page_title: Epstein didn't kill himself
section_title: Products
hierarchical_section_title: Epstein didn't kill himself / Mainstreaming / Products
caption_attribution_description: English: the internet meme of "Epstein didn't kill himself" is way more than an insider for "geeks" and was even commercialized to a mainstream level, incl. a large-scale billboard in the city center of Zurich in Switzerland.
context_page_description: The phrase Epstein didn't kill himself refers to the theory surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein that disputes the official account of suicide by hanging. Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender with connections to several other powerful and wealthy figures, and his reported suicide generated numerous theories about the nature and cause of his death. The phrase itself became an Internet meme through widespread circulation, gaining traction in November 2019 as more of the circumstances around his death became public.
context_section_description: Two beer companies, the Michigan-based Rusted Spoke Brewing Co. and the Californian Tactical OPS Brewing, advertised specialty-branded beers in connection to the meme. Rusted Spoke's operations manager told the Detroit Free Press that people just thought the meme was funny. In Switzerland, the Zürich-based company Kaex printed the meme on promotional material for an anti-hangover product.
  Computer programmer, businessman, and presidential candidate John McAfee announced the release of an Ethereum-based token named after the meme. He had previously expressed doubts about Epstein's death. Also known as WHACKD, 700 million tokens of the cryptocurrency were released to 8,000 users following its airdrop.
  Holiday-theme merchandise, such as Christmas jumpers, which prominently feature the phrase also became available for sale through several online retailers. In an interview with Slate, independent merchandisers indicated that the Christmas/Epstein product lines were selling comparatively well and cited the mashup's dark humor for its internet popularity. According to Variety, the Christmas-themed paraphernalia was reportedly outselling Game of Thrones merchandise.
caption: Swiss anti-hangover company sets up "Epstein didn't kill himself" billboard in city center of Zurich
exif: {"Image Software": "Google"}