A disturbing cryptocurrency livestream showing a masked creator apparently pointing a gun at a goldfish has resurfaced online alongside an unverified claim that the stunt generated a $250,000 payday.
The footage originated on Pump.fun, a platform that allows users to create and trade memecoins while broadcasting livestreams intended to attract potential buyers.
A viral post on X presented the clip as recent and claimed the streamer earned about $250,000. No established source has independently confirmed the creator’s identity, earnings or associated cryptocurrency wallet.
The underlying footage appears to date to November 2024 rather than 2026, according to earlier coverage of the incident.
The creator displayed a fish inside a transparent bag while aiming what appeared to be a firearm toward it. He reportedly threatened to kill the animal unless traders pushed his token to a $1 million market capitalization.
The fish’s fate was not independently established, and it remains unclear whether the weapon was real.
The stunt was among several extreme broadcasts that sparked outrage around Pump.fun in late 2024.
Protos documented the goldfish incident at the time alongside other streams involving firearms, animals and threats of violence.
One creator allegedly fired a handgun inside his home whenever his token’s value increased. Another video reportedly showed a child holding a shotgun and threatening family members unless his coin reached a $60,000 market capitalization.
Other creators threatened dogs, taped an animal to a wall or staged violent acts to capture traders’ attention. A group operating under the name Chicken Fight Club reportedly killed a chicken during a broadcast.
The escalating controversy prompted Pump.fun to suspend its livestreaming feature in November 2024. The company acknowledged that users had broadcast “deeply concerning content” and said moderation systems needed improvement.
Pump.fun eventually restored livestreaming with additional rules and moderation measures. The platform’s policy prohibits animal cruelty, violence, threats and dangerous conduct.
Financial incentives nevertheless remain at the center of the platform’s livestreaming model.
Pump.fun introduced a dynamic creator-fee system under an overhaul known as Project Ascend in September 2025. Token creators receive a percentage of fees generated whenever investors trade their coins.
The new system distributed approximately $2 million to creators during its first 24 hours, compared with $198,000 under the previous structure one day earlier, according to Decrypt.
Creators behind tokens valued between approximately $88,000 and $300,000 could receive 0.95% of each trade. The percentage decreases as a token’s market capitalization rises, although greater trading volume can still produce substantial earnings.
One creator reportedly claimed about $80,000 after the fee change. A livestreaming duo known as Bagwork generated more than $80,000 in fees after playing songs attributed to rappers Drake and Future.
Those documented payouts demonstrate that Pump.fun broadcasts can generate significant income. They do not prove the goldfish streamer earned the reported $250,000.
Establishing the payment would require identifying the token, verifying the creator’s cryptocurrency wallet and reviewing the relevant transactions on the blockchain.
Memecoins generally have no underlying revenue, product or conventional valuation. Their prices frequently depend on online attention, community enthusiasm and speculation, making viral spectacle a potentially powerful market tool.
