The most controversial April Fool’s Day jokes which have landed pranksters in sizzling water: From pretend pregnancies to poking enjoyable at civil struggle

April Fool’s Day is expected to be a lighthearted day, where loved ones, celebrities and companies band together to prank those who have forgotten the date. 

However, some celebrities and brands cannot resist taking their fibs too far and ultimately end up offending and alienating their fans. 

On Tuesday, This Morning star Georgina Burnett, from Tonbridge, faced backlash after hinting that she was expecting a baby.

The fake pregnancy announcement did not go down well with her followers, who dubbed her stunt ‘deeply hurtful’ and ‘incredibly insensitive’. 

Her prank came a day after baby loss charity Tommy’s shared a post highlighting why it is important to be mindful of those who have struggled to conceive.

The organisation said: ‘Some people who have had a difficult pregnancy journey might not have shared this with their friends or family. And photos of scans or pregnancy tests can be hard to look at even when they’re real, meaning pranks like this can be especially hurtful.’

A theme park was also slammed for telling their customers that they would be slashing their entry fee, with some calling the company ‘sick’. 

Other stars, such as Lorraine Kelly, were called ‘cringe’ after she pretended to get angry about a fake tattoo she had done live on air. 

Georgina Burnett shocked fans on Tuesday when she shared a ‘deeply hurtful’ image hinting that she was expecting a baby.

The black and white image was taken from the side in the hallway of her home and Georgina’s face was masked by her dark hair. 

She posed cradling a fake bump underneath her jumper and simply captioned the image: ‘News!’ 

The 46-year-old often appears on This Morning to show off her upcycled household items and give tips on home improvement, decluttering and styling.

But Georgina was slammed with criticism, as gobsmacked users branded her prank ’embarrassing’ and ‘incredibly insensitive’.

Georgina re-shared the post on her Instagram Story, encouraging fans to click through to the announcement, and replying to comments from fans with a wink emoji. 

However, due to the date being April Fool’s, many were sceptical about whether her pregnancy was genuine.

Users were quick to hit out at the TV personality for her insensitive gag, as one penned: ‘As a grown adult you actually think this is funny? Embarrassing.’

Another wrote: ‘I’m sure you’ve meant no offence but this is in incredibly poor taste.’ 

A third said: ‘This is deeply hurtful to the huge number of women suffering with infertility. Did you know 1/4 of pregnancies end in miscarriage and 1/6 of couples have trouble falling pregnant? You would do well to consider this before making ‘jokes’ about such sensitive topics in the future.’ 

A fourth commented: ‘Incredibly insensitive if this is a joke.’

Georgina has since deleted the post and instead added one wishing her cat Dexter a happy birthday. 

Theme park dubbed ‘sick’ for ‘slashing fees’ 

Drayton Manor, one of Britain’s biggest theme parks located in Staffordshire, attempted to fool their customers on April Fool’s Day by advertising free entry.

The company took to social media on 1 April to declare it has scrapped entry fees amid its 75th anniversary.

Families looking for a budget-friendly way to entertain their children were overjoyed by the news, however, others suspected that the suspiciously generous offer was all a ruse.

A few hours after their initial announcement, the park appeared to have confirmed the news was an April Fool’s joke. 

However, Drayton Manor further compounded confusion by adding: ‘…Or is it?’ Visitors who had recently forked out hundreds for a season ticket were incensed by the prank

Some social media users further accused the attraction of playing a ‘sick and cruel’ joke on struggling families dealing with the cost of living crisis, especially as Brits now face fresh hikes to council tax, energy, water, NICs and vehicle duty.

Taking to Drayton Manor’s Facebook page, one person described the park’s announcement as ‘poor form.’

Another wrote: ‘That’s one sick and cruel April Fools’ Day joke – so many families struggling right now just to eat and probably thought they could actually afford to take their kids for a day out – not impressed.’

A third said: ‘Disgusting April Fools joke. Some can’t afford or struggle to get money together for days out.

‘Imagine if a child sees this and gets all excited about the family going out and the parents then have to tell them they can’t afford it.’

One person added, ‘This is such a mean and cruel joke. Shame on you,’ while another commented, ‘I know it’s April Fools’ Day but this joke is in very poor taste. Read the room!’

With the attraction now fully open for the season, a spokesperson revealed Drayton Manor is ‘changing how much visitors pay when they visit,’ with further details set to be revealed in the following weeks – keeping families in suspense.

Femail has contacted Drayton Manor for comment. 

Councillor’s ‘civil war’ prank  

Ryan Murphy, a Brisbane City councillor for Chandler ward, sparked backlash over his April Fool’s joke. 

He made a Facebook post on Tuesday where he claimed that neighbouring Redland City had been annexed.

Redland City is a separate local government area (LGA) in Greater Brisbane, but it does not form part of Brisbane City. 

Mr Murphy said: ‘Brisbane City Council work crews crossed the border and began seizing assets and changing signs in the former Redland City’.

The councillor even claimed the move had the backing of Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who was tagged in the post and quoted as saying: ‘Much like Greenland, the Redlands is better off with Brisbane than going it alone’. 

The statement was a nod to US President Donald Trump‘s comments about America taking over Greenland.

He claimed Mr Schrinner refused to address Redlands Mayor Jos Mitchell by name and instead referred to her as ‘his little buddy’.     

The post claimed the smaller Redlands council had been mismanaged and residents could look forward to Brisbane City’s lower rates.

Mr Murphy shared the fake statement with an image of Jesse Plemons’ cameo in the film Civil War.

His character is an unnamed violent racist played by Plemons who acts as an executioner to those he deems ‘unAmerican’.

However, the trick was dubbed ‘tone-deaf’ by a Brisbane City Council’s Labor leader, Jared Cassidy, who took issue with them referencing Plemons’ character in the April Fool’s joke. 

He said: ‘Cr Murphy has completely missed the mark here.

‘The use of a movie image depicting a racist, ultra-nationalistic leader of far-right militants, even in jest, is completely inappropriate given the current social climate.

‘April Fool’s Day can be great lighthearted fun, but this post wreaks of poor taste and clearly shows that Cr Murphy is out of touch.

‘The character Cr Murphy has used from the movie ‘Civil War’ murders news reporters because they appear Asian or Hispanic asking, ‘what kind of American are you?’.

‘It’s absurd that the Lord Mayor endorses this content and finds it funny. It’s anything but that in the current climate.’ 

Daily Mail’s Australia office has contacted Mr Murphy’s office for comment. 

Lorraine’s ‘cringe’ tattoo joke 

Lorraine Kelly attempted an April Fool’s prank on her show that was dubbed ‘painful’ and ‘confusing’ by viewers. 

During her ITV segment, the television presenter, 65, wanted to show off her love and affection for her granddaughter Billie by getting her first ‘tattoo’ live on air.

The star was seen sat in a chair as the artist starting getting to work on her arm with purple ink but it was met with a shock reaction from This Morning stars Ben Shephard, 50, and Cat Deeley, 48.  

Ben noticed that something wasn’t quite right, saying: ‘Lorraine I’m just a little concerned about the tattoo looking at it. I’m right in saying you spell Billie with an ‘ie’ don’t you?’

Lorraine replied: ‘Yeah we do,’ before quickly ‘realising’ that the tattoo artist had spelt the name incorrectly.

Appearing shocked, Lorraine said: ‘Oh jeez, oh no!’ as Ben replied: ‘So, I think they can sort it out can’t they? I think they can sort it out.’

Lorraine added: ‘Yes, I think Glenn does that doesn’t he? He fixes things.’

Appearing lost for words, Lorraine then raged: ‘Honestly, I’m off, I’ve had enough. Goodbye,’ before storming off the set.

However, it seems the April Fool’s Day prank seriously backfired with viewers as they took to X (formerly Twitter) to fume ‘how stupid do they think we are’.

One fan wrote: ‘Stupid April fool today as well with Lorraine’s tattoo, how stupid do they think we are?’

Another penned: ‘Lorraine’s dragged out attempt at an April Fools, the most cringeworthy woman in history.’ 

A third commented: ‘@Lorraine definitely an April fool, that ratio didn’t look real lol.’; ‘God, this is painful #Lorraine.’

A fourth wrote: ‘We’ve got a whole morning of this (crying emoji) #this morning #lorraine #aprilfools.’; ‘#lorraine what a load of bo*****s. Do you think your audience is that gullible?’

While another chimed in and said: ‘They all need acting lessons #lorraine.’

EastEnders’ new opening credits angers fan

BBC soap EastEnders, which has been airing since 1985, also took part in April Fool’s Day by tricking fans that it was going to alter their famous theme tune and intro.

The show said it was throwing out the legendary and beloved map of London for a more Neighbours-esque opening credits instead. 

Bosses were quoted saying that this change was to which ’emphasise the community spirit felt in Walford to focus on family and friendship as we head into our forty first year on screen’. 

One wrote: ‘Don’t wake me up like this… I was about to go OFF,’ while another penned: ‘Best not be permanent.’ 

Another penned: ‘Are you taking the p***?’ A fourth said: ‘Don’t you dare mess with the map!’