crisis actor

[krahy-sis ak-ter]

noun

1. a professional or volunteer actor who plays a role in a staged drill in order to prepare or train first responders for a specific emergency scenario.

2. (in a false flag conspiracy theory) a person pretending to be a victim in a hoax attack.

Word History and Origins

Origin of crisis actor¹

First recorded in 1975–80 in the sense “independent person, group, or state that engages in disruptive or hostile verbal or physical behavior in international relations”; crisis actor defs. 1, 2 were first recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

Jeb told me he’d become a target online—called a “crisis actor,” his name dissected by conspiracy theorists looking for hidden meaning.

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To her, the concept of Pallywood is no more credible than the “crisis actor” conspiracy theories used to deny mass shootings in America, like the one at Sandy Hook.

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The day after the shooting he accused one of the grieving parents who made a televised statement on behalf of the families, Robbie Parker, of being a crisis actor.

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It claimed that a patient interviewed after the attack - who was standing and appeared uninjured - and the woman on the stretcher were the same person and that she had been a crisis actor.

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It claimed that a patient interviewed after the attack — who was standing and appeared uninjured — and the woman on the stretcher were the same person and that she had been a crisis actor.

Read more on Seattle Times