According to my findings, it is a general consensus that Jonathan, the world's oldest turtle, is alive and well. Furthermore, it is suggested that this was a crypto scam, where a user on X was falsely claiming to be Joe Hollins, despite the fact that Hollins does not have an X account. This impersonator was asking for cryptocurrency donations after the false claim of Jonathan’s death.
My primary sources are CNN’s “World’s oldest known tortoise still very much alive and (slowly) kicking despite rumor to the contrary”, https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/03/world/oldest-tortoise-alive-despite-rumor-intl-hnk .
As well as BBC “World's oldest known tortoise still alive, as reports of death revealed as hoax” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c393xmpzjwko .
Both CNN and the BBC reference information obtained from the government of St Helena. CNN based its report on an interview with Anne Dillon, the head of communications on the island, who spoke with the Associated Press. In contrast, the BBC reached out via email and received a response from Nigel Phillips, the governor of St Helena. Aside from these references to the government, both news sources contain identical quotes from the original misleading tweet and Facebook post by Joe Hollins.
The next point to fact-check is the claim that "He was gay and lived through two world wars and 40 U.S. presidents." Jonathan is estimated to have been born around 1832, which means he would have indeed lived through both world wars and the terms of 40 U.S. presidents. This statement is accurate based on the timeline.
As well as yes Johnathan is considered gay from human perspective as his long term partner for over 26 years, Frederic, who was originally thought to be a female and names Frederica until a medical examination in 2017 revealed his true gender. As well as Johnathan despite being there for over 144 years and has yet to sire a mate.
The official St. Helena information page about Johnathan shows a sense of humor regarding the labeling of a tortoise as gay. They appear to take an amusement in responding to articles and discussions surrounding this topic. https://sainthelenaisland.info/jonathan.htm
