How to Stop False Rumors (And Deal With the Fallout)

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Licensed social worker Hyungbum Kang MSW, LCSW, explains your best options to stop rumors and gossip

Co-authored by Hyungbum Kang, MA, MSW, LCSW, MAC and Eric McClure

Last Updated: March 2, 2026 Fact Checked

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Dealing with Rumors

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Minimizing the Harm

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Handling Gossipers

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Expert Q&A

Nothing hurts more than hearing people are spreading nasty rumors about you. But what do you do about it? Is it best to track the gossiper down for a confrontation, or is it better to ignore the problem and wait for it to go away? To answer these questions and more, wikiHow got the inside scoop from a professional social worker so that you can put an end to nasty gossip.

Stopping Rumors: Overview

Licensed clinical social worker Hyungbum Kang, MSW, LCSW, says that if you know who is spreading the rumor, the best thing to do is talk to them and have an open discussion to see why they’re spreading rumors. If you don’t know who it is, dispute the rumor as best you can or ignore it if it’s not a big deal.

Section 1 of 3:

Dealing with Rumors About You

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Ignore the rumor if it really doesn’t impact anything. Is this the kind of thing people are still going to remember or talk about a day from now? A week from now? If it’s something minor that isn’t really going to do any damage to your reputation or relationships, just take the high road and ignore it. You’re more likely to fuel the flames if you try to address something small with meaningful action.
- This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t deny the rumor if it comes up, but don’t go out of your way to address it. “The lady doth protest too much” is key here (AKA, if you make this a bigger deal than it should be, people will think you’re lying).
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Hyungbum Kang, MA, MSW, LCSW, MAC, is a licensed clinical social worker with over a decade of experience helping clients navigate difficult social issues.
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Confront the person spreading the rumor if you know who it is. Kang says, "When someone falsely accuses you of something, your goal is to get to a reasonable, open discussion."^{[1]
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Expert Source

Hyungbum Kang, MA, MSW, LCSW, MAC
Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Expert Interview} Pick a peaceful, calm day and ask to speak with them in private. Then, explain that you know they’ve been spreading rumors about you and ask them why. If there’s some underlying issue between you two, try to settle it. If there isn’t, simply ask them to cut it out. You might say:^{[2]
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- “Hey, I heard you were saying something about me cheating on my math homework. I’m not mad, but I’m really confused. Do you have some kind of problem with me?”
- “I know you’re the one talking about Kristen and me cheating on one another. It’s not true and you know it, so I’d appreciate it if you cut it out.”
- “I saw the texts you sent. There’s no reason to lie about me. I know we aren’t best friends or whatever, but that doesn’t mean it’s fair to spread rumors. Please stop it.”
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Dispel the rumor if you have sufficient proof. If you’re being accused of doing something you clearly didn’t do (you have text message proof, video evidence, witnesses, etc.), simply redirect people to the actual facts. This will squash the rumor right away and prevent the story from getting out of hand.^{[3]
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- It’s a bummer that you have to do the work of proving your own innocence, and you shouldn’t have to do this in the first place at all, but it’s easier and quicker than letting the rumor float around unimpeded.
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Determine what makes the rumor believable, and stop it. People are more likely to assume a rumor is true if there’s some kind of evidence. For instance, a rumor about a workplace affair will take off if the two people involved always sit together (or even flirt!) at work. If there’s something you may be doing to add fuel to the fire, consider stopping it.^{[4]
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- You may be thinking, “Well, they shouldn't assume that,” or “I should be able to do what I want without them thinking such and such.” That’s true! However, other people tend to be judgmental and make assumptions regardless of whether it’s fair or not.
- Of course, if you're doing absolutely nothing to fuel the rumor, then there's nothing to change. And even if you are doing something to potentially cause the rumor, don't be hard on yourself if that's the case! It’s not fair for people to gossip about you, even if there is a tiny bit of evidence to say it’s true.
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Share your side of the story on social media or in person. Kang says that if the rumors are spreading rapidly or it’s the hot gossip of the day, and the rumor paints you in a bad light, it’s best to make a public stand.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Hyungbum Kang, MA, MSW, LCSW, MAC
Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Expert Interview} Find a platform where you can communicate your side of the story and do that. You might post a story on Snapchat, Insta, or Facebook, where you explain the rumor isn’t true. Or, you could make a quick speech at lunch or just talk to people individually. You might say:
- “I’m not deaf, I’ve heard of the rumors. They aren’t true, period. And if I see you spreading these rumors about me IRL, I’m going to be angry.”
- “I do not know why people are saying they’ve seen me with Elijah at the mall this weekend. I was at a family reunion…I even have photos of it!”
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Broadcast the rumor if it’s true and not that big of a deal. Yes, that's right. Talk about the rumor or post about the rumor in a prominent way and own it. By acknowledging the rumor, you're taking away some of its momentum. Rumors spread like wildfire because the people who spread them do so in order to gain social status, and that depends on them having the "inside scoop." If you broadcast their "inside information," then they won't have any motivation to spread the rumor. Everybody will already know!
- Of course, if it's deeply painful, then you may not want the world to know. But if you think talking about it to everyone is the easiest way to prove it's ridiculous and to make it go away, then go for it.

Section 2 of 3:

Minimizing the Harm of Rumors

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Talk to an adult or teacher if the rumors are serious. If these rumors could have serious repercussions or radically harm your reputation and you’re still in school, tell someone who has the power to do something about it. Talking to an authority figure can give the rumor-spreader a good scare and can get the rumors to stop as quickly as possible.
- This is a tricky one. It's up to you to determine whether you need to talk to an adult or if you can handle this on your own.
- If you are an adult, you may want to get a police report. Slander can be a big deal, but you’ll want to document what’s going on if someone is saying you assaulted someone, touched someone, or did something else really serious. Visit a police station and get a report—it’ll come in handy if you ever decide to sue or pursue criminal charges.
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Acknowledge that the rumors exist. Don't act like you have no idea about what people are saying about you. Acting clueless will only make people think the rumors are true. There's no point in acting like you haven't heard the rumors if everyone else in your school or workplace has. Acknowledging that you know a rumor is going around about you is the first step to tackling it.^{[6]
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- If someone mentions the rumor, you can say, "I've heard that that's been going around" or "I know what people are saying about me."
- Better yet, beat the rumor spreaders to the punch. If you know a vicious rumor is spreading about you (and fast!), then you can even tell other people who haven't heard yet about it. They'd be more likely to be on your side if they heard it from you than if they heard it from the rumor mill.
Even if the rumor is kind of nasty or trying to paint you in a very bad light, acting angry or putting a lot of energy into your reactions will just give it energy. Even if they really were very mean and painful, if you let yourself get upset publicly, then you'll be letting the other side win. So, keep a stiff upper lip, keep your head high, and don't let them get to you.^{[7]
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Suppress the temptation to spread rumors of your own. Though it may be tempting to fight the rumor with a different rumor, you should take the high road and not fall into the low-life business of spreading rumors. Sure, you can spread a rumor about the person who started it, or spread a completely different rumor just to make people stop talking about you, but if you do this, chances are you'll only make things worse and look like you aren't any better than the person who spread the rumor to begin with.
- There’s no point in coming out on top if you lose your integrity in the process. If you want to maintain a level of respect even after the vicious rumor is spread, then you have to continue to keep your head high, instead of thinking, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
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Take care of yourself. Rumors can make people upset, angry, or even depressed. No matter what people are saying about you, keep your head high and remember who you are. Don't let other people determine your value in this life, and stay strong, no matter what people are saying about you. Make sure to spend time with good friends, get enough sleep, and maintain your self-esteem in spite of what people are saying about you.^{[8]
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- You may be so busy worrying about how to convince people the rumors aren't true that you haven't spent time taking care of yourself. Well, you've got to focus on yourself—instead of the meaningless hurt caused by others—if you want to go back to having a happy, healthy life.

Section 3 of 3:

Handling Gossip Queens and Kings

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Minimize how much time you spend with gossipers. Certified image consultant Sheila A. Anderson says that it’s incredibly easy to start gossiping if you hang out with people who gossip, so just don’t. “If you know someone who tends to be a gossiper, limit your time with them. It can be easy to get pulled into a conversation with these people, and before we know it, we are gossiping right along with them.”^{[9]
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Expert Source

Sheila A. Anderson
Certified Image Consultant

Expert Interview}
- You don’t have to make a big show of it or start a fight with anyone. Just do your best to limit how much time you spend with these people.
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React quickly and firmly whenever someone starts to gossip. Make it clear that you’re not interested in sharing gossip as soon as you recognize that’s what’s happening. Anderson says it helps to have a few lines ready to go: “If you are with someone who starts to gossip, have a few phrases ready to say for when these situations occur that indicate you are not interested in this conversation.”^{[10]
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Expert Source

Sheila A. Anderson
Certified Image Consultant

Expert Interview} You might try:
- “Hey dude, I don’t like gossiping. It makes me feel icky. Can we talk about something else?”
- “I told you I’m not interested in doing this stuff. Let’s move on.”
- “Come on, I’m not really into gossip. Let’s go back to talking about something else.”
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Stop being friends with people who keep gossiping about you. If a friend gossips about you once because they were upset with you, and you two work it out, that’s totally fine. But if they keep at it, just cut them off. Licensed clinical psychologist Kateri Berasi, PsyD, says, “If a person continues to gossip about you, I wouldn't include them in my life. They're not trustworthy, and no one needs the drama. It’s exhausting.”^{[11]
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Expert Source

Kateri Berasi, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Expert Interview}
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Call out people who spread especially nasty gossip. If someone is crossing the line and saying something they really shouldn’t be saying, stand up for the person who can’t stand up for themselves. Tell them to stop and explain why what they’re doing is wrong. You might say:
- “Stop it. That’s wrong. You have no idea whether that’s true or not, so why would you say something like that?”
- “Andy isn’t here to say whether that’s true or not. Should we go get him? Maybe he’d like to hear what you’re saying about him?”
- “You don’t get to just say stuff like that without getting called out on it. Stop being a gossip queen, it doesn’t look good on you.”

Protect Yourself from Deceitful People with this Expert Series

Do you have liars or people who like to bully and gossip in your life? It can be hard to know what's real when the people around you aren't truthful, so we've put together this expert series to help you protect yourself from lying, bullying, and gossip.

1

Deal With People Who Exaggerate

2

Deal With a Liar

3

Deal With a Compulsive Liar

4

Deal With Drama Queens or Kings

5

Deal With Bullying, Gossip and Rumors

6

Tell when Your Friend Is Lying

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you deal with malicious rumors?

Hyungbum Kang, MA, MSW, LCSW, MAC
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Hyungbum Kang is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Honolulu, Hawaii. With over a decade of experience, Hyungbum specializes in using an integrated therapeutic approach to treat ADHD, anger management, depression, and other mental health and social work struggles. He received a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degrees in Sociology and Social Work. Hyungbum earned an MBA from Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) and is working on his Doctor of Psychology from HPU. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Honor Society in Psychology, the National Association of Social Workers, and the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals.

Hyungbum Kang, MA, MSW, LCSW, MAC

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Expert Answer

If the rumors are severe, they can be categorized as slander or defamation. You can actually file a lawsuit if you can prove that the rumors were started and spread with malicious intent.

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