What happens when an influencer turns their mental illness and euthanasia plans into viral content?
In this unsettling longread, Maud Effting and Haro Kraak investigate the rise of Ghanaian-British influencer Joseph Awuah-Darko, who shocked the internet by announcing his plan to die by legal euthanasia in the Netherlands due to bipolar disorder. His announcement, made in a tearful, cinematic Instagram video, launched a global phenomenon: The Last Supper Project, a series of dinners with followers celebrating life before death. What followed was a whirlwind of attention, money, media coverage and deep concern. With over 570,000 followers and monetised interactions including paid “virtual dinners,” subscription newsletters, and influencer-style suicide confessions, Awuah-Darko turned euthanasia into an aesthetic and a brand.
But behind the viral success, there are glaring contradictions. De Volkskrant reveals that Awuah-Darko has not even begun the Dutch legal process required for euthanasia, which is notoriously rigorous and can take years. He has no general practitioner, no psychiatric diagnosis deeming him ‘beyond treatment’, and has only just begun EMDR therapy. Despite presenting euthanasia as imminent, his public claims don’t align with reality, a distortion with serious consequences, particularly for followers grappling with their own mental health struggles. Suicide prevention groups warn his posts risk romanticising euthanasia and encouraging copycat behaviour. In a media climate already grappling with the ethical implications of influencer culture, Awuah-Darko’s case sits at a volatile intersection of vulnerability, performance, and profit.
The article also uncovers troubling allegations: multiple Ghanaian artists claim he owes them over $360,000 from art sales, describing a manipulative pattern of apparent sympathy, delays, and emotional blackmail. Others point to inconsistencies in his reported personal history, including conflicting details about abuse claims against renowned artist Kehinde Wiley. These revelations raise further questions about narrative ownership, audience manipulation, and the growing role of trauma as social capital.
In an era where mental health is often content, Awuah-Darko’s story forces a reckoning: what are the ethics of turning suicidal ideation into spectacle? How should platforms and followers respond when storytelling about pain becomes indistinguishable from branding? And what responsibilities do public figures have when their words may shape life-or-death choices for others?
Meanwhile, the UK enters a new chapter: the Commons has just approved the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, 314–291. With support from Keir Starmer and prominent campaigners like Esther Rantzen, the law would allow terminally ill adults (with under six months to live) to legally self-administer euthanasia under safeguards including two doctors and a review panel.
The bill moves next to the House of Lords. Public surveys show about 73–75% support though critics like care-rights groups and some medics caution about weakened safeguards and potential coercion. Implementation decisions such as whether the NHS will deliver the service directly, as in the Netherlands, or via third parties are now underway.
Awuah‑Darko’s dramatic, staged mortality may resonate emotionally, but it distorts the reality of assisted dying. In the UK’s developing law, the focus is on structured, regulated choice, very far removed from influencer-led spectacle. His viral narrative contrasts sharply with the measured legal safeguards that aim to protect vulnerable people, underscoring how different the performance of death can be when mediated by content creators. While Awuah-Darko claims to be breaking taboos, critics argue he’s dangerously bending the truth, performing his pain for an audience addicted to vulnerability.
Original article (“Deze influencer vertelde een ongelooflijk verhaal over zijn naderende dood door euthanasie. Maar wat voor effect heeft dit op zijn volgers?”) by Maud Effting and Haro Kraak was first published in Dutch on 3 June 2025.
It’s available here.
de Volkskrant is a leading Dutch national daily known for its in-depth investigative journalism and coverage of politics, culture, and social issues.
