Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

$
Threads posts
Threads posts
stated on June 2, 2024 in a Threads post:

“Kyle Rittenhouse’s mom is 38.”

False

Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother is 49, not 38, as some social media posts have claimed

If your time is short

  • Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, is 49, not 38. 

See the sources for this fact-check

Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother did not drop her son off “in the middle of a riot armed with an assault rifle,” as social media posts once claimed. 

We rated that claim False in 2021, during Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial in the 2020 shooting deaths of two people at a Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 when the shooting happened, said he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, in self-defense; a third person was injured. Rittenhouse was acquitted of criminal charges in the shootings, though he still faces civil litigation.

Meanwhile, more misinformation about his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, has populated social media platforms. 

“Kyle Rittenhouse’s mom is 38. 38,” one June 2 Threads post said, sharing a photo of Wendy Rittenhouse.

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

This post’s photo is from 2021, during a period when Wendy Rittenhouse spoke publicly in support of her son. But, even then, Wendy Rittenhouse wasn’t 38. 

Public records reflect that she’s 49, born in November 1974.

We rate claims that she’s 38 False.

PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. 

 

Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother is 49, not 38, as some social media posts have claimed

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing

stated on January 14, 2026 a statement

Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts



stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed


Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office


Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts





Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:

Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino