Truth behind viral claim woman had psychotic episode after Apple fridge 'spoke to her' in advert revealed

The truth behind a viral claim that a woman had psychotic episode after an Apple fridge advert ‘spoke to her’ has been revealed.

A Reddit poster in the r/LegalAdviceUK suggested that their sister had a schizophrenic episode after seeing an advert on their smart fridge and believing it was communicating with her, claiming this saw her hospitalised.

The woman believed she was having a mental health episode after the fridge ‘spoke to her’, which supposedly turned out to be an advert for Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan’s new show Pluribus.

It saw the poster saying they ‘needed some advice’, adding: “She spent 2 days under monitoring. This isn't the first time she's been kept in as she has had previous psychotic episodes once every two years or so. I've finally got her back home a few days ago.

“However, when I was scrolling on Facebook today I saw an advert on a smart fridge which stated the words, "WE'RE SORRY WE UPSET YOU, CAROL." It was set against a creepy yellow background and was very ominous. Upon closer inspection it was an advert for some TV show.

“That's my sister's name. Carol. I sent her the photo and asked if this was what she saw. She confirmed it.

“Some creepy advert in a place where an advert shouldn't usually go has sent her to the bloody hospital and triggered a review of the efficacy of her antipsychotics.”

The post went viral on both Reddit and Twitter, with social media users finding the specific Pluribus advert appearing on fridges which is a reference to the show.

Apple TV+’s Pluribus advert would be a creepy experience for anyone if it showed up on their fridge (let alone someone named Carol) and sparked online debates around the use of advertisements on smart appliances in the home.

The only issue, however, is that it appears that the whole thing was made up.

The Pluribus advert references the show, but many have still criticised it (Apple TV+)

A note has been added to the original viral tweet about the situation, pointing to a comment from a recent post of the advert, and it’s fairly damming.

The note claims the Reddit post is ‘based around a joke comment from the original image of the fridge’ claiming this proves it doesn’t happen.

Whilst this doesn’t confirm or deny things 100%, it does make the post seem far less likely to be true.

The comment was on a picture of the Pluribus fridge advert (which is real), saying: “Just imagine your name is Carol, you’re in psychosis, and you see this on your fridge…”

This comment was just four weeks ago, three weeks before the now viral post claiming that their sister was suffering from psychosis.

One person on Twitter said of the controversy: “yes putting ads on a fridge is beyond f*cked but: a) why would you buy a fridge with a screen on it in the first place b) every reddit post is made up and it's wild how far that fake post has traveled c) the pluribus ad itself is really good all things considered.”

LADbible group have contacted Apple TV+ and the original Reddit poster for comment.