John Kennedy’s wild warning about shrimp turning people into aliens sparks online reactions

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana recently made a headline-grabbing comment warning about the dangers of consuming radioactive shrimp. His statement, made during a Senate floor discussion, has since taken the internet by storm. 

John Kennedy stated on X on September 4, 2025, 

“If you eat some of the radioactive frozen shrimp that foreign countries are sending to America, you may end up looking like this picture from the movie, “Alien!””

Kennedy was talking about a certain scene from Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi horror movie Alien, which is now a classic in popular culture. An alert from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about some frozen shrimp sold in the U.S. that might contain the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 came right before Kennedy's speech. 

John Kennedy's Outlandish Warning About Radioactive Shrimp Turning People into Aliens Ignites Online Reactions

People all over social media are going crazy over John Kennedy's comment about nuclear shrimp and Alien. The Louisiana Republican senator, who is 73 years old, is known for his smart one-liners and funny observations. His most recent warning was no different. Kennedy joked, referring to a scary scene from the cult movie Alien, that eating contaminated shrimp could turn people into alien-like creatures.

The Racket commented on X,

I think we have reached peak stupidity of the republican party. 😆

hx commented on X,

This guy doesnt know what hes doing with his life at this point

Ottomatic mentioned on X

Ladies, find a man that loves you as much as Kennedy loves hearing himself talk.

Kennedy spoke out about the problem of contamination in frozen shrimp that came into the U.S. from other countries, including Indonesian businesses. He said the shrimp could carry nuclear cesium-137, and his clever comparison to the Alien chestburster was meant to make the point in an interesting, if not normal, way. The senator showed a picture of the scary alien thing and joked that it might be what happens if you eat those shrimp. He also said that eating those shrimp could have health effects like "growing an extra ear."

His statement, combining pop culture with a serious health warning, immediately went viral on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Within hours, the clip of Kennedy’s comment had accumulated over a million views, with reactions flooding in. 

RockReadRecovery commented on X,

I don’t even live in his state and I want a refund. No wonder people hate congress.

Boo bear stated on X,

I’m not understanding, why we are not using shrimp from the Gulf of America……

Joe Puma 🇺🇸 mentioned on X,

You really outdo yourself for the level of idiot that you are.

A lot of people liked how funny the senator was and praised how he could make a serious issue seem less serious. One person called him a "national treasure," and others said he had a natural sense of timing for comedy, which made them think he could easily make a living as a stand-up comic. The Alien reference added a certain charm and set the tone for a topic that was otherwise scary.

Senator John Kennedy’s humorous warning about radioactive shrimp turning people into aliens has sparked a lively debate online. The FDA advised against eating Great Value and Kroger shrimp due to low radiation levels. Kennedy's creative way of discussing this potential danger has amused and alarmed many.