'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A rumor recently spread online that Andrew “A.J.” Befumo, part of the viral father-son duo A.J. and Big Justice, had passed away. The claim came from TikToker @iambenzyyy on April 17, 2025. In a video titled “Big AJ just passed away!” he alleged that A.J. died from steroid use and shared what he claimed was a post from the duo’s official X account:
“Big AJ (Eric Justice Befumo) has just been found passed away this morning in his home. All proceeds from Eric’s social media will be going to help the Jewish community after his passing.”
It continued, “As of now, there are no guaranteed causes of his passing, however, the most likely reason for this was because of Eric’s profound use of steroids. Eric was fighting battles nobody knew. Rest in peace, AJ, Lover, Creator, and fighter - BIG MGMT.”
Trending
@iambenzyyy’s post amassed over 6 million views in less than 72 hours and earned 241K likes, 53.8K shares, and 16.6K bookmarks. It also had visuals of alleged tweets from last year, where fans seemingly predicted Befumo’s alleged demise.
However, the now-viral TikTok post has turned out to be fake. A.J. did not die, and the rumor was part of the ongoing online death hoaxes, as confirmed by the Know Your Meme website.
Moreover, @iambenzyyy’s post had several errors, such as combining the names of Andrew Befumo and his son Eric. While the former is known as simply A.J., the latter is known as Big Justice. None of them goes by Big A.J. as falsely mentioned in the TikTok post.
Besides, the official page of the father-son duo on X does not feature any such tweet about either of their deaths, nor is there any evidence to support the rumor.
More about A.J.’s death hoax
@iambenzyyy was not the only social media user to share the death hoax of A.J. Following his post, other TikTokers continued to make the false claim. For instance, @fastfamefeed uploaded a video post on April 20, 2025, alleging that Andrew Befumo was dead. It amassed 468,000 views in 24 hours.
Another user, @globemysteriess, shared a similar video on the same day. While his headline claimed A.J. was deceased, his clip alleged that Befumo was alive and shared a video from the hospital, where he was reportedly admitted after a foot fracture suffered during an AEW match.
However, neither was Andrew hospitalized for a broken foot nor did he post any such content. Despite @globemysteriess’ untrue claims, his post earned 750,000 views in a day.
@most.likely.luka also shared a video captioned, "RIP big aj gone way too soon." However, instead of providing evidence to support his headline, the TikToker shared his clip of meeting A.J. where the latter shared his popular catchphrase, "Double chunk chocolate cookie." The post amassed more than 650,000 views in 24 hours and was seemingly made for virality.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s social media accounts, such as TikTok, YouTube, and X, have continued to share content, and fans have posted real-time images and videos with him and Eric, even after the death claims. Thus, the viral claim stands debunked.
All you need to know about Andrew “A.J.” Befumo
Andrew Befumo is a Florida-based amateur wrestler by profession, nicknamed “The American Powerchild Eric Justice,” who is originally from New York. He returned to the ring in November 2024 after 19 years, as Big Boom A.J., at the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) league. Videos of the match against QT Marshall went viral.
A.J. has been making family vlogs titled “All Befumo’d Up!” on YouTube since 2022. They featured his son Eric, aka Big Justice (named after his alter ego and former wrestling name), his wife Mama Justice, and their daughter, Ashley.
However, Andrew and Eric rose to fame as a father-son duo in March 2024 after their Costco reviews went viral. At the store, they gave items “BOOM!” or “DOOM” tags, meaning approval or disapproval, respectively. This earned them the nickname “Costco Guys.”
One of their most-viewed TikTok videos (4.4 million) showed Big Justice taking a bite of chicken bake, while his father said,
“We’re Costco Guys! Of course, we go shopping while eating a chicken bake.”
Later, Andrew claimed that the dish would soon be replaced by the “Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie,” which in turn became his catchphrase. Since their stardom, the father-son duo bagged brand deals, endorsements, and conducted giveaways.
Subsequently, they joined TikToker Christian “The Rizzler” Joseph, a third-grader, for a celebrity basketball game at Madison Square Garden late last year, followed by an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in October 2024.
They have also released songs, including the debut track, We Bring the Boom, and the most recent, Always Gonna Boom! with Jelly House and The Rizzler.
