Ty & Charlene Bollinger
Anti-Vax and Cancer Misinformation Documentaries
Ty and Charlene Bollinger are American documentary filmmakers and alternative health advocates who produced the series "The Truth About Cancer" (beginning in 2014) and "The Truth About Vaccines" (2017). The series reached large audiences and argued that conventional medicine, particularly chemotherapy and vaccines, posed greater risks than the medical establishment acknowledged, and that alternative treatments were being suppressed. The Bollingers characterized their work as investigative journalism bringing suppressed information to patients and families.
Medical professionals and organizations including Science-Based Medicine criticized both documentary series for presenting unproven alternative cancer treatments as viable substitutes for evidence-based oncology and for spreading vaccine misinformation. Critics argued that the cancer documentary could lead patients to delay or decline treatments shown in clinical trials to improve survival rates. The Bollingers disputed these characterizations, maintaining that they were providing information that empowered patients to make their own healthcare decisions.
The anti-vaccine series featured interviews with several figures whose research had been discredited, including claims about vaccine safety that fact-checkers identified as unsupported or false. The Bollingers maintained they were raising legitimate safety questions that mainstream media declined to cover. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bollingers opposed COVID-19 vaccines and public health restrictions and organized related events and protests.
The Bollingers' media operation generated revenue through supplement sales, event tickets, book sales, and affiliate marketing for alternative health products. Critics argued this commercial arrangement created a financial incentive to sustain skepticism of conventional medicine. The Bollingers have maintained that their advocacy is motivated by genuine concern about the healthcare system, noting that Ty Bollinger has stated the project originated after several family members died of cancer.