‘Jack Ryan' viral clip: did it foresee US Venezuela action? Find out what's buzzing

Online sleuths are buzzing over a viral clip from the political action thriller Jack Ryan, which was released in 2019.

The clip has been circulating again after the U.S. strike in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

It features the eponymous CIA analyst Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) breaking down why Venezuela should be considered a major threat on the world stage alongside—and even over—usual suspects such as Russia, China, and North Korea.

What happens in the season 2 Venezuela scene?

The scene features John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst, lecturing Georgetown students on Venezuela, framing its oil and gold wealth, economic downfall, and corrupt political leadership as a more immediate threat to U.S. national security than Russia, China, or North Korea.

The viral dialogue excerpt features Ryan lecturing university students: "Venezuela is arguably the single greatest resource of oil and minerals on the planet,” he explains.

 "So why is this country in the midst of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in modern history?”

As the old clip resurfaced, it quickly gained traction online after U.S. Special Forces conducted a precision raid on January 3, 2026, to capture Maduro from one of his safe houses in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.

The operation, codenamed “Absolute Resolve,” left sections of Venezuela’s capital without electricity, in a moment that seemed to echo a key Jack Ryan scene—the dramatic incursion by American agents to take down a fictional strongman.

The eerie similarities have sparked jokes that the show’s creators had a crystal ball, while others are viewing the moment with genuine concern.

What did Carlton Cues have to say?

Carlton Cuse, who co-created Jack Ryan with Graham Roland and served as showrunner for the first two seasons, responded to the virality with a cautious perspective in an interview with Deadline on Sunday, January 4, 2026.

Cuse said, “What always surprises you as a storyteller is how often real-world events catch up to fiction.”

He added, “The goal of that season wasn’t prophecy—it was plausibility. When you ground a story in real geopolitical dynamics, reality has a way of making it rhyme.”

Cuse stressed that the producers built the second season around Venezuela’s long-standing relevance, economic fragility, and the internal tensions between authoritarian leadership and democratic aspirations.

Although the show ends with a peaceful transfer of power, reality involved military force.

Still, Cuse reflected seriously on what was at stake, showing the craft of sound storytelling.