Whether it’s bizarre noises, vaping grandparents, or candidly catching public figures, these clips often make for the most entertaining—and viral—content online.

Only this week, a viral video of a woman attempting to refuel her car attracted tens of millions of views in only two days. But was the encounter, caught on film, a genuine mishap, as some viewers appeared to believe?

The Claim

A video posted on Twitter on September 27, 2022, shows what appears to be a woman attempting to fill her car at a gas stop, continuously failing to reach the tank.

In the space of two days the video has been watched more than 18 million times on Twitter alone, as well as trending on Reddit and being widely shared on Telegram.

The Facts

There is any number of genuine viral videos that have caught unusual or outrageous behavior at gas stations, from dramatic altercations to improvised political rants.

Whether it’s the soaring prices or even just the fumes, it seems the pumps may fuel more than just your car.

However, in the case of this most recent viral clip, which has already been watched tens of million times in two days, the forecourt drama appears to be little more than frivolity.

Reverse image searching screen grabs of the video from Twitter revealed it was posted on Facebook from the account “Janelle & Kate”.

The clip, titled “someone needs to help this girl”, has been viewed more than 37 million times since it was posted on September 26, 2022.

The caption of the video reveals it was “produced by Rick Lax Productions, Janelle & Kate”.

While “Rick Lax Productions” does not have its own Facebook page or website, Rick Lax is a viral content producer who regularly produces staged “prank” videos and other “short films”.

Lax, who has 14 million followers on Facebook, found internet fame through posting grotesque and bizarre recipe videos which had the appearance of genuine cooking content.

“Janelle and Kate”, who uploaded the gas station video, are featured in a photo on Lax’s website Network Media LLC, which Lax identifies himself as the creator of.

A 2021 article in Eater, which included an interview with Lax, states that many of the videos he helps produce include disclaimers noting that videos are “scripted dramas, PARODY HACKS, parody and satire.”

This most recent video may have taken inspiration from another clip shared online from 2020 of a woman filmed driving around a gas station trying to refill her car.

The car in the gas pump clip can be found in another Janelle and Kate video too. At the start of the video “Mom gets the best gift of her life” you can briefly see the car’s license plate number.

In the case of the video “produced by Rick Lax Productions”, while there is no disclaimer that identifies it as a parody explicitly, its provenance, conceit, and the people behind its creations, strongly indicate that it’s made-up.

And while a somewhat subjective judgment, the overblown gesturing and posturing of the woman in the clip, gives us a degree of additional confidence that the video’s content is fictional.

Online content taken out of context or without disclaimers, particularly satire, is often mistaken to be genuine.

Recently, a quote attributed to Liz Cheney calling Donald Trump a “cute Russian b***h” was shared on social media without noting that it came from a parody account on Twitter, leading some to believe it could have been real.

Newsweek has contacted Rick Lax for comment.

The Ruling

Satire.

The video posted on Twitter is credited, in part, to viral content producer Rick Lax who is well-known for creating “parody” and “scripted dramas.” The original video, posted on Facebook, states it was produced by “Rick Lax Productions” although that accreditation does not appear elsewhere online, thus leading many to think the scene in the footage is genuine.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team