2 General claim verifications about Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Epstein ×
“A viral video claims to show Jeffrey Epstein alive under the alias "Palm Beach Pete," contradicting the official record of his death in August 2019.”
A viral video did circulate in March 2026 with social media users claiming it showed Jeffrey Epstein alive in Florida under the alias "Palm Beach Pete," and this does contradict the official record of his August 2019 death by suicide. However, the man in the video publicly came forward, identified himself as "Palm Beach Pete," and explicitly denied being Epstein. No credible evidence links him to Epstein. The claim accurately describes the viral narrative but omits the debunking.
“Jeffrey Epstein had a connection to the creation of the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants.”
There is no credible evidence linking Jeffrey Epstein to the creation of SpongeBob SquarePants. The show was developed entirely internally at Nickelodeon by marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg following his 1997 pitch, with no external investors or unusual connections involved. Multiple fact-checkers (Snopes, PolitiFact) have investigated and debunked this claim, tracing it to manipulated maps, fabricated address coincidences, and viral conspiracy content. Epstein's general entertainment-industry contacts do not constitute evidence of involvement with this specific show.