5 days ago
Was Trainer 'Jessica Radcliffe' Killed in an Orca Whale Attack? The Video Is Fake
A video has gone viral on TikTok that makes it appear like an Orca trainer named "Jessica Radcliffe" was killed by a whale. However, is it real?
If a marine trainer was really killed in a whale attack, you'd think it would be big news. In fact, a real orca attack that killed a different SeaWorld trainer named Dawn Brancheau was big news around the globe. However, no credible news stories on the supposed "Jessica Radcliffe" attack exist. There are some similarities between what happened to Brancheau and the Radcliffe video. There's even a video showing Brancheau interacting with the killer whale before her death.
The "Jessica Radcliffe" video is fake and appears to be generated by AI, according to International Business Times, which declared the killer whale attack video a "hoax." LiveMint also noted that the video of the woman's death appears to be generated by artificial intelligence. Forbes declared the video fake. It is being shared widely on X and Facebook, with many people wondering whether it is real.
The 'Jessica Radcliffe' Attack Shown in the Video Doesn't Appear in Credible News Stories
According to the Hindustan Times, there is no whale trainer named Jessica Radcliffe.
The gruesome video, which ricocheted around social media, showed the orca whale with a bloody mouth as it devoured the trainer during a performance."Justice for Jessica," says one TikTok video, which shows the orca thrashing a woman around before devouring her.
"The final smile before horror Jessica Radcliffe waves to crowd seconds later the killer whale strikes," reads an X post that shared the video of a woman sitting on a whale's nose.
"Someone help her," a person says as the video grows gory, with the whale eating the woman.
"No evidence exists that Jessica Radcliffe is a real person, let alone the victim of a fatal orca attack," according to a fact-check by Vocal Media.
That site looked for OSHA workplace accident reports, a SeaWorld press release, news articles - basically any sign at all that the attack occurred, and came up empty.
There Was a Real Incident Where an Orca Whale Killed a Trainer, Dawn Brancheau
Although it's not depicted in the recent viral video, there was a famous incident where an orca whale killed a woman.
On Feb. 24, 2010, SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau "was interacting with Tilikum, a 29 year-old male killer whale, in a pool at Shamu Stadium," according to a report from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
"Ms. Brancheau reclined on a platform located just a few inches below the surface of the water. Tilikum was supposed to mimic her behavior by rolling over onto his back. Instead, Tilikum grabbed Ms. Brancheau and pulled her off the platform and into the pool. Ms. Brancheau died as a result of Tilikum' s actions," the report says.
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) "are large aquatic mammals of the order Cetacea," the report says. "Cetaceans are mammals well-suited to aquatic life, including whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Killer whales are found in all oceans of the world."
The report continues: "They live in long-term social groups, called pods. Killer whales are highly intelligent and their social system is organized in a complex, female-dominant hierarchy. Killer whales are 'apex predators,' at the top of the food chain. They are called killer whales because they prey on other, larger whales, as well as other marine animals."Was Trainer 'Jessica Radcliffe' Killed in an Orca Whale Attack? The Video Is Fake first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 11, 2025
