In a surprising twist caught on camera, a prominent Flat Earther has publicly admitted he was wrong about a core belief of the conspiracy theory after traveling to Antarctica.
Jeran Campanella, a well-known Flat Earther and critic of NASA, recently documented his experience on the YouTube channel The Final Experiment.
Campanella, who also runs his own channel called Jeranism, revealed that he was flown to Antarctica — at the expense of a “glober” (a term Flat Earthers use for people who believe the Earth is spherical) — to observe the apparent absence of a 24-hour sun in Antarctica for himself.
The $35,000 trip was sponsored by round-Earth advocate Will Duffy, who invited Campanella to witness the midnight sun, a natural phenomenon that occurs during Antarctica’s summer. On a flat Earth, this would be impossible, as the sun could not remain visible for 24 hours straight.
Of course, when the clock hit midnight and the sun was still shining, it was time to admit defeat.
“Alright guys, sometimes you are wrong in life,” Campanella said in the video.
“I thought that there was no 24-hour sun, in fact I was pretty sure of it,” he admitted, praising Duffy for standing by his claim. “He said, ‘You want to go, I’ll take you,’ and brought me here. And it’s a fact — the sun does circle you in the south.”
Campanella, who has appeared in multiple Flat Earth documentaries, urged his audience to draw their own conclusions from his revelation.
“Don’t listen to my beliefs or my opinion — it shouldn’t matter to you. But at least you should be able to accept that the sun does exactly what these guys said, as far as circles the southern continent,” he said.
While his newfound acknowledgment may anger the Flat Earth community, Campanella stood firm in his honesty. “If you’re a shill for being honest, so be it,” he said.
What Is a “Shill”?
In Flat Earther jargon, a “shill” is someone accused of secretly promoting the idea of a round Earth to undermine the “truth” of a flat Earth. According to one forum post on The Flat Earth Society website:
“You are posing as an REer [round Earther] to undermine the ‘truth’ of a FE [flat Earth] and trying to entice others to the RE side. This would make you a shill.”
Online Reactions
However, in the comments section of the video, Campanella was praised by viewers for bravely admitting he was wrong after the evidence was provided to him.
"Jeran admitting his channel wont be the most popular FE channel for long, says a lot. Respect to him," one person commented.
A second added: "Huge respect to Jeran, you are an honest man and not a shill."
Another wrote: "Respect to Jaran. Most FE didn’t have the balls to put their theories to the test."
The Broader Context of Flat Earth Theories
Flat Earth theories have persisted for centuries, with a modern resurgence fueled by the internet and social media. Believers often argue that the Earth is a flat disk, covered by a dome-like firmament, surrounded by a "wall of ice", and accuse governments and space agencies of perpetuating a conspiracy to hide the “truth".
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence — from satellite imagery to the physics of gravity— Flat Earthers cling to their beliefs, often dismissing evidence as fabricated.
The movement has gained traction through online forums, YouTube channels, and even conventions.
While Campanella’s admission may not dismantle the Flat Earth movement, it marks a rare moment of accountability within a community often accused of rejecting evidence.
For most of us, the takeaway is simple: as science has confirmed time and again, the Earth is indeed round — and even some Flat Earthers are starting to accept it.
