Jaden Smith Commits Suicide-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Reports that Jaden Smith has committed suicide have gone viral.
The Truth:
Two different rumors that Jaden Smith committed suicide that went viral in July and August are both false.
On August 9th, a video was posted on social media with the caption, “CNN Viral Video: Jaden Smith Son of Will Smith Says Goodbye With His Cellphone Before Suicide by Hanging.”
The fake video has been used as click bait for a rogue app to gain access to its victims’ Facebook account. In order to view Jaden Smith’s so-called “goodbye” video, viewers are forced to give the app permission to post from their account.
In July, a separate (also false) rumor that Jaden Smith had died went viral. That version appeared to link to an article about Jaden Smith’s tragic death. Again, users who clicked on the link received a popup prompting them to give the app permission to post from their account in order to view the story.
If you installed the app while trying to view the article or video, it’s fairly simple to delte. Click the dropdown area in the top of Facebook and select “Settings.” From there, click “apps” in the left menu and hover your cursor over the app you’d like to delete and click the “x” to delete it. Click here for step-by-step instructions from Facebook.
And, for anyone who still doubts whether or not Jaden Smith is dead, this tweet of Jaden, Cara Delevingne and Will Smith was posted on August 9th to prove that he’s alive and well: