Celebrity3 min(s) read
Truth about video appearing to show influencer 'dying in tank of water' during livestream after it's viewed millions of times
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A video of a TikToker who appeared to have drowned as part of a reckless social media challenge has resurfaced online.
Conversation around the alleged tragedy has also amped up, with the clip going viral on X and Reddit, as it looked like the content creator never resurfaced.
As part of the 'TikTok Water Tank Challenge', which users should never try and replicate at home, the man entered a barrel filled with water, headfirst, during a TikTok livestream.
He can be seen thrashing around in the tank before abruptly stopping, with many viewers assuming that he had drowned in the tight space.
Unsurprisingly, many viewers were left angry and worried at the TikToker's decisions and his potential death - but did he really pay for the stunt with his life?
What really happened to the content creator?
While many were skeptical about the claims being made on social media, it seems like a community note on X confirmed that they were right.
The TikToker is known as Smil King, and he did not die as a result of the challenge.
Despite the video resurfacing multiple times in the past couple of years, it was originally posted in 2023.
King has also posted videos since, with the note detailing: “This TikToker known as Smil King creates this type of content, and he's not deceased. This video is from 2023.”
He continued to remain active on TikTok, having posted similar videos since, presumably in the hope of going viral once again.
With over 1.8 million followers, the content creator is also known to post other skits and trendy videos on his account.
Reactions from viewers
For many, putting time into looking up the TikToker's account may not have crossed their mind, so they were rightfully worried about not just King, but the state of social media.
One wrote: “Forgive me but excuse me, the thing is that when someone dies because of these kinds of viral challenges and nonsense they got themselves into, I find it very hard to empathize with them and mourn their death.
"The truth is, I think if you're capable of doing innocent things for a few simple.” (sic)
Another added: “Is it really worth doing these foolish things just to try to feel validated and accepted by others? You don't play with life, and this is the perfect example of the misuse of social media.”
Other users clocked on to the fake video though, as a different user pointed out: “They don't say the name, where was it? When? The tank isn't small, was there no one else there? The broadcast continued, in conclusion: fake.”
They weren't alone, as another observant viewer explained: “Nah, totally false, first of all, the tank is big enough to allow turning, when he sticks out his hand, he could easily have stuck out his head, the tank is smaller than him, I once saw him jump into the tank and he always put on a show of not being able to get out.”