Video: Couple's Bizarre Gender Reveal Stunt Using A Hippo Angers Internet

An expecting couple's unusual gender reveal stunt has stirred up a controversy. A clip of Jonathan and Bridgette Joseph tossing a jelly-filled watermelon into a hippo's mouth has gone massively viral online, collecting over 8 million views. As the hippo bites down on the watermelon, blue jelly flows out, indicating that their baby will be a boy.

According to Fox News, the gender reveal stunt took place at the Capital of Texas Zoo in Cedar Creek, and the video was posted to TikTok on Saturday.

Filmmaker Ana Breton shared the video on Twitter later, where it has collected millions of views and a ton of angry comments.

Watch the video below:

I did it. I found the worst gender reveal. pic.twitter.com/37b5GkrTbN

— Ana Bretón (@missbreton) September 21, 2019

The video has received hundreds of angry comments. While some questioned if the couple gave food dye to the hippo, others slammed the husband for saying "thank God," after it was revealed they were having a baby boy.

The “thank god” because it's a boy because apparently having a girl would be HORRIBLE ????????

— Kate (@KTenpas) September 21, 2019

Did they give that poor hippo chemicals ? @peta

— Hanna (@HybridHanna) September 23, 2019

I just hate whenever it's a boy and the parents go “thank god” :/

— Tori Bedford (@Tori_Bedford) September 21, 2019

treat animals humanely

— Brenda J Harnisch (@bandjinc) September 22, 2019

Ms Breton, in a subsequent tweet, shared a statement from Bridgette Joseph where she defended her gender reveal stunt. She explained that she and her husband had been trying for a boy after having a daughter, and added that the hippo, Tank, was fed organic Jell-O inside the watermelon which was "safe" for it.

"Tank was more than happy to have the treat. He walked right to us and opened his mouth," she wrote.

Hi all! I've been in touch with the family in the video. While I'm not a fan of gender reveals, it was not my intention to bring darkness to their special day. Here's some background written by Bridgette. Donations to the ACTUAL hippo in the vid here: https://t.co/rByV2mbXRK pic.twitter.com/fDWY29niTE

— Ana Bretón (@missbreton) September 22, 2019

Tank the hippo only eats the best foods, so the blue food exploding from the watermelon was organic blue Jell-O, Michael Hicks, the zoo's director, told Time.

In July, a gender reveal stunt in Australia went terribly wrong when a car performing a burnout for the reveal burst into flames.