The Most Bizarre Celeb Conspiracy Theories
Considering how many insane rumors about celebrities end up being true, you have to be really odd to come up with far-fetched conspiracy theories like these. Despite how kooky some of these rumors are, there are people who wholeheartedly believe in them. Most of these theories have no basis in reality and no actual evidence, but don't bother explaining that to anyone who believes them.
Katy Perry is actually JonBenét Ramsey
A random YouTuber became a sensation when he decided that Katy Perry is actually JonBenét Ramsey all grown up. Going over a series of photos featuring Perry and Ramsey, YouTuber Dave Johnson rants, "All of these people are liars, man. Nobody died, nobody got hurt. That sacrifice was in name only, and that was to get something, and that something was to become a star. JonBenét became Katy Perry, and that's a fact." Johnson also claims that Perry's parents look eerily like Ramsey's.
Much of Johnson's theory seems to hinge on his assertion that the singer's eyebrows are uncannily similar to Ramsey's, because that couldn't possibly be the result of waxing, threading, tweezing, penciling, shading, or lasering work. "You know, the eyebrows don't change much on a person. You're born with your eyebrows. They're very close, very close indeed, aren't they? As you know, this whole entertainment industry is just a charade—you really don't know the truth," Johnson says. Sure.
But the eyebrow exploration has now led another YouTuber, who goes by junglesurfertv, to conclude that it is in fact not Katy Perry, but actually actress Taylor Schilling (which he spells Scilliing, by the way) who is JonBenet Ramsey! He then goes on the speculate that Perry and Schilling may actually be the same person, which complicates this whole mess even further, but makes it even easier to see how this ridiculous rabbit-hole has no end.
Some celebrities are immortal
When The Huffington Post reported that Nicolas Cage, Jay Z, John Travolta, Joseph Gordon Levitt and other stars looked like people in really old photos from a century or so ago, some people ran with the idea a little too far. One of those people was whoever created the website www.keanuisimmortal.com, which postulates, among other things, that actor Keanu Reeves has lived for centuries as notable public figures including the medieval emperor Charlemagne. Part of their proof includes the fact that "his burial was rushed during cold weather," which obviously means he wasn't really dead and couldn't possibly have to do with the fact that it was the year 814 and getting the sniffles was the leading cause of death.
The government orchestrated Britney Spears' meltdown
When Britney Spears shaved her head and was put on a 5150 psychiatric hold in 2007, most people went right to the simplest explanation of "Drugs are bad m'kay." But hang on, because is that the truth, or is that just what THEY want us to believe? Upon closer examination, it was quickly revealed that the timing of Spears' breakdown and its headlines almost perfectly coincided with a number of political scandals that plagued then-President George W. Bush. So was Spears having a real-life crisis, or was she just a CIA-directed distraction helping to shift the focus off the embattled administration? If you've seen her acting skills in Crossroads, you should already be just about at your conclusion here.
Fortunately, Idolator put together a handy timeline of coincidental Spears/Bush headlines that 100% proves they were colluding the entire time. Actually, we're not sure how accurate those dates are, plus their theory also includes the "evidence" that Spears was once caught "mid-canoodle" with longtime Bush advisor, Karl Rove, so that should tell you everything you need to know.
The CIA offed Bob Marley
There is no denying the fact that the terrifying attempt on Bob Marley's life at the hands of a group of armed gunmen was a coordinated effort. High Times, which is an admittedly sketchy source, even does an admirable job of placing the timing of the assassination attempt in the context of Marley's loose involvement in the violent political strife of the time. But then they stray squarely into paranoid conspiracy theory when they suggest that the son of an ex-CIA director delivered a pair of boots to the "Jammin" singer that gave him the cancer that ultimately killed him. Yep.
According to High Times, Carl Colby, a documentary crew member, somehow made his way past Marley's "machete-bearing Rastas" to gain access to the singer ahead of the 1977 Smile Jamaica Fest. Colby also happened to be ex-CIA director William Colby's son. And it just so happened that during this time, a pair of boots was "delivered" to Marley. After something jabbed Marley's toe when he put the boots on, it was discovered that "a length of copper wire" had been seemingly "embedded in the boot." Five months later, Marley played in the infamous soccer game during which he injured his toe, which ultimately led to the discovery that he had cancer. He died five years later, but potheads have been toking up in the decades since, endlessly speculating on how the CIA killed the reggae legend.
Miley Cyrus is dead
Miley Cyrus may have killed off her squeaky clean Hannah Montana persona long ago, but there are people who actually believe Cyrus herself is dead and somehow reanimated.Seriously, 4chan is rife with members who claim that Cyrus refused some of Disney's executive demands and the House of Mouse offed her, only to stitch parts of her back together—or clone her, depending on how far you want the craziness to run.
And here's just how far that craziness does, indeed, run. YouTuber Vrillex posted a video that starts with descriptions of the four types of Illuminati clones known to exist, including "synthetic people," which are clones of humans somehow made from the manipulation of cow, duck and chicken DNA. So, right off the bat, it's super legit. The video then moves into a slideshow of then-and-now pics of Cyrus that don't really prove much of anything outside of hair and makeup changes. Then it ends with a powerful mic drop: An uncredited Miley quote that says, "I wish I had a clone machine." Case. Closed. Sheeple.
Paul McCartney is dead too
'"Paul McCartney is dead" is one of the most persistent conspiracy theories on the internet. In fact, it is so popular, it even spawned a documentary, called Paul McCartney Really Is Dead, which offered a plethora of "evidence" to support the theory that Paul McCartney died in a 1966 car crash and was replaced by his doppelganger, William Campbell. Supposedly, the remaining Beatles agreed to cover up McCartney's death — at the request of MI-5, no less — "to prevent mass suicides of Beatle fans," but they didn't like the idea of lying, so they agreed to do it but only if they could drop clues that Paul was actually dead. Some of those clues include: If you play The Beatles' song "A Day in the Life" backwards, some claim to hear John Lennon sing, "Paul is a dead man, miss him. Also, the words "I buried Paul" can supposedly be heard in the outro of "Strawberry Fields Forever."
One of the big smoking guns in the documentary was this clip of George Harrison supposedly referring to Paul McCartney as "Faul" or "fake Paul," although the audio has obviously been tampered with. But to the conspiracy theorists' credit, so far McCartney's only counter to the outlandish claims is that Lennon was actually saying "cranberry sauce" on those cryptic recordings, and that the whole thing started because he appeared barefoot on the Abbey Road cover. C'mon, Faul, you can think of a better explanation than that.
Beyonce faked her pregnancy
When Beyonce had an interview with an Australian news show in October 2011, her baby bump folded in a way that made a few whack jobs on the Internet suspicious. This led to speculation that Bey's pregnancy was a ruse and that she and Jay Z were using a surrogate to carry Blue Ivy. When Blue was born in January 2012, those whispers grew louder when The New York Post reported that she and Jay Z had an entire wing of Lenox Hill Hospital closed off. Did these people not stop to think that maybe, just maybe, they closed off the hospital wing for privacy to avoid fans and the paparazzi from spying on the birth and bothering their family? Just a thought.
The notoriously private Beyonce even addressed the ridiculous theory in a 20/20 interview with Katie Couric, according to The Daily Mail. "You know there are certain things that are so far, it doesn't even affect me," the "Single Ladies" singer said, adding, "I am cool, it is so ridiculous and over the top." So, she probably also doesn't care that her pregnancy photoshoot to announce her twins basically proved that she's also in the Illuminati, because that's a thing now, too. Nope, it never ends with Bey.
Beyonce is actually Solange's mom
Remember what we just said up there? We weren't kidding, because on top of the crazy theories about her actual children, there's also one about how her sister, Solange, is actually her daughter. Strap in, because this one is truly nutty. According to Buzzfeed's breakdown of this batpoo nonsense, not only has Beyonce been lying about her age this whole time — despite the fact that her childhood was basically spent performing in front of people and being recorded on video — but she also likely gave birth to Solange at age 12 or 13, casting an even more scandalous shadow on top of the whole thing. The theory supposedly comes by way of Beyonce's "cousin Ang" who decided to spill the family tea after Beyonce "threw shade" at her about her weight at a Christmas party. Sure, a DNA test could probably clear this whole thing up, with with that kind of credible sourcing, who even needs science?
Megan Fox isn't real
Go ahead and file this one under 'Why Is Anyone Listening To These Crazies?" as well, because like the Beyonce/Solange theory, this one also comes from someone who probably shouldn't have computer access. For their own good. According to a since-deleted email (reprinted by The A.V. Club) that was originally sent to The Hollywood Reporter blog, Risky Business, the actress known as Megan Fox is actually "23 different models and actresses who are all 1 Megan Fox." This is a claim the anonymous emailer makes to back up another claim that Vin Diesel and Jennifer Aniston conspired to burglarize and withhold Hollywood blockbusters from being released for over a decade, because "Jennifer Aniston was jealous because I dumped Jennifer Aniston and started a relationship with Sienna Miller so she stole our movie." So, obviously that's all true, but it still leaves us with one question. If Vin Diesel had the power to prevent anyone from ever seeing The Pacifier, why did he let that happen?
Marisa Tomei didn't actually win her Oscar
Marisa Tomei was a newcomer when she took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for My Cousin Vinny, which was part of the reason that rumors circulated that the award was actually meant to go to Vanessa Redgrave for Howard's End, except Jack Palance, the presenter of the award, was wasted and simply read the wrong name. Whether Palance was inebriated during his admittedly strange performance during the announcement remains a mystery, but there is no doubt that Tomei took home her Oscar fair and square.
In their debunking article, Snopes points out that not only does Palance not have trouble reading from the card, but there has been a contingency in place since 1953 by Price Waterhouse, "the official tabulators of the Academy Award ballots," in the occasion that the wrong winner is called. They also point out that this exact situation happened in 2017 when La La Land was accidentally announced as the Best Picture winner, only to be immediately corrected and awarded to Moonlight. Plus, anyone who's seen My Cousin Vinny knows that Tomei was fantastic in it, and she totally deserved her win.
Tupac Shakur is still alive
There has been speculation that rapper Tupac Shakur faked his own death since he was shot and killed back in 1996. Why? Well, apparently he's got a lot of doppelgangers and recorded a ton of music before his untimely death—seven albums' worth of which was released posthumously. The rumors died down for a while until September 2015, when a retired police officer named David Myers told The Mirror that he was paid $1.5 million to help Shakur fake his death and that he was working with Suge Knight, who also claims that Shakur is still alive. Still, in 1997—before Photoshop was really a thing yet—the book The Killing Of Tupac Shakur featured a grisly autopsy photo of the rapper after his death, which really should stop the rumors for good.
Avril Lavigne died and was replace by a double named Melissa
In 2011, a theory started circulating that singer Avril Lavigne died and was replaced by "a lookalike named Melissa," according to The Guardian. The theory is believed to have originated on a Brazilian fan page, called Avril Esté Morta, which hypothesizes that Lavigne, unable to cope with her newfound fame, hung herself in her parents house in 2003. Not wanting to lose their "golden egg hen," her record company overlords arranged for a double take her place. Somewhere along the way, the internet adopted the theory and even identified an actress named Melissa Vandella as the supposed double.
Then, in 2015, Buzzfeed reporter Ryan Broderick dispelled the whole thing after a trip to Brazil where he was told that Avril Esté Morta was a well-known hoax and "inside joke," because HA! Isn't is hilarious to joke about someone committing suicide?! Broderick even pointing out that the very first line of the Brazilian fan page states, "This blog was created to show how conspiracy theories can look true," meaning it was a parody the whole time. But don't tell that to Twitter, because for some reason, the theory once again went viral in May of 2017 with users offering up damning evidence like something about wearing pants on the red carpet and eye shape analysis. The point here is that is the internet is dumb, Brazilians have a dark sense of humor, and Avril Lavigne is 100% alive.
Michael and LaToya Jackson are the same person
There are a ton of bizarre conspiracy theories about Michael Jackson; He was supposedly chemically castrated by acne medications as a child, he never actually died and he now lives as a pile of clothes in the backseat of his daughter Paris' car, and he's an immortal like Keanu Reeves, as proven by this 3,000 year old bust of an Egyptian woman.
So, there's a lot to unpack when it comes to the mysteries of the King of Pop, but one of the most curious conspiracy theories about him is the one that suggests that he and La Toya, his sister, are the same person. It's unclear whether people think they've been the same person the whole time, or whether La Toya assumed Michael's identity after his death, and it really doesn't matter, because it's stupid either way. But for the sake of argument, let's just assume it's the former and people believe that there was only ever one of them. Photos like the one above immediately shoot massive holes in that theory. As does this video from 1983 which shows Michael and La Toya in the same room, physically touching each other, so there you go. Ironclad proof they're two separate humans. Although now that we think about it, this could have easily been achieved using Illuminati clones. Duh, how could we have missed that?
Khloe Kardashian's dad is OJ or some hairdresser guy
This one is actually grounded in reality, as it was a stupid joke started by Khloe's sister, Kylie Jenner, that spiraled out of control. Perhaps in response to the already swirling rumors that Khloe is possibly the daughter of O.J. Simpson, Kylie Instagrammed a photo of Khloe posing with Alex Roldan, Kris Jenner's long-time hairdresser. Not only was their resemblance eerily similar, but Kylie also included the caption, "First official photo of my sister and her dad! Like father like daughter!" Then the internet really went nuts.
Side-by-side comparisons popped up everywhere, as did reports that Khloe was getting plastic surgery to remove any resemblance to either Simpson or Roldan. Complicating things further, Kris Jenner had previously admitted in her 2011 memoir that she had an affair in her mid 30s, so the flames of speculation about Khloe being another man's child were already red hot. Regardless of the truth about Khloe Kardashian's paternity, one thing is for sure. The family has squeezed every last drop of publicity they could out of it, and that's the most scandalous part of it all.
Suri is L. Ron Hubbard's daughter
This speculation was almost a foregone conclusion since Tom Cruise's crazy Scientology antics were already pretty well-documented by the time he got Katie Holmes pregnant in 2005. But it was probably the fact that he never had biological children with either of his previous wives, Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman, that really got people scratching their heads as to why he suddenly became a first-time dad at 44-years-old. Andrew Morton, the author of Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography played a large part in rejuvenating the rumor, because even though his book states that the claim is obviously untrue, he "cruelly suggests that Katie Holmes still might have wondered if she were carrying the Devil's spawn, à la Rosemary's Baby, according to The New York Times.
Not surprisingly, Cruise's lawyer told The New York Post that he planned to sue as soon as the book was released in the U.S. It couldn't even be published in the UK because of stricter libel laws, but nevertheless, the theory gained traction in the crazier circles of the Internet. But even mainstream outlets got in on the action, like TMZ's examination of Suri's birth certificate. Both Katie and Tom are listed as the parents, although neither signed the form, but rather, a "friend" came in days later to represent them. Is that strange? Sure. Is it all the kindling needed to ignite a full-blown conspiracy blaze? Definitely.
Stevie Wonder is not blind
This one just seems unnecessarily cruel, and when all of the evidence is presented it definitely is, but regardless, there are "Stevie Wonder truthers" out there who believe the legendary singer/songwriter is faking his disability, so here we are. In an exhaustive (and hilarious) breakdown by Deadspin, the entire, ridiculous case against Wonder is laid out, starting with an anecdote by Boy George who contends that Wonder "playfully strangled him at a party," which caused the "Karma Chameleon" singer to ponder, "How could he know where I was if he's completely blind?" And the integrity of the so-called "evidence" doesn't improve from there.
They present an Oprah clip where Wonder hugs a guy, an argument from ESPN personality Bomani Jones who alleges Wonder bought "three plasma televisions" from his friend, the fact that Wonder sits courtside at NBA games, and a picture of him taking a picture of Michael Jackson. To which each of those four examples could be countered with; You can hug in the dark, Stevie Wonder has nine children who all presumably watch television, sitting courtside at the NBA is more about status than sports enthusiasm, and okay, the Michael Jackson picture one is a little weird. But you know what? Even if Stevie Wonder can see, he wrote Songs in the Key of Life which is one of the greatest albums of all time, so he gets a pass. Moving on.
Taylor Swift is actually a clone of Satanist leader, Zeena LaVey
Back in 2013, photos of Zeena LaVey, a one-time high priestess in the Church of Satan, started circulating on the Internet. Why? Because she bears a remarkable resemblance to Taylor Swift, which outside of any other suggestions, is pretty amazing. But of course it couldn't just stop there. According to Buzzfeed, the Illuminati clone conspiracies quickly ramped up, as well as the nonsensical idea that Swift is a reincarnation of LaVey (who is still alive).
And for those who want a milder conspiracy theory, the eagle-eyed blogger over at Illuminati Watcher has you covered, because he just thinks Swift is inserting Illuminati imagery into her videos to "manifest demons into our world," as part of her "journeys into these dark recesses of the occult." Oops, did we say "milder" back there? Because we meant crazier. It gets way, way crazier than you can even imagine.