A growing contingent of EastEnders fans have become convinced that Zack Hudson is little Jimmy Beale’s real father. Zack, one might remember, had a one-night stand with Lauren Branning last year, betraying her best friend and his partner, Whitney Dean.

At the time, Whitney had been pregnant with his second child, baby Dolly. Frustrated with her prioritising wild child Britney and lying about the fostering situation, Zack had sunk into the bottle, and sought solace in her friend, Lauren.

And, as they fell into each other’s arms, a great betrayal occurred. When she found out, Whitney was devastated. Unable to forgive Zack, she took baby Dolly (and Britney) and departed Walford, leaving Zack alone.

Zack is Jimmy’s father, EastEnders fans predict

Fast-forward to this year, and Lauren has just given birth to a child of her own… little Jimmy Branning. But while she and Peter Beale both believe that the child is his, several fans online think that Jimmy could be a result of Zack and Lauren’s hook-up.

“The father of baby Jimmy Maybe Zac!” exclaimed one fan on X.

“I still think the baby is Zacs and he’s got h.i.v. virus that’s what made him blind,” wrote another on Facebook – perhaps forgetting the fact that Zack is currently untransmissible, and that HIV does not make babies blind.

“In a PANIC when Peter Beale finds out that Zack is the dad of Lauren Branning’s child. The baby having possible health issues might lead to that. The baby needing blood or having a genetic condition in Zac’s family,” said another.

“I have a feeling Lauren’s baby is Zacks, or am I getting the timings wrong?” asked a fourth, on Reddit.

Is Zack Jimmy’s father?

No, Zack could not possibly be Jimmy’s father.

Lauren and Zack slept together in April 2024. It is now May 2025, meaning that the baby would have had to have been gestating for 13 months.