In a bizarre moment on the Senate floor, Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy warned Wednesday that eating radioactive shrimp sold at stores including Walmart and Kroger could turn people into the monster from the sci-fi horror movie Alien.
The FDA expanded its recall of shrimp products last week due to possible contamination with the radioactive isotope Cesium-137. Nearly 45,000 packages, including Kroger Mercado and Aquastar cocktail shrimp, are affected. Additionally, certain Great Value frozen shrimp sold at Walmart were recalled on August 19.
Standing in front of a printed picture of the terrifying creature from the 1979 film, Kennedy said, “This is what you could end up looking like if you eat some of the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the United States by other countries. How could you end up looking like the alien in Alien? Because the shrimp was radioactive.”
Kennedy continued, “It’ll kill you, even if it doesn't turn you into the alien – if you eat this stuff, I guarantee you'll grow an extra ear.”
In the movie, directed by Ridley Scott and the first in a franchise of sci-fi thrillers, a crew member on a spaceship begins feeling increasingly unwell – until the alien shown in Kennedy’s picture bursts out of his stomach and runs amok on the vessel.
A clip of the senator’s statement posted to his X account on Wednesday just before 6 p.m. EST has over 1.2 million views.
The Independent has contacted the FDA and CDC for comment.
The FDA said Monday that it detected low levels of the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 in a shipment of imported frozen shrimp from an Indonesian firm, though the shipment did not enter U.S. commerce.
The levels were well below safety limits and pose no immediate health risk, but repeated exposure over time could increase cancer risk, the FDA said.
As a precaution, the FDA recommends consumers discard any recalled raw or cooked frozen shrimp and advises retailers not to sell or serve the affected products. Anyone concerned about exposure should consult a healthcare provider.
Kennedy’s remarks garnered thousands of responses to his movie-like claims.
“@grok is this real?” one person asked X’s AI chatbot, which responded, calling Kennedy’s Alien comparison” hyperbolic.”
“Where did you get that from? Your aunt's Facebook page?” another person asked.
“Imagine if we had politicians that actually fought for Americans instead of doing this stupid s***” another said.
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