On the evening of October 22, 2025, a post by Aqababe falsely announced the death of Brigitte Bardot, 91 years old, before being deleted. From Saint-Tropez, the icon denied it on X: "I am fine." Why and how did this death hoax, fueled by a recent hospitalization in Toulon, spread so quickly? Timeline, platform responsibilities, and reflexes to adopt to avoid relaying the error.
What happened on October 22, 2025
On the evening of October 22, 2025, influencer Aqababe (Aniss Zitouni) posted a message claiming that Brigitte Bardot, 91 years old, had died. He even mentioned the ordering of a coffin in Saint-Paul-de-Jarrat (Ariège). The post, quickly deleted, triggered a series of shares and comments. Subsequently, several media outlets corrected the information. During the night and morning of October 23, a summary was published. It indicated that the initial announcement came from unverified content. This content was then shared on social networks and subsequently deleted.
An immediate denial on X
In response to the frenzy, Brigitte Bardot herself spoke on X on the evening of October 22. She assured: "I am fine" and "I have no intention of bowing out." These statements, picked up by the press and news aggregators at dawn, closed the episode within a few hours. Several headlines specified that the message from the former actress and animal rights activist was explicit. Indeed, it targeted the "fake news" originating from an influencer account.
How the rumor spread
The sequence follows a classic mechanism: a message with strong emotional charge, a categorical formulation, then "cascade" dissemination through screenshots, shares, and reposts. In this game of telephone, each relay adds its own emphasis. Sometimes, a dubious detail is added. Thus, it creates an impression of "proof" by numbers. Accounts with large audiences pick it up, others question it, some sites headline before verification then delete or correct. Media-specialized editorial teams confirmed by the morning of October 23 that the information was false and denied, while tracing the chronology of the blunder.
The health context: between Toulon and Saint-Tropez
The episode found fertile ground: a few days earlier, articles indicated the hospitalization of Brigitte Bardot in Toulon. She stayed there for about three weeks for a minor procedure. However, her entourage described the illness as serious. On October 17, 2025, dispatches and press reports described a condition deemed concerning. However, they hinted at a soon return home to Saint-Tropez. In the afternoon, media reported that she was resting at home. Indeed, the operation "went satisfactorily." These elements partly explain the echo given to the unfounded claims of October 22.
The role of platforms and influencers
Nothing obliges a social network to verify a priori the truthfulness of a post. But any account with a large audience is exposed to a responsibility: to signal uncertainties, document sources, correct visibly. Here, the initial message was deleted, without apparent mention of an erratum. The feeds, however, had already gained momentum. The brake was the direct denial by the main person concerned, followed by editorial verifications. Responsible editing on platforms requires explicit updates. Moreover, it necessitates the traceability of corrections and, when possible, links to the primary source.
What the episode reveals
First, the power of the announcement effect: three sentences can steer an entire evening of news. Then, the fragility of weak signals: a place (the Ariège), a logistical detail (a "coffin"), and a famous identity form a plausible narrative, thus viral. Finally, the speed of correction: when the person at the heart of the rumor speaks, the flow shifts. The hygiene of information is a collective discipline: authors, relays, readers.
Before sharing: 3 essential verifications
- Primary source: who is speaking? Direct testimony, official statement, publication from the certified account of the person concerned, otherwise, caution. Ask yourself if the person is announced alive or deceased.
- Press concordance: at least two recognized media independently confirm the information, with dates and places.
- Official denial: if the person or their entourage contradicts the info, update your post, indicate the correction, and relay the denial.
Reactions and aftermath
On the morning of October 23, several headlines revisited the sequence. Additionally, they documented the rumor and cited the denial. Moreover, they updated their content. Others reminded that Brigitte Bardot had just gone through a medical episode and that she is recovering. Debates open on moderation, editing, and the visibility of corrections on platforms: should a deleted content be flagged when it has been massively relayed? What duty of diligence for accounts with several hundred thousand followers?
Bardot, a French myth, contemporary vigilance
The icon of And God Created Woman, Contempt, or The Truth left cinema in 1973. Furthermore, she dedicated her fame to the animal cause. A figure as admired as contested, Brigitte Bardot remains a totem-name in the French imagination. Her words, even rare, always trigger a national echo. The episode of October 22, 2025 reminds us that celebrity is an amplifier of effects, for the better. Indeed, it allows for a quick clarification. However, it can also be for the worse a clash of rumors.
Challenges for information
The Bardot case is not an exception: it fits into an ecology of information where speed competes with verification. A headline can precede the cross-checking work, and a deletion does not always catch up with the screenshots already shared. Editorial teams, platforms, and content creators have simple tools: update mentions, links to corrections, pings to the concerned sources. The public, for its part, can adopt a click economy: prefer sourced, dated, contextualized content.
Condensed timeline
- October 17, 2025 (afternoon): articles reporting the hospitalization in Toulon and a procedure.
- October 22, 2025 (evening): publication of a death rumor by Aqababe, soon deleted.
- October 22, 2025 (evening): denial by Brigitte Bardot on X ("I am fine", "I have no intention of bowing out").
- October 23, 2025 (morning): media reports detailing the falsehood of the initial information and the chronology of the correction.
Rumor thwarted: reflexes to adopt
The false news of Brigitte Bardot’s death spread in a few minutes. It then died down almost as quickly. This happened once the primary source, the person concerned, returned to the center. In the age of networks, the circulation of a rumor depends on little: a narrative detail, a name, and an audience. The proof lies in facts, dates, and identified voices. Here, they spoke in time.