Around the globe, the US of A is well known for the Statue of Liberty, New York City, Disney World and Las Vegas. This is obviously a drop in the bucket considering just how many famous landmarks reside in the States. America is also well known for its well deliberated conspiracy theories. No sooner does something happen, or the theories burn up the internet on a variety of open forums. On this list are 10 more conspiracy theories that include a wide spectrum from alien invasions to government coverups.

SEE ALSO: 10 Bizarre Celebrity Conspiracy Theories

10 Area 51

The Conspiracy: Area 51 is not a hiding place for aliens after all

In June this year, a California student uploaded a post to Facebook encouraging people to “storm Area 51 to see them aliens.” The storming event was meant to take place on Sunday 22 September, but as is usually the case with incidents such as these, only a few dozen people pitched up. However, as if conspiracy wasn’t rife enough about Area 51, a tweet by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), warned: “The last thing #Millennials will see if they attempt the #area51raid today” The tweet was accompanied by a photo of men and women in military attire standing in front of a B-2 stealth bomber. The DVIDS has since apologized but this won’t stop the already-convinced-of-dodgy-activity-at-Area-51 masses from dreaming up more theories.

The biggest theories have always involved reverse engineering of extra-terrestrial space craft and alien testing / autopsies being done at Area 51. However, another theory is blowing all of that out the water, stating that this is only what the American government wants the world to believe. This theory has it that the alien rumors were part of a deliberate hoax started and spread by the US Air Force and Intelligence forces to keep the public focused on ET and their attention diverted from actual spy aircraft and spy planes being built at Area 51.^[1]

9 Las Vegas False Flag

The Conspiracy: The Las Vegas shooting was a false flag event / terror attack

It took only a couple of hours after the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012 for conspiracy theories to flood the internet: Victims were accused of being crisis actors and the entire incident was written off as a false flag event. It was even alleged that the incident was set up by the US government in order to introduce stricter gun laws.

The same thing happened right after the Las Vegas shooting incident in 2017 when 64-year old Stephen Paddock opened fire on concertgoers, killing 58 of them and injuring 422 more. Paddock shot himself shortly afterwards, leaving his motive forever open to speculation.

Several false reports made it onto the internet claiming that Paddock was a registered Democrat, that there was a second shooter in the same hotel where Paddock had been staying and even a serious doozy of a theory stating that Paddock was an ISIS soldier. None of these allegations have proven to be true and Google as well as Facebook have been severely criticized for failing to censor these stories.^[2]

8 Hawaii Missile

The Conspiracy: The Hawaii missile false alarm was no accident

At 8:07 local time on 13 January 2018, a ballistic missile alert was issued in Hawaii. The message sounded over TV, radio and smartphones throughout the island sending citizens into a state of panic. 38 minutes later, the message was recalled with officials blaming miscommunication during a drill at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The incident led to the resignation of the state’s emergency management administrator and a public apology from Hawaii Governor, David Ige.

While the majority were merely relieved that the message was sent in error, some didn’t accept the explanation given and came up with theories of their own. The most popular one of these being that someone pushed the alert notification through on purpose. At the time of the alert, the US was putting immense pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Therefore, to conspiracy theorists, it meant that North Korea decided to strike back with a cyberattack that sent Hawaii into panic. Why, you may ask? Well, to send fear into the hearts of the enemy and make them back off, of course. It was also theorized that North Korea wanted to test the system and see how fast the US would react to an emergency system, to give them an idea of how and when to attack.^[3]

7 Government DNA Theft

The Conspiracy: 23andMe campaign is run by the government

23andMe is a privately-owned California biotech and genomics company. They provide consumer genetic testing services to determine one’s predisposition to disease as well as answer ancestry-related queries. You can have yourself tested by simply providing a saliva sample which the company will then have analyzed and tested in their lab.

Naturally the skeptics out there immediately saw a flaw in this process and came up with a theory to try and stop people from sending in their samples. Considering that Google’s parent-company, Alphabet, owns 23andMe, they are convinced that this is a sly way for the US government to get its hands on the DNA samples of citizens. The government, according to the theory, is using these DNA samples as just another means of keeping tabs on everyone all the time.^[4]

6 Blood Sacrifice

The Conspiracy: April is blood sacrifice month

As seen time and time again, the US government (and other governments around the world) are usually the first to be blamed in the event of tragedy. In America, shootings and tragedy seem to haunt the continent. Just think of the Boston Marathon bombing, all the school shootings including Columbine and Virginia Tech as well as the Oklahoma City bombing.

Conspiracy theorists have come up with an incredible connection between the above-mentioned tragedies and the American government. Seeing as how all of them occurred in the month of April, along with many more, it is now thought that they were part of a government-sponsored blood sacrifice to Baal. What’s more, the theory also has it that all historic American tragedies happened for the same reason: To appease the Beast by offering it a ritual blood sacrifice.^[5]

5 O.J. Didn’t Do It

The Conspiracy: O.J. is innocent after all

Not just America, but the world, watched as O.J. Simpson tried to escape the police as a passenger in a white Ford Bronco SUV in 1994. In 1995, the world again collectively held their breath and then gasped as O.J. was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. While some believed he was indeed innocent, the majority consensus seemed to be that the justice system had failed and that a guilty man had been allowed to go free.

After the trial, Simpson continued to get in trouble with the law. He was arrested in 2001 for battery and burglary and was yet again acquitted of all charges. His house was searched after a tip off that Simpson was involved in drug trafficking, but nothing came of this. In 2007 Simpson was arrested again, this time for robbery, assault, kidnapping etc. He was eventually sentenced to 33 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 9 years. He was released on 1 October 2017.

While many felt that there was a measure of justice served, others came up with a theory that O.J. was completely innocent of killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Instead the blame was shifted to O. J’s son, Jason, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Most of this theory seems to be based on a diary entry written by Jason: “It’s the year of the knife for me. I cut away my problems with a knife. Anybody touches my friends – I will kill them. I’m also tired of being Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

However, other theories refuse to let go of the premise that O.J. is guilty and state that he hired a serial killer and/or suffers from CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) which leads to memory loss, impaired judgment, impulse control issues etc. This, some believe, could have led to him killing two people and then ‘forgetting’ about it.^[6]

4 Michael Jackson Murder

The Conspiracy: Sony killed Michael Jackson

There is no denying that Michael Jackson was odd. But he was also regarded as the King of Pop and named as one of the most influential cultural figures of the 20th century. His achievements include 15 Grammy Awards, 26 American Music Awards and 13 No 1 US singles. In 2009, Jackson died of a sedative overdose at the hand of Conrad Murray who was his personal doctor.

A couple of weeks before his death, Jackson wrote 13 letters in which he claimed that someone was trying to murder him and that he was scared for his life. One of his close friends, Michael Jacobshagen, revealed this during an interview on an Australian TV program. Jacobshagen said he chose to speak about these letters to show his support of Jackson’s daughter who believes her father was murdered.

A theory making the rounds states that because of Michael Jackson’s publicized feud with Sony’s president, Tommy Mottola, the company decided to kill the singer off. Sony allegedly refused to give Jackson masters of his song’s licenses for many years and sued him for the failure of his album Invincible, because Jackson refused to participate in a US promotional tour. This is said to have given Sony a reason to get rid of Jackson.

However, all this has been outweighed by the 2019 documentary titled Leaving Neverland, which caused several radio stations to refuse to play any Michael Jackson song.^[7]

3 Stanley Meyer

The Conspiracy: Stanley Meyer was murdered

Stanley Meyer was born on 24 August 1940. From a young age he and his twin brother were interested building things and soon Stanley boasted ownership of several patents. By 1989, most of his very innovative patents were accepted and used within 8 months. He worked with NASA on the Gemini Space program and most of his work was paid for out of his own pocket.

Back in 1975, when oil prices were skyrocketing and due to a lack of oil supply in the US new car sales dropped dramatically, Meyer dreamed up the concept of a hydrogen fuel cell car. The car’s major selling point was that it would run on water instead of gas. The car would also not have emitted any harmful emissions into the environment. Within a couple of months, Meyer had built a prototype powered by a fuel cell engine. The car worked perfectly. People were in awe as Meyer exclaimed about being able to turn tap water into hydrogen to power his invention.

Unfortunately, the hype did not last. Lawsuits were brought against Meyer’s inventions, with lawyers alleging that the car was a fraudulent scam. The water fuel cell at the midst of the car’s innovation was examined and found to be using conventional electrolysis. At the end, Meyer had to pay back all investors who had turned against him.

In March 1998, Stanley Meyer, his brother and two Belgian investors were having a meal at a restaurant. Meyer sipped on cranberry juice, suddenly grabbed his neck before getting up and running out the door of the restaurant. He fell on his knees outside and vomited. When his brother hurried after him to see what was going on, Meyer simply said “They poisoned me” before he died.

Investigations showed that Stanley Meyer died of a cerebral aneurysm. However, some are not buying it. There is an ongoing conspiracy theory that Meyer was murdered in his own country to stop unwanted attention from governments around the world. Meyer’s brother believes that the Belgian investors that they had met with that fateful day may have had something to do with his death.^[8]

2 U.S.S. Maine Sinking

The Conspiracy: The US intentionally sunk the U.S.S Maine

On 15 February 1898, US battleship Maine was at anchor in Havana harbor. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until a massive explosion tore up the ship and sank her, costing the lives of 260 men on board. This led to the Spanish-American War of 1898, as most Americans and Congress believed Spain to be behind the attack.

There was no conclusive evidence at the time to find those responsible or even what exactly caused the explosion, even though it was ruled that the ship had probably been sunk by a mine. Investigations in 1976 seemed to point to a fire igniting ammunition stocks that could have caused the explosion.

The biggest conspiracy theory now surrounding the blast states that a US agent caused the explosion on purpose in order to anger the American public and instigate the war. Cuban politician, Eliades Acosta, claimed that economic interests in the US were behind the sinking of the Maine and responsible for the assassination of 3 American presidents.^[9]

1 Military Tornado

The Conspiracy: Joplin tornado was caused by the military

On 22 May 2011, a catastrophic EF5 tornado touched down in Joplin, Missouri. The monster tornado was nearly 1 mile wide and rapidly intensified in strength. It was the 7th deadliest tornado in the US, killing 158 people and injuring 1150 others. It was also the costliest as insurance pay-outs totaled $2.8 billion.

Just a week later, conspiracy theorists were stirring up internet forums, claiming that the tornado was not a natural occurrence, but instead had been the result of HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) shooting radio waves into the upper atmosphere. They believed that HAARP had a device capable of creating monster storms for their own dodgy agenda. Moreover, some theorists also firmly believe that HAARP was responsible for the Haiti earthquake as well as the massive Japan earthquake.^[10]

In America, we like to wax lyrical about the wonders of our constitution and the wisdom of our founding fathers. But political elections, the way we staff that very same government, have been contentious, and ugly since the beginning. And yet, some presidential elections stand out even amongst all the finger pointing, name-calling, conspiracy theories, and vicious squabbling that defines most elections. Let’s take a look at some of the wildest, most chaotic presidential contests in US history. 

10. 1800

It didn’t take long for the US to run into a serious political crisis that threatened the legitimacy of this whole “self government” experiment. In 1800, political parties were still evolving, and the bitter rivalry between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans set the stage for a chaotic showdown. Mudslinging was the name of the game, with opponents accusing each other of everything from godlessness to tyranny.

Adding to the confusion, the Democratic-Republicans had a factional frenzy of their own. While Thomas Jefferson ran for president, his running mate, Aaron Burr, created a puzzling scenario. The electoral system was also a mess (imagine that), leading to a tie between Jefferson and Burr, and thus disqualifying incumbent President John Adams. As a result, the House of Representatives had to decide the winner, taking an excruciating 36 rounds of voting before Jefferson finally emerged as president. Amid all the turmoil, the 1800 election exposed flaws in the young democracy but also demonstrated its resilience and capacity to evolve. So at least there’s that. 

9. 1824

The presidential election of 1824 is often referred to as the “Corrupt Bargain” election, and for good reason. It was a tumultuous affair involving four major candidates, all from the same party, the Democratic-Republicans. The absence of a clear winner through the electoral process led to the election being decided by the House of Representatives.

The election ended with John Quincy Adams winning the presidency, but the circumstances surrounding his victory were highly controversial. Henry Clay, one of the other candidates, was also the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He used his influence to support Adams, who subsequently appointed Clay as his Secretary of State. Many saw this as a backroom deal, leading to accusations of corruption. This contentious election highlighted the need for a more transparent and equitable electoral system, which eventually resulted in changes to the nomination process and the rise of the Democratic Party.

8. 1860

The presidential election of 1860 took place at a time of intense sectional tensions between the North and the South, primarily over the issue of slavery. The Democratic Party (then representing southern white conservatives, and dominated by pro-slavery interests) was divided, resulting in two separate Democratic candidates running against the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, and John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party.

This ticket splitting led to Abraham Lincoln’s victory, without winning a single Southern state (none of whom even allowed his name on the ballot). Fearing Lincoln, the first president of the abolitionist Republican Party, was a threat to the institution of slavery, South Carolina seceded from the Union just a month after the election results. Over the following months, several other Southern states followed suit, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America. Lincoln tried to appease the south, even promising not to challenge the institution of slavery where it presently existed, but it was no use. The American Civil War was about to begin. 

7. 1872

The presidential election of 1872 wasn’t the most chaotic or contentious in history. But it had its fair share of drama and intrigue. Incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant sought re-election after his first term in office, marked by his efforts during the Reconstruction period. His main opponent was Horace Greeley, nominated by the newly formed Liberal Republican Party. However, one of the most significant twists in this election was that Horace Greeley, the Democratic and Liberal Republican candidate, actually died before the Electoral College could cast their votes. It didn’t particularly matter since Grant won easily. 

But still, Greeley’s death left the electoral votes in a unique situation, as some electors had already pledged to vote for him. Ultimately, this led to a rather unorthodox Electoral College outcome. Despite the loss of their candidate, Greeley’s electors cast their votes for various other candidates in the electoral process. Ulysses S. Grant still won the election decisively, securing his second term in office. 

6. 1876

The presidential election of 1876 was one of the most disputed and chaotic elections in US history. It featured a contentious battle between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. While Tilden won the popular vote, the electoral votes were mired in controversy. Several Southern states sent double sets of electoral votes, creating a perplexing situation with no clear majority for either candidate.

Amid the turmoil, the Compromise of 1877 emerged as a pivotal moment in American history. To prevent a constitutional crisis and the looming threat of yet another civil war, barely a decade after the first one ended, a political agreement was finally reached. The Democrats agreed to support Hayes as president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South. This compromise effectively marked the end of Reconstruction, permitting Southern states to regain control over their governments. However, the removal of federal troops also meant the abandonment of civil rights for newly freed African Americans, leading to the institution of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the South.

5. 1912

The US presidential election of 1912 was an exceptional and chaotic contest featuring four significant candidates: Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Eugene V. Debs. Wilson, a Democrat, eventually emerged victorious, but the campaign was marked by a significant divide within the Republican Party.

The election became a vicious battle of progressive policies and ideologies. Theodore Roosevelt, former President and a Republican, ran as a Progressive Party candidate, splitting the Republican vote in half, slamming the door on his former friend Taft’s reelection chances, and turning the two into bitter, lifelong enemies. This division allowed the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, to secure a decisive victory in the Electoral College, while Debs, representing the Socialist Party, earned a substantial number of votes. The election of 1912 led to important reforms and the continued shift toward progressive policies in the United States, marking a significant moment in the nation’s political history.

4. 1972

The US presidential election of 1972 itself wasn’t too nuts. Incumbent President Richard Nixon, a Republican, won reelection overwhelmingly against Democrat George McGovern. Nixon convinced the nation to rehire him after boasting significant accomplishments in foreign policy, including détente with the Soviet Union and the opening of diplomatic relations with China.

However, the shadow of the Watergate scandal, in which some of Nixon’s supporters broke into the DNC headquarters to steal information at the Watergate hotel, loomed large over the nation following the election. It was a complex web of political espionage, cover-ups, and illegal activities orchestrated by members of Nixon’s administration. As information regarding the scandal unraveled, it was revealed that while Nixon had not authorized the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but had participated in efforts to obstruct the investigation. The scandal ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation in 1974, making him the only U.S. president to step down from office. 

3. 2000

The presidential election of 2000 was one of the most controversial and longest-lasting, as well as the closest contest, in American history. The major candidates were Republican George W. Bush, governor of Texas and son of former President George H.W. Bush, and Democrat Al Gore, the sitting vice president under Bill Clinton. 

The most significant and contentious issue of this election was the vote recount in the state of Florida. Florida’s electoral votes were crucial for both candidates, and the outcome was so close that it hinged on literally 537 votes. Yes, you read that right – 537 votes would decide the leader of the free world. Legal battles ensued over the recount process, with the Florida Supreme Court ordering a recount of disputed votes. The US Supreme Court, in the landmark case Bush v. Gore, intervened to stop the recount, effectively awarding Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to George W. Bush. This decision was highly controversial and remains a subject of debate, with some critics arguing it was a politically motivated decision. George W. Bush won the Electoral College while losing the popular vote, making him the fourth president in US history to do so. 

2. 2016

The 2016 US presidential election was a historic contest in many regards. On one side, there was Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State and first woman to be nominated for president by a major party. On the other side, the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV star, who had never held public office. Nobody thought an outrageous candidate like Trump, who had a knack for making offensive comments and unforced errors, had any chance against a seasoned statesman like Clinton. 

But then Trump won the Electoral College, securing the presidency, while Hillary Clinton garnered more of the popular vote. This outcome led to ongoing debates about the US electoral system and raised questions about foreign interference, specifically Russian efforts to influence the election. More notably, an era of norm-shattering democratic backsliding and ever-intensifying political polarization followed, with global headlines being dominated by Trump and members of his administration for years. 

1. 2020 

The 2020 US presidential election was a momentous event, marked by one of the most chaotic backdrops since the 1864 election during the Civil War. There was of course the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protestors following the murder of George Floyd, and fallout from the first impeachment of   incumbent Donald Trump following an extortion scheme to dig up dirt on Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden. 

When the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won in November, Trump and his team continued insisting, without evidence, that the election had been rigged — something his supporters lapped up with their “stop the steal” chants when the votes were still being counted and the rapid proliferation of related conspiracy theories after the race had been called for Biden. After Trump’s attempts to overturn the election both via the courts and by illegally pressuring officials in swing states to do so unilaterally, his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, leading to five deaths, Trump’s second impeachment (he was acquitted once again), and global concern about the state of American democracy.

As long as there are famous people, conspiracy theories will closely follow. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter what they do or don’t do. Someone somewhere will come up with a theory for it. Remember Pizzagate and how Justin Bieber allegedly confirmed that he too was a victim of child sex trafficking by adjusting his beanie when he went live on Instagram in 2020? Or the “adrenochrome” saga where conspiracy theorists claimed that the Hollywood elite drained the blood of children who were “imprisoned” and “tortured” on farms. They further claimed that this was a ritual done to please Satan.

On this list are 10 more conspiracies in this same vein. Hold on to your tinfoil hat; things are about to get crazy.

Related: Top 10 American Conspiracy Theories That Are Completely Bonkers

10 Miley Speaks in Riddles

After Miley Cyrus’s highly publicized split from husband Liam Hemsworth, she almost immediately had a short-lived fling with Kaitlynn Carter before dumping her almost a month later for Cody Simpson. That relationship also ended abruptly, which is when her loved ones became truly worried. They claimed that Miley had started speaking in riddles and had become completely incoherent at times.

Her “shocking” on-stage antics furthered her family and friends’ concerns, and eventually, some of them spoke out anonymously, saying they believed that Miley had been possessed by the devil himself. They thought she had opened “a door” for possession by becoming involved with witchcraft and devil worship. According to these anonymous sources, this is also the very reason she split from her husband.

This conspiracy theory is still floating around on the far reaches of the internet if you’re interested in diving deeper down this particular rabbit hole.^[1]

9 Christian Bale Is Not Human

Christian Bale has this uncanny ability to transform his body into just about any shape he wants to for specific roles. Between 2000 and 2004, he lost an incredible amount of weight for The Machinist by restricting his diet to water, one apple, and one coffee a day. He wanted to lose even more weight after dropping 30 kilograms (66 pounds), but producers stopped him as they were afraid for his health.

Then, in a mere six months, he bulked up again for Batman Begins with a high-protein diet and a harsh training routine that saw him gain 45 kilograms (99 pounds). Bale had to drop about 10 kilograms (20 pounds) then because he didn’t quite fit into the Batman suit. He lost a bunch of weight again for 2010’s The Fighter and gained a whole lot more for 2013’s American Hustle. He then played Dick Cheney in Vice and lost all the weight again a few months later for Ford v Ferrari.

Now, most people would call this extreme dedication to method acting. But if you were a conspiracy theorist, you’d accuse him of being non-human and some kind of shape-shifter instead.

Bale didn’t help matters much when he thanked Satan for “the inspiration on how to play this role” after winning the Best Actor Golden Globe for Vice. This unleashed a whole new conspiracy theory that said Bale sold his soul to the devil for fame and fortune.^[2]

8 The Slap Heard Around the World

Some people are still convinced that the Oscar’s stage slap was well… staged for the Oscars to improve ratings and excitement about the show. However, the fact that Will Smith is being snubbed left and right and has been informed that he’s been banned from the Oscars ceremony for ten years suggests otherwise. This is regardless of the so-called “cheek pad” supposedly worn by Chris Rock or his grimace at what he knew was coming.

But whether the incident was staged or not pales in comparison to the theory that was dreamed up shortly after. It is being alleged that the entire slap was manufactured as a distraction from “atrocities committed by a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.” And that’s not even all there is to it. Apparently, it was also a clever way to “indoctrinate” viewers into getting vaccinated. You know, because not only was the ceremony sponsored by Pfizer and BioNTech, but they also wanted to make sure as many eyes as possible were on the screen before they started doling out “vaccine propaganda.” Oh, and also, Pfizer evidently has an alopecia drug coming to the market.^[3]

See where they’re going with this?

7 Freddie Still Roams the Earth

A band as famous and popular as Queen will never be able to escape conspiracy theories. This proved true for the band members, who had to fend off accusations of signing a pact with Satan in exchange for extreme fame and fortune. Naturally, this theory was lifted from the famous line in “Bohemian Rhapsody”: “Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me.” It couldn’t possibly be that Freddie Mercury had an exceptional voice and that the band produced hit after hit, right?

Then there is the conspiracy theory that Freddie’s spirit cannot find rest, as he once said he didn’t want to go to heaven because he’d meet more interesting people in hell. Guitarist Brian May reportedly still hears Freddie’s voice, and Rami Malek, who portrayed the singer in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, also claimed that he had been visited by Freddie’s ghost.^[4]

6 Suicide or Murder?

When Chris Cornell committed suicide in 2017 at the age of 52, fans were shocked, to say the least. Yet some people still found it necessary to taint the tragic moment by spreading unbelievably ridiculous rumors about the Soundgarden frontman’s death.

His wife Vicky confirmed that he wasn’t suicidal before his death, which sadly only exacerbated the rumors and caused people to turn on her too. Some speculated that she was implicated in her husband’s death because she was good friends with Courtney Love, who had also been implicated in the death of Kurt Cobain.

Others, especially on Twitter, were genuinely concerned that Chris had been murdered because it was believed that he had been a financial backer of a child sex trafficking film called “The Silent Children.”

And then, perhaps most insane of all, it has been claimed that James Hetfield of Metallica was part of a conspiracy to murder Chris Cornell and make it look like a suicide. Why, you ask? Well, the answer is truly incoherent and has something to do with Hetfield wearing a shirt emblazoned with the number 33, which has something to do with the Illuminati. And also, Hetfield was apparently laughing for some unknown reason during an interview about Chris after his death.^[5]

So, you know, solid proof right there. (Link 5)

5 Kayfabe Gone Too Far?

WWE doesn’t produce your traditional type of celebrity. Instead, it brings you men (and women) with inflated muscles and even bigger egos trying to outpunch each other and, if all else fails, out-insult each other. There are still some truly kayfabe storylines in WWE, each more ridiculous than the next, but people continue to eat it up. It is wrestling entertainment, after all.

As such, being in the entertainment industry has also put WWE in the way of conspiracy theorists who have produced a host of rumors surrounding the company. These include the big boss, Vince McMahon, owning ECW and fan-favorite Triple H, only marrying into the McMahon family to ensure he had more control in the WWE empire.

The “clone” conspiracy also made its way into the squared circle. Many fans believed that the Ultimate Warrior actually died back in 1992 and was replaced by a lookalike.

And then there’s the murder conspiracy. Sure, wrestlers threaten to kill each other all the time, but in a real-life tragedy, wrestler Jimmy Snuka became a suspect in the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino in 1983. Snuka was never officially charged, which led many to believe that Vince McMahon was instrumental in getting the wrestler off the hook by helping him cover up the crime somehow. Snuka died of cancer in 2017, a few days after being acquitted of the murder.^[6]

4 Kylie Minogue Has Been Rickrolled

So, you may have heard that when you play the 7-inch record version of Kylie Minogue’s “I Should Be So Lucky” at 33rpm, it sounds like Rick Astley is singing a cover version of the song. And apparently, vice versa when Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” is played at 45rpm. This ’80s rumor came about thanks to record players that could play vinyl at both speeds.

Astley acknowledged that it did indeed sound like him in the sped-up version but denied that he and Minogue were the same person as is apparently believed by conspiracy theorists. This conspiracy has been fueled by the fact that both singers were both associated with Stock, Aitken, and Waterman, an English songwriting and record production group.

In 2018, Astley and Minogue performed their hit songs at the Radio 2 Hyde Park Festival to finally dispel the lingering rumors that they are one person.^[7]

3 What Husband?

Dolly Parton is one of the most popular people on the planet. She has received nearly 200 industry awards and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Her charitable contributions are also notable, having donated more than 100 million books to children.

Yet, the conspiracists have found something on her too. In this case, they are spreading a theory that her husband of more than five decades, Carl Dean, doesn’t actually exist. They have even gone so far as to say that Dolly’s husband is nothing more than an imaginary friend she conjured up to keep herself from being lonely.

Dolly laughed off the conspiracy during an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2020, saying that her husband is rarely seen because he prefers staying out of the public eye. She also quoted him as saying, “I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.” ^[8]

2 The Wrong Kind of Limelight

If ever there was a controversial couple, Meghan and Harry are it. Some people love them to bits while others can’t stand the sight of them. Unfortunately, the latter have also come up with some over-the-top rumors about the former “working royals.”

The first one didn’t last long but claimed that Meghan’s first pregnancy was fake. That was obviously proven wrong when she gave birth to Archie in 2019.

The conspiracy theorists then came out in full force and accused Meghan of allowing herself to be used as a political pawn in England’s plan to regain control of America. This was apparently because the couple’s kids would be American citizens and would one day be able to run for president as well as be in line for the British monarchy.

Oh, and if that is all too strange, how about the theory that says the movie Love Actually predicted Meghan and Harry’s relationship? You know, Sam mourns the death of his mother and falls for an American girl…^[9]

1 But Who Are You Really?

There’s been a host of conspiracies surrounding American president Joe Biden. These include his involvement in the so-called pending New World Order and the rumor that he’s actually dead or a bot. Another theory says that Joe Biden wore an earpiece during the first presidential debate and that someone fed him his lines throughout. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

In 2022, a video started making the rounds online that showed an individual sharing a theory that Biden is dead and that a handful of actors are standing in for him during appearances. She then listed some of the actors, which included James Woods and Jim Carrey. She also went on to say that when Joe Biden tripped going up the stairs to the plane, she believed that was Jim Carrey being silly.

Carrey only had two words for this video: “Oh dear.”^[10]