Viral TikTok killer whale attack on ‘Jessica Radcliffe’ exposed as AI hoax

WEBSITE: The Jessica Radcliffe clip? It was the kind designed to stop you mid-scroll: a whale trainer, smiling in front of a roaring crowd, suddenly mauled to death by an orca in a dramatic live show. TikTok lit up, the footage spread like wildfire, and the internet gasped in collective horror.

Only one problem — none of it ever happened.

Fact-checkers quickly tore the story apart. There are no official records, no credible news reports, and no trace of Jessica Radcliffe outside the viral posts. Experts confirmed the video wasn’t a recording of a tragedy, but an AI-generated mash-up, synthetic voices, doctored archival whale footage, and a heavy dose of fiction.

The supposed setting, “Pacific Blue Marine Park,” doesn’t exist. One version of the clip even claimed the orca attacked after detecting “menstrual blood” in the water, a scientifically baseless claim that experts say is a telltale flourish of fake stories designed to provoke maximum outrage.

Killer whales spotted grooming each other with seaweed

Investigators believe the hoax borrowed heavily from two real-life orca tragedies. In 2009, 29-year-old trainer Alexis Martínez was killed by the whale Keto at Loro Parque in the Canary Islands. Just a year later, SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau, 36, was dragged underwater and killed by the infamous orca Tilikum, an incident that became central to the 2013 documentary Blackfish.

Trump doesn’t have privacy or security concerns about TikTok

By blending details from those genuine cases with fabricated elements, the AI creators crafted a video realistic enough to fool millions. This deliberate mix of truth and falsehood is a classic misinformation tactic, and it works, especially in the age of lightning-fast social media shares.

Hey chatbot, is this true? AI ‘factchecks’ sow misinformation

The “Radcliffe” clip wasn’t just a hoax. It can be a case study in how deepfake-style content can weaponise emotional storytelling, hijack our attention, and spread faster than fact-checks can catch up.

So, no, an orca didn’t kill Jessica Radcliffe. But the viral frenzy around her fake death is a reminder of something just as dangerous: in the battle between clicks and the truth, the truth is still playing catch-up.