A post shared on Facebook claims New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s stepsister.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that Pelosi and Hochul are stepsisters.
Fact Check:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Aug. 10 that he would be resigning after New York Attorney General Letitia James’ report found he had sexually harassed 11 women, the Associated Press reported. Hochul will take Cuomo’s place on Aug. 24, becoming the first woman to serve as governor of New York, according to The New York Times.
The announcement of Hochul taking over for Cuomo has sparked misinformation online, with several people claiming she is Nancy Pelosi’s stepsister. (Related: Is Nancy Pelosi’s Daughter The Chief Marketing Officer At Zoom?)
There is, however, no evidence that the two women are stepsisters. Hochul was born in 1958 in Buffalo, New York, to parents Jack and Pat Courtney, according to BBC News. Pat Courtney died in March 2014, The Buffalo News reported. She was still married to her husband, Jack, when she passed away, according to the outlet.
Pelosi was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to parents Thomas and Nancy D’Alesandro, The Baltimore Sun reported. Her father passed away in 1987, while still married to his wife, according to his obituary published in The New York Times. Nancy D’Alesandro died in 1995, according to her obituary in The Baltimore Sun. The obituary does not mention a husband besides Thomas.
If Pelosi and Hochul were related, media outlets certainly would have reported on it, yet none have, except to debunk the claim.
This is not the first time social media users have baselessly claimed prominent politicians are related to each other. Check Your Fact previously debunked the false claim that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was Pelosi’s nephew.