Reddit User Claims Apple TV Ad for New Show Triggered Psychosis
A Reddit user has shared a story claiming that an Apple TV ad for the show Pluribus may have caused a psychotic episode in their sister.
According to the post, the woman was hospitalized and had her medications adjusted after seeing the ad on her Samsung smart fridge.
The Reddit user, Fun-Blueberry-2147, said their sister called them, claiming someone was trying to communicate with her through the fridge. She then took a taxi to the hospital, where she was monitored for two days. After returning home, she reportedly showed a photo of the fridge displaying the ad, which read, “We’re sorry we upset you, Carol.” The poster said their sister confirmed this was what she had seen.
Woman named Carol thought she was having a psychotic episode because her fridge showed her a Pluribus ad pic.twitter.com/mjIP1tmUmB
— Brooks Otterlake (@i_zzzzzz) December 6, 2025
Pluribus (stylized as PLUR1BUS) is a post-apocalyptic science fiction series created by Vince Gilligan for Apple TV. The show follows Carol Sturka, played by Rhea Seehorn, who is isolated after an alien virus transforms the rest of humanity into a hive mind. The first season premiered on November 7, and a second season has already been ordered. The series has received praise for its writing, direction, and Seehorn’s performance.
When ARG advertising goes wrong… F’ing crazy that Apple can just hijack people’s fridges like that lol. You will eat ze leftovers and have every inch of your personal life & attention span commodified.
— ParaPower Mapping (@KlonnyPin_Gosch) December 6, 2025
The smart fridge ad: https://t.co/hAW2XGIvFk pic.twitter.com/b85MXjVyzf
The Reddit post also noted that the sister has schizophrenia and was already taking antipsychotic medications. She has been hospitalized for psychotic episodes in the past, making her more vulnerable to the experience.
Apple doesn’t choose where this ad will be shown. They just buy ad spece from Samsung, so here Samsung is to blame. And it was Samsung idea to show ads on smart devices you paid for – I remember they did it years ago with smart tv and continued that trend even despite customers…
— Jerzy Bartoszewicz (@AntaresPL) December 6, 2025
The user shared the story on r/LegalAdviceUK to ask if it is legal to show ads on refrigerators in the U.K. Most responses suggested the ad was likely legal, but the story sparked a wider debate online.
Some X users questioned whether companies like Apple or Samsung, or the tech industry as a whole, should be more careful about putting advertisements in personal devices like smart fridges.
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