Anne Heche Cited in Viral 'Cannibal' Conspiracy Tied to Epstein File Releases
A lurid claim that Ellen DeGeneres ate anne heche has circulated widely on social media after recent releases of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein. The allegation matters now because the Department of Justice disclosures and a widely shared conspiracy post have converged to amplify an unverified and damaging narrative.
Justice Department releases in January and February 2026
The U. S. Department of Justice released documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein in January 2026 and a broader tranche of millions of files in February 2026. Those releases included references to a range of topics and names; the mere presence of a celebrity’s name in the dataset has been seized on by online commentators even when the documents do not substantiate criminal claims.
Ellen DeGeneres appears in emails, newsletters and tweet compilations
Ellen DeGeneres’s name appears in the released material in several mundane contexts. Her name surfaced in compilations of tweets from her former talk show that were sent to Epstein by Twitter, in an Apple News newsletter summarizing daily headlines in which she addressed allegations of misconduct on her show, and in a redacted email that quoted a college graduation speech she reportedly gave. Another email forwarded to Epstein included a note from Hollywood publicist Peggy Siegal recalling seeing DeGeneres dancing at a party on the island of St. Barts. Those mentions do not connect her to criminal conduct in the files themselves.
The People's Voice post and the claim that Ellen ‘ate’ Anne Heche
A conspiracy site called The People's Voice published a sensational post asserting that newly discussed "Epstein files" prove extreme crimes by DeGeneres, including that she "ate" Anne Heche. That post made sweeping claims of "unredacted" dumps and alleged investigators confirming lurid details but presented no verifiable evidence that can be checked against official records. The People's Voice article prompted rapid sharing on X, Threads and TikTok, and the viral spread elevated the false narrative into wider circulation.
Counts of 'cannibal' and 'cannibalism' in the files and their contexts
Searching the Department of Justice dataset turns up multiple mentions of the words "cannibal" and "cannibalism"—52 instances of "cannibal" and six instances of "cannibalism, " though many are duplicates of the same references. These occurrences appear in media digests, an academic syllabus, a transcript of a conversation between Epstein and a man identified as "Richard, " and in an email from Epstein to an unnamed correspondent that discussed jerky and "a restaurant called Cannibal. " None of those references link the words to Ellen DeGeneres or to Anne Heche.
Anne Heche's death ruling, hospitalization and posthumous memoir
Anne Heche’s death was ruled an accident in 2022 by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, which listed smoke inhalation and thermal injuries as the cause and noted a sternal fracture from blunt trauma as a significant condition. Heche was hospitalized after a car crash in Los Angeles in August 2022; the coroner’s findings identify the official cause of death and do not indicate homicide. Heche’s posthumous memoir, Call Me Anne, was published in 2023 and includes material about her highly publicized relationship with Ellen DeGeneres in the late 1990s.
Fact checks, expert cautions and wider implications
Public-facing fact checks and investigative reviewers have found no evidence in the released documents tying DeGeneres to cannibalism or to any allegation that she killed or consumed Heche. Organizations that have examined the files note that being mentioned in the documents is not proof of wrongdoing. The resurfacing of other celebrity names—such as Leonardo DiCaprio—has also prompted viral posts that conflate mere appearance in the dataset with criminality; experts caution that inclusion in the files does not imply guilt.
What makes this notable is how a single unverified post can convert disparate references into a coherent but false story: references to "cannibal" in media digests and casual emails, archival mentions of public figures in newsletters and tweets, and a separate tragic death ruled accidental were stitched together by a conspiracy claim and amplified by social platforms. That chain — unverified assertion, rapid social amplification, and public confusion — explains the current surge of false allegations and underscores why formal documentation and coroner findings remain the controlling records.
Organizations such as Snopes have previously documented instances of "cannibal" and "cannibalism" appearing in the released files and emphasized the need to distinguish duplicative mentions from substantiated evidence. Until verifiable, transparent evidence emerges that withstands documentary and legal scrutiny, the cannibalism claims tied to the Epstein files should be regarded as unproven and unsupported by the official records currently available.
