Fact Check

Were Will and Jaden Smith Killed in a Car Crash?

Fake death notices are often spread for malicious purposes.

Published Dec. 7, 2019

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 22:  Actors Jaden Smith (L) and Will Smith attend the Environmental Media Association 26th Annual EMA Awards Presented By Toyota, Lexus And Calvert at Warner Bros. Studios on October 22, 2016 in Burbank, California.  (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Environmental Media Association ) (Getty Images)
Image Via Getty Images
Claim:
Actor Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith were killed in a car crash in December 2019.

In December 2019, social media users began encountering a post proclaiming that actor Will Smith and his son, rapper Jaden Smith, had "died in a crash after a "car and truck collision":

This post was a hoax, as neither Will nor Jaden Smith had died or been seriously injured in an automobile accident. Clicking through on the social media post led users to a rogue website which displayed a fake CNN video announcing the supposed "shocking" death of the Smiths (along with some other adult content):

The purpose of this hoax appeared to be to bait users into clicking to view the video as a means of driving them to malicious web pages, and to trick them into sharing the hoax post on social media in order to spread it further. Users are strongly advised not to visit to the website that underlies this hoax post and not to click on anything displayed there.

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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