James Somerton Suicide Hoax

Content Warning: Portions of this entry make mention of suicide, which some may find difficult or upsetting. If you need support or are dealing with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's website or call 1-800-273-8255.

Overview

James Somerton Suicide Hoax refers to panic and debate surrounding a Twitter / X post in early March 2024 by James Somerton, who was embroiled in a controversy after YouTuber HBomberguy released a four-hour takedown video accusing Somerton of plagiarism in December 2023. The rumors of his death came after months of harassment towards Somerton regarding the plagiarism allegations, including frequent commentary on his actions throughout 2024 from the HBomberguy fandom and smaller YouTubers. An update on May 8th, 2024, then claimed that Somerton has been posting on an alternative account ever since his final apology post, sparking theories about how the influencer planned the incident and that it was a death hoax.

Background

On March 4th, 2024, James Somerton posted a concerning note to his Twitter / X^[1] account @jamessomertonx. Somerton’s account was made private following the ongoing controversy from December 2023, so the exact level of follower engagement with the post is unknown. The post was reuploaded to /r/hbomberguy on Reddit^[2] by /u/liloloveyou024. The post (seen below) alleges that Somerton had already attempted suicide.

If this message is live it means I scheduled it before ending things. I have videos scheduled to go out over the next couple of days. Nothing new. I just wanted Nick's portfolio of work to be available. I've left directions that any money from those videos be donated to The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. They've tried very hard to pull me back but there's simply no life for me anymore. I've lost everything… My only friend, my livelihood, my name… And it's all my own fault. The world will be a little better off now. Goodbye.

Following the HBomberguy vs James Somerton Plagiarism Scandal from December 2023, Somerton had been targeted by numerous people who either claimed their content had been stolen without credit for Somerton's YouTube videos or wanted justice for those who hadn't yet been acknowledged by Somerton. HBomberguy's Reddit^[5] community, /r/hbomberguy, often received high engagement on posts bashing Somerton.

In addition, a "James Somerton hate" subreddit was formed, which was deleted immediately following Somerton's X post from March 4th. HBomberguy has posted about Somerton as recently as March 2nd, with an X^[7] thread responding to a new video by Somerton, which received over 34,000 likes and 2,200 reposts in three days (seen below).

Online Reactions

On March 4th, 2024, HBomberguy's producer Kat, /u/lingrush, commented on /u/liloloveyou024's post, stating that the HBomberguy team had reached out to Somerton and tried to call in a wellness check. There has been no update since posting.

Many on social media expressed concern for Somerton's well-being, including those who were firmly against him following the plagiarism allegations. For instance, on March 5th, 2024, X^[6] user @UDOD0NE posted a tweet expressing concern but also reaffirming criticism towards Somerton as valid, earning 660 likes and 52 reposts in about two hours (seen below).

1. I surely fucking hope James Somerton is not dead

2. He still deserved every ounce of criticism he got

Two things can be true at once.
Harassment is not criticism, and criticism is not harassment. pic.twitter.com/FPY9XoM0Sy

— 𝔪𝔬𝔦-𝖉𝖎𝖝-𝔘𝔡𝔬 ™ 🏴‍☠️愛人 🍉🍓 (@UDOD0NE) March 5, 2024

Some online called out HBomberguy and the treatment of Somerton after the plagiarism video. For example, on March 5th, X^[3] user @boogiemax02 argued that HBomberguy and his fandom had a place in the blame, which received 380 likes and 50 reposts in about five hours (seen below, left). Others defended HBomberguy, like @othergaystoner on X,^[4] who argued that HBomberguy was not responsible for Somerton's decisions, earning 3,400 likes and 409 reposts in under three hours (seen below, right).

Developments

As the rumors of his death spread online, multiple people tried to reach out to James Somerton's associate Nick. On March 6th, 2024, he responded to a question about Somerton by user @ciaransaunders through his Bluesky^[9] account @ntherrgott, stating, "I'm aware of the tweet and the situation. right now and to my knowledge, there's nothing to worry about," which received 110 likes and nine reposts in about six days (seen below).

On March 11th, HBomberguy producer Kat posted an update to the welfare check as /u/lingrush on Reddit,^[8] responding to a user who posted asking about his wellbeing. The thread received nearly 700 upvotes before being locked by Kat, who stated in a comment that the team had received word that Somerton was alive and currently safe, but that the HBomberguy team did not want to disclose further details for privacy reasons. Kat's statement can be seen below.

James Somerton's Alt Twitter X Account Leak

On May 8th, 2024, X^[10] user @GreatCheshire claimed that on the same day Somerton posted about his suicide, he "rebranded his alt account then posted about tv shows and horny posted." The user also posted some screenshots of the purported alternative account, originally @Theachilleanboy and later changed to @thegayyouknow (since deleted), which amassed more than 32,000 likes and 5,300 reposts in a day (seen below).

Later on May 8th, @GreatCheshire^[11] continued to share alleged evidence that Somerton purportedly used his alternative account to argue with X users in defense of himself, saying that what he did wasn’t that bad and didn’t hurt anybody because the things he plagiarized were “like a decade old” and blaming “the cult of Hbomb” (screenshot below).

Search Interest

External References