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TikTok's Abraham Clinkscales, or Jamal from the "Jamal Did It" meme is the latest internet personality to become the subject of death rumors. In reality, he is very much alive and well in 2022.
Social media is a place where any news can suddenly go viral without proper verification. The news about Abraham's death surfaced on the internet after an edited photo with the caption, "Jamal shot dead in Houston" ("Famous TikTok star shot dead in Houston" in some versions) started making its rounds online.
Here's a recent Instagram story shared by Abraham, @_abedaactor, that he shared on December 3, 2022:
Abraham Clinkscales aka Jamal is not dead
Recent edited posts about the famous TikTok star's death circulating on the social media platform left internet users confused. These posts were shared with the caption "Jamal shot dead in Houston." Some of the posts also read "Famous TikTok star shot dead in Houston."
Here's one such post:
However, a quick internet search soon proved the news to be inauthentic.
The internet personality, whose real name is Abraham Clinkscales, is quite active on social media. He is an actor and an athlete and frequently shares funny posts and videos on his socials. Here is the latest Tiktok post he shared acknowledging the viral meme trend making rounds on the internet, in which he is blamed for an array of petty crimes.
What is the "Jamal did it" meme?
In April 2022, a meme where a young black boy is wrongfully blamed for a crime such as stealing KFC chicken, surfaced on TikTok. The meme shows four suspects, of which three are white with one holding the chicken.
The fourth is a newborn black baby named "Lulquidication Daquan."
A few months later, the baby became Jamal, and a picture of child actor Abraham Clinkscales started becoming a stand-in for the character. Soon, videos of the baby being blamed for numerous crimes, from stealing cookies to kidnapping, emerged online. But each time, his image was followed by images of white people who are never blamed.
The meme was a humorous satirical take on racial stereotypes that favor white people. However, the meme faced severe backlash from netizens for its undertones and for promoting such stereotypes.
TikTok fake death trend
Jamal is not the first well-known personality to become a victim of death rumors.
Actor Adam Sandler and TikTok influencer Addison Rae, too, faced similar fake death rumors as a result of TikTok. This seems to be a trend on the social media platform.
In January this year, rumors of Adam Sandler's death circulated on Twitter and spread quickly on Tiktok. The cause of death varied from video to video and left fans upset and confused. In April 2021, many believed Tiktok star and singer Addison Ray died in a car accident. the funny part about this fake rumor is that it went viral just as the singer herself was hosting a live on her Instagram account.
It is easy for false news to spread on TikTok due to the sheer volume of users. A report by NewsGuard found that about 20% of all videos on the social media app contain misinformation. It is of utmost importance to verify what news one sees on social media apps and report fake news.
