The Bizarre Conspiracy Suggesting Your Favorite Celebrities Are Illuminati Clones
The internet has been one of the greatest innovations in generations. Instant connectivity to all corners of the globe has made needed information pass from sender to receiver instantaneously, fostering growth, development, and knowledge. In an ideal world, those who are connected would be alleviated of much of the ignorance that has stymied progress, allowing global citizens and governments to move forward in a harmonious quest for greater intelligence and understanding. While people do use the web as a tool, a heartbreaking number of us seem to find ways to make ourselves even more ignorant than before. One of the major drawbacks of instant communication is that conspiracy theories spread like wildfire and can continue to be fueled for years.
Some people just love a juicy conspiracy theory. Who killed JFK? Was the moon landing faked? Those and others are some that have been around for years and can be fun to explore. And then some theories just make the believers sound like Mike Myers's character's father (also played by Mike Myers) in "So I Married an Ax Murderer" when he bellows about "The Pentaverate."
Among the outrageous beliefs are that certain celebrities have died and have been secretly replaced by clones or carefully selected lookalikes. It's sometimes hard to believe that otherwise intelligent folks could buy into something that outrageous. But, as the internet has shown humanity over the years, there's no idea so crazy that it doesn't attract at least a small contingent of overzealous followers. After all, there are still people out there who will swear to you that the Earth is flat, remember? (via BBC).
Paul McCartney was rumored to have been replaced by a lookalike
Paul McCartney might be the most classic example of a belief in a permanent stand-in to replace a star thought to be dead. The conspiracy theory was that the Beatles musician was killed in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike. This rumor gained so much steam that major news outlets covered it in hopes that it could be debunked (per Rolling Stone). Not that it did any good. Believers doubled down on the idea, claiming that if certain Beatles tracks were played backward that proof could be heard. They also purport that the band themselves offered clues to his death, hidden on the cover of the "Abbey Road" album.
Of course, modern celebrities have been fodder for these same types of conspiracy theories. One of the most prevalent ones today centers around Beyonce, who according to the BBC, is thought by some folks to have died years ago. One twist to this theory is that her forward-thinking producers knew that they had a goldmine with the former member of Destiny's Child. But they also knew that if something ever happened to her, they would lose a lot of money. So they did what any reasonable people would and commissioned a clone to be made of the pop star using her stem cells (via Life and Style Magazine). And when she "died" more than a decade ago, one of the clones that they had produced took her place. And not one person noticed, except for some really savvy and hyper-observant fans on the internet.
There's a conspiracy theory that says Miley Cyrus has been replaced
Even former Disney stars have been the subject of the "clones replaced them" conspiracy theories. Life and Style Magazine reports that Disney became so miffed at their former brand sweetheart Miley Cyrus in 2010 that they had her killed and dumped her body somewhere in an unnamed desert. Then, the Mickey Mouse overlords had her replaced with a clone so that they could continue generating revenue. An unrelated conspiracy theory about the former "Hannah Montana" star is that she is a "Draco Reptilian Shapeshifter Hybrid."
Kanye West's antics in recent years have spawned the belief that the hip-hop artist is a clone of West that gained fame more than two decades ago. His support of Donald Trump has made more than a few people convinced that the West we get to see and hear on TV is nothing more than an Illuminati clone.
But there's an even zanier belief out there about musician Taylor Swift. It's believed that Swift is a clone made of Zeena LeVey, the daughter of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey. Comparing photos of the two women, it could be argued that they look similar. But maybe more like distant cousins than doppelgangers.