That fighter pilot selfie isn't a selfie — it's a screenshot from a video

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That fighter pilot selfie isn't a selfie — it's a screenshot from a video
(Image credit: Twitter)

Ellen's (er, Bradley Cooper's if you want to be technical) reign of having the internet's coolest selfie was quickly dethroned by a fighter pilot who allegedly took one from his F-16 cockpit while firing a missile. The problem is, it's not a selfie at all, according to the fact checkers at ABC News.

The pilot's identity has been revealed as Thomas Kristensen, a decorated pilot from the Royal Danish Air Force who has flown thousands of hours over dozens of countries for the unit. The debunked selfie is actually a "well-timed screenshot" from a video posted by the Air Force in October 2012. ABC News has posted the video so you can see the exact moment the air-to-air missile was launched and calm your fears that he was slacking off on the job. --Jordan Valinsky

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.