How Episode 9 of The Amazing Digital Circus was leaked online

On May 20, 2026, Brazilian version of The Amazing Digital Circus Episode 9 was leaked online by a Discord user who claimed to be a hacker. The video was 15 minutes and showed key moments of the episode, including the ending.

In response, several Reddit fan communities temporarily restricted posts to slow the spread of the leaked footage and protect viewers from major spoilers. Moderators of Discord fan communities warned that sharing the footage will lead to immediate bans.

After the leak, the hacker reportedly began demanding $1,000 for access to the full version of the leak, which lasts 1 hour and 34 minutes.

The animation and voice acting in the leaked episode was high-quality and didn't look like a fan animation or fake.

Majority of the videos featuring the leak were deleted from Reddit, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube by DMCA takedown requests, confirming their authenticity.

The Discord user allegedly responsible for the leak claimed he's been contacted by legal representatives of Glitch Productions, but they appeared unconcerned:

The likely reason why they were acting so confidently is because they never signed an NDA, meaning a non-disclosure agreement. Because they are not subject to the agreement, Glitch Productions can't sue them for the leak.

Glitch Productions could potentially sue them for copyright infringement and financial damages, but the reality is that these legal situations become very complex, especially if the leakers reside outside the United States. It is extremely difficult and expensive for companies to pursue international internet leak cases.

Some users online believed the footage may have originated from an early screening or preview copy at a Brazillian cinema. Others said the leak originated from Portugal.

The hacker reportedly hacked into a Brazillian/Portuguese dubbing studio's system and extracted file containing Episode 9, uploading it to his Discord server for anyone to download and watch.

Based on the leaked footage, the ending of The Amazing Digital Circus was bleak: Caine returned and repented for his actions while Jax, driven mad by the realization that he will spend eternity in the digital circus, abstracted. The characters remained forever trapped in the circus with redeemed Caine, accepting their fate and trying to live their lifes.

The ending appears to align with what Gooseworx wanted people to take away from the show: "That there's meaning to be found in a stagnant life".

Many social media users criticized the individual responsible for the leak, arguing that it hurts both the creator and the fans waiting for Episode 9 to premiere in theaters.

A significant amount of users who claimed to have watched a full version of the leaked episode said they were disappointed with the ending.

One Reddit user who apparently watched the leak said the following:

The show's creator, Gooseworx, was suprisingly not too worried about the incident:

Her reaction on Bluesky sparked an argument among fans, with some posts complaining about the creator's dismissive response to the situation.

She later deleted her comment.

In a follow-up post, Gooseworx clarified that she is tired of the show and no longer wants to be associated with it:

Despite the incident, many fans of the show are still eager to wait for the last episode. The fans encouraged other people not to watch the leaked episode, avoid spoilers and wait for the official release.

Users on Twitter and other platforms shared spoiler blocking guides explaining how to mute keywords such as “TADC finale”, “Digital Circus ending”, and character names connected to the leaked footage. One Reddit user wrote that people need to avoid everything related to the show because spoilers of the final episode are already becoming almost impossible escape online.

Scammers on Telegram and Discord have reportedly taken advantage of the incident and offered users the full version of the leak in exchange for $1,000. If the victim paid the scammers, they would stop responding or block them.

Other scammers claimed to have access to the full English dubbed version of the episode and asked for $500 to watch it. Rumors said that people have fallen victim to this scam, with the number exceeding ten.

Some users speculated the leak was created by Glitch Productions itself to troll them. Some have claimed that the leak may be fake, as the scenes from the episode are slightly different from those shown in the trailer.

A TikTok video compared frames from the leaked episode to shots from trailer and found clear differences, such as a character's face being missing from a specific frame or a character's model looking slightly off compared to the trailer. This sparked a debate on Twitter about the matter.

One user made a pretty strong argument against the claims:

Since the leaked version that is circulating online is a hacked Spanish dub, it means that it was never meant to be a finished product in the first place.

Work prints and dubbing copies often look different from the final cut in ways that are easy to confuse with inconsistencies. It can easily be explained by an unfinished render or other factors rather than it being fake.

The Episode 9 of The Amazing Digital Circus is scheduled to release on YouTube and Netflix on June 19, 2026, following a limited theatrical screening on June 4 in United Kingdom, Europe, South America and other territories.

Whether the backlash over the leak continues or fades over time will likely depend on community's reaction after the official release, which is coming very soon.