arena to spew their slant. Or, in this case - outright lie.\u201d— Julie London Ferguson (@Julie London Ferguson) 1671112029
\u201c@mannyfidel What Newsmax really meant was that there aren't any white dolls wearing little MAGA hats and holding semiautomatic rifles.\u201d— manny (@manny) 1671049217
\u201c@mannyfidel Republicans can only win by lying. Case in point.\u201d— manny (@manny) 1671049217
\u201cObvious lies. It comes back to racists being mad at inclusion because if all 10,000 dolls in a store aren\u2019t White it\u2019s an attack. To be reminded other people exist.\u201d— Leslie Streeter (@Leslie Streeter) 1671056145
American Girl has not released an official statement in response to Finnerty's claim or MSNBC's fact-check.
That said, even if Finnerty's claim had been true, it's not like he or his daughter wouldn't be able to find the American Girl doll of her dreams.
American Girl gives shoppers the option to make fully customizable versions for just $220. The company's "create your own" module lets people select a starter doll and adjust their face, hair, eyes, clothing and accesories to their choosing, ensuring that every child has a doll just the way they want them.