San Francisco, California - Tubi's Super Bowl commercial may have fooled everyone with an epic prank, but TikTok creators are calling attention to the commercial's unintended consequences.

Streaming service Tubi's Super Bowl LVII ad began with what appeared to be the end of the commercial break. But the ultra-realistic production actually continued by appearing to open up a TV's control menu to open Tubi, closing out the game coverage and scrolling through the streamer's offerings.

The 15-second commercial certainly got the attention it sought, as many viewers panicked, thinking they had accidentally changed the program.

While the prank led to some hilarious responses, others didn't think it was a laughing matter as they came forward with frightening stories about aggressive reactions to the ad.

In the days after the game, one woman wrote in a viral Reddit post that she broke up with her boyfriend after he turned violent when the prank aired.

"My boyfriend thought I was the one changing the channel and began screaming at me violently, calling me things that I don't even want to write down," she said. "Even as I told him it was a commercial, he ignored me and kept blowing up at me and punched a hole in our living room wall."

The post has drawn attention to how the Tubi commercial, though likely not intentionally, exemplified the rise in domestic violence incidents during major sporting events like the Super Bowl.

A quick search on Twitter about the Tubi ad will lead you to several tweets of viewers joking that the ad nearly made them flip out.

But the reality couldn't be more serious.

In a viral TikTok, creator @aurora...star recounted the stories she's heard about reactions to the ad, including patrons assaulting bartenders and fathers screaming at their kids.

"The Tubi Super Bowl commercial was intended to be a joke, but it caused violence all over the country for the 15 seconds that it aired," she said. "I'm not saying that Tubi is to blame, but everyone that has lived in a house with an angry man knows that a 15-second joke is all it takes."

Several studies from the US, UK, and Canada have all illustrated the rise in domestic violence incidents after major sporting events, with alcohol consumption playing a role in the rise as well.

Of course, Tubi is not directly responsible for the violent actions of others. However, some are still calling the ad irresponsible, given the breadth of research displaying the alarming pattern.

"that tubi commercial pissed me off so much like domestic violence rates are already so high during big sports games and I know women took the fall for that sh*tty a** ad," one user tweeted.

Another TikTok creator discussed how the reactions highlight just how normalized aggression is in the context of major sporting events.

"Yes, it was a very funny commercial, but I think it also highlighted the inherent violence that is rooted in our culture," she said.

Many of the reactions going viral online show fans tossing around pillows on the couch to find the remotes or yelling at others in the room.

They're often met with positive responses remarking how funny the prank was rather than addressing the aggression in the video.

The original viral Reddit post also touched on this repeated dismissal of the problem.

"My parents told me that I'm overreacting since he had a bit to drink and the Super Bowl gets everyone riled up but I don't feel I am," the woman said. "I don't think it's normal to be that angry."

Domestic violence often goes unreported, and this minimization of aggression certainly plays a role in influencing survivors not to come forward.

On social media, many users who dismissed Tubi's responsibility also continue to push the narrative that this is simply how men behave and that nothing can be done.

Regardless of whether Tubi should have gone through with the ad in the first place, the patterns of violence during games must be addressed, and these reactions just may be the overdue wake-up call.