The Untold Truth of Theodore Barrett and His Wife Janie Barrett

The names of Theodore Barrett, aka Ted Barrett, and his wife, Janie Barrett, has been ringing in the ears of millions worldwide, not just now but since 2008.

It all started when the YouTube channel of The Onion uploaded a video on March 20, 2008, of Theodore doing a press conference as the White House Deputy Press Secretary just hours after the death of his wife in a tragic car accident.

After the video was uploaded, it immediately went viral and garnered the attention of millions around the world. To this date, the video has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on YouTube and shared countless times across different social media platforms.

But what happened in the video that sparked the interest of so many people? And were the events said in the video real? Keep reading as we dissect the truth about the viral video!

Theodore Barrett explains his wife Janie Barrett’s death

In the 2-minute and 19-second video shared by The Onion, Theodore first takes the stage and discusses the President’s agenda for the day. But before he does that, he apologizes to the press members for being late as his wife had passed.

A screenshot of Theodore Barrett from the YouTube video (Photo: YouTube)

And as he goes further to discuss the President’s agenda, the press members continuously interrupt him and ask multiple questions surrounding his wife’s death and what had happened to their two kids.

Talking about their kids, he mentioned that the children were with his wife, and due to the car accident, one of them had passed away while the other was in a coma. Upon hearing this tragic news, journalists kept asking him if he needed assistance.

However, Theodore continued to deny any help. He repeated that he must continue doing his job as the White House Deputy Press Secretary, as his work for the President and the country came first.

A couple of fan comments under Theodore Barrett’s YouTube video (Photo: YouTube)

“We can’t just bring the entire nation to a halt because of it [his wife’s death]. There’s nothing I’d like more than to drop down behind this podium and weep, but I can’t do this. Why? Because I am a grown man, I’ve got a job to do, and so do you,” Theodore said in the video.

Are Theodore Barrett’s wife and her death real?

To those still wondering, the video of Theodore Barrett delivering the news of his wife’s tragic death is fake. And the same goes for Theodore’s wife, Janie Barrett, a fictional character.

Upon doing some research, we found out that there hasn’t been a man named Theodore Barrett, aka Ted Barrett, who has served at the White House as the Deputy Press Secretary.

As for a quick fact check, George W. Bush served as the President of the United States in 2008, and Dana Parino worked as the White House Press Secretary. And Tony Fratto and Scott Stanzel were serving as the White House Deputy Press Secretaries at the time.

As said earlier, the video was uploaded by The Onion. The Onion is a Chicago-based satirical news website with millions of followers across different social media platforms. This outlet often shares satirical news, often fake, that many usually take seriously.

Likewise, The Onion has made multiple videos using “Theodore Barrett” as the character. In one of those videos from December 2008, the same name is used for a press conference in which Theodore talks about the President’s plans to defeat a monster in Manhattan.

Furthermore, the real name or any other details of the person portraying the character of Theodore Barrett in videos for The Onion are still unknown.