The Unsolvable Mystery of the Max Headroom Incident
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On November 22, 1987, TVs across the city of Chicago were interrupted by the strange image of a man in a Max Headroom mask, babbling incoherently and getting spanked. It was one of the most brazen TV piracy events in US history, and a mystery that has eluded experts for nearly 40 years. Today we look into the infamous Max Headroom Incident.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Intro
1:37 – TV Hijack
7:36 – Why Max Headroom?
9:05 – How Could This Happen?
11:15 – Breaking Down The Theories
14:26 – Other Media Hijackings
16:59 – Sponsor – Nebula
LINKS LINKS LINKS
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/02/12/171814715/zombie-alert-also-aired-in-michigan-hacking-traced-to-overseas-source
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/02/bogus-zombie-apocolypse-warnings-undermine-us-emergency-alert-system/
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/02/bogus-zombie-apocolypse-warnings-undermine-us-emergency-alert-system/
https://www.nfl.com/news/arizona-man-pleads-guilty-to-hacking-super-bowl-telecast-09000d5d8234e3e0
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/phoenix/press-releases/2011/px020411a.htm
https://www.dailypress.com/1990/09/25/federal-jury-convicts-cbn-technician/
https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/23/arts/man-admits-overriding-hbo-signal.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-22-mn-30928-story.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flashback-hacker-interrupts-hbos-film-in-1986/
https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2022/01/07/encore-max-headroom
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/758/1231/1809318/#:~:text=WGN%20uses%20the%20statements%20of,McCoy%20did%20seek%20other%20employment
https://www.vice.com/en/article/headroom-hacker/
https://monar.neocities.org/tech/max
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/3oaxi5/new_developments_in_the_max_headroom_incident/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176450039/eric_joseph-fournier
https://weirddarkness.com/max-headroom-tv-hijack-chicago/
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/83gnnm/do_you_believe_eric_fournier_was_behind_the_max/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/shaye-saint-john-is-forever-061/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/headroom-hacker/
https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8285139/max-headroom-oral-history-80s-cyberpunk-interview
https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8285139/max-headroom-oral-history-80s-cyberpunk-interview, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=UzFWQIIe8U4&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2F
https://dfarq.homeip.net/max-headroom-incident-of-nov-22-1987/
@douglasboyle6544
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Twenty Four Kilometers?!?!?
@thomas2782
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
he needs to hack fox noise now… hahaha I never saw the second one
@brianwilliams3001
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
My God! Joe. Just say antennas. Let everyone else figure it out on their own. Btw I still love watching your videos.
@paladin44
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
hey, are we still doing that hand thing?
@Un-inteligent_lab
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
I've always wondered about the kepler 16b poster… What does it reference? The actual exo planet? A book? Maybe a movie?
@alexgreen1767
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
The most positive thing about humanity is that very clever people, when they come across a strategic flaw, usually decide – "I will use this to take the piss".
@divineinpurple9058
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Oooo! Perfect Pancake! I want one.
@gorgthesalty
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
It was, of course, Matt Frewer. Who else! 😂
@bowlrr
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
7:02 I think he said “that’s why you don’t” and then something after that I can’t understand
@areyoufriendly
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
9:47 What? 1.5 miles.
@verebellus
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
im surprised noone who was in on it shows proof to take all the credit and "get famous"
@chiefsampson
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
0:54 this is capitalism biggest advantage, unfortunate. Going against it can be very profitable…
@ZtheArtbum
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Today on 'Flashbacks with Joe'… TV Antennas… OF TORMENT!!!!!
@ColmBolger-h8k
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Yes, SpectaGoggles on and locked in.
@moody9442
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
the chance these people are still alive is already not garrented
@geeknupthenight7417
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Something like this can never happen again….famouse last words
@christianherbst674
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Playing a warning for a zombie apocalypse over a so called informercial is actually quite fitting.
@doordashdriver
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
nostalgia nerd and Whang already got to the bottom of this years ago
@TWX1138
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
around 10:00 you have some incorrect information on the nature of studio transmission links. The proper television signal for a given region is transmitted to televisions from only a single point. The studio transmission link is a directional radio link to send the studio's content to that main transmission antenna.
In radio there can be repeater stations, but those are not typically operating on the same frequency as the original main broadcast source. They might have highly directional antennas pointed at the main transmitter in order to actually receive an incredibly weak signal that normal radios cannot pick up, but they're retransmitting on a different frequency, not the original.
If there were multiple transmitters on the same frequency in a geographic area, it would cause a pileup that would possibly cause no omnidirectional or wide-angle receiver to be able to interpret the signal.
@ryguywest
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
"stand still joe, stand still joe!!!" I sense a bit of PTSD 😅😅
@VictoryHighway
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
This would’ve freaked me the hell out!
@DogDog173
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
was a super fan of Max Headroom when I was a kid! wish the show continued today
@ChristinaGXL
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Worldwide, it will always be known as the Sears Tower. You can't change the name of something that famous and expect it to stick.
@entropic-decay
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
… Hm, you know, given the fact that TV switched to digital I'm sure something like this could happen again, just without interrupting an existing broadcast. If you know that nobody in the area has a device able to receive it besides your intended recipient, you could use it to do relatively short-range video communications that can't be traced digitally
@the_lost_navigator
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
The Max Headroom Incident, Amelia Earhart's disappearance, and how they got the caramilk inside the Caramilk Bar – three mysteries that will forever haunt Mankind…
@KarrierBag
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Oh Max Headroom, I remember him well, the short film Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future is well worth a watch. (8:34 Yes he went and said it…doh!)
I was 18 when he first showed his face here in the UK.
@Mario87456
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Well whoever was responsible wants to keep it that way so it’s never going to revealed who did this I can say with 100% certainty
@jimihendrix1575
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
At 9:48, you tell viewers the Sears (Willis) Tower and the Hancock building are about 24 kilometers apart. In fact, these buildings are actually 3 kilometers apart. If you are unable to get this simple information correct, it kinda throws doubt onto everything else you've 'researched' in the making of this video.
@Jude30
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
The show is running Tubi
@NicholasSouris
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
They will never find the kids who did this. They have no interest in confessing.
@conro39
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
ngl i love it. i cant explain it but i understand it
@straymusic
January 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm
I grew up in Chicago in the 80s and saw both of these live. My dad was a huge Bears fan AND Dr Who fan, and we watched a lot of new, Bears, and Dr Who on tv. It was so bizarre lol. I'm glad it's still a tale that's told today
Comments are closed.