Wild Celebrity Conspiracies That You Most Likely Forgot About

This feature references mental illness and suicide. 

Everyone enjoys a good conspiracy theory now and again — especially when it involves celebrities. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, some people had nothing better to do but delve down into the deep and creepy rabbit holes of Hollywood conspiracy theories. And while some are so fascinating that you can't look away, others have more holes than Swiss cheese, and some are just plain silly. Whatever the case, they always make for aninteresting read. 

A millennial favorite is the Sinbad "Shazaam" conspiracy, which is often noted as an example of the "Mandela Effect," an event where a large number of people collectively remember something that never happened or just recall it differently. In this instance, people falsely remembered a '90s kids' movie called "Shazaam" starring Gen X comedian Sinbad as a genie — a project that never actually existed (apologies kids and teens of the '90s!).

Confusion concerning this particular film can potentially be connected to a few factors, the most notable being that Shaquille O'Neal did actually play a genie in a '90s kid's movie called, "Kazaam." Despite internet claims by millennials who "remember" watching the film and even recall specific details, there is zero evidence to support the existence of "Shazaam." Regardless, various "Shazaam" conspiracy theories persist concerning industry cover-ups and even parallel universes. On April Fool's Day in 2017, Sinbad even got in on the joke by releasing fake "Shazaam" footage courtesy of College Humour. Here are some of the wildest celeb conspiracies that may have also slipped your mind.

Actor-slash-singer Lea Michele is known for her successful TV and Broadway career, having starred as Rachel Berry on the beloved TV series "Glee." Her immense success only made the conspiracy theory that she is illiterate even more baffling — and fascinating. 

The rumor was first sparked in 2017 by "One More Thing" podcast hosts Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman who even made a since-deleted 45-minute slideshow presentation on Facebook Live laying out their hypothesis as to Michele's alleged illiteracy. The basis of the theory stemmed from claims made in Naya Rivera's memoir, "Sorry Not Sorry" (via Entertainment Weekly) in which the late star claimed that creator Ryan Murphy had to feed Michele's lines to her. The actor inadvertently added fuel to the rumor by not publicly responding to Rivera's claims. Hunt and Ackerman connected the dots and came to one conclusion: Michele can't read.

Per Jezebel, neither Hunt nor Ackerman actually believed the rumor — it was just a joke that got out of hand. Years later, Michele appeared to be in on the joke, as she made a silly TikTok asking her BFF, Jonathan Groff, to read her Tiktok comments for her. However, the theory clearly upset her. In 2022, she told The New York Times that the rumor was sexist, assuring the outlet she knew all her lines on "Glee." "It's sad. It really is," she said. "I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn't be the case.

Avril Lavigne is the ultimate millennial punk rock princess — who doesn't love "Sk8er Boi?!" The belief that Avril Lavigne is actually dead and has been replaced by a body double or clone is a weird conspiracy theory that originated in the early '00s on a Brazilian fan site called Avril Esta Morta (Avril is dead). It has since spread like wildfire through various social media platforms like Reddit and TikTok. We can't lie, this conspiracy theory totally creeps us out.

The theory suggests that Lavigne died by suicide in the early '00s while working on the follow-up album to her hit debut, "Let Go." After a furious record label cover-up, she was said to have been replaced by a lookalike called Melissa Vandella, purported to have been originally hired to replace the pop star during her most-loathed public appearances. Proponents of the theory pointed to slight differences in Lavigne's appearance, behavior, and song style as evidence of the alleged switch. At one point she was even photographed with the name "Melissa" written on her hand. 

Of course, there are obvious and less spooky explanations as to why a person's appearance, behavior, and music may slightly alter over time — alas, even a baby-faced beauty like Lavigne can't escape the basic signs of aging. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2019, the star rolled her eyes at the theory. "It's just a dumb internet rumor and [I'm] flabbergasted that people bought into it," she said. "... It's so dumb. And I look the exact same."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Speculation that America's favorite cartoon "The Simpsons" can predict the future is a curious theory that has garnered the attention and fascination of many, leading to a number of crazy conspiracies. While we must admit, there have been many coincidences over the course of the long-running series, perhaps that's just what they are — coincidences. Regardless, between correctly predicting Super Bowl winners years ahead of time and anticipating what the skyline of London would look like in the '10s with eerie accuracy ("Lisa's Wedding" set in 2010, appears to show a building similarly shaped to the iconic Shard built in 2012), there's no denying the show gets things right.

For example, in "Bart to the Future," an episode aired in March 2000 but set in 2030, the show appeared to correctly predict the future of politics with a plotline wherein Donald Trump is referenced as having been president. In 2015, another gag from "The Simpsons" suggested Trump would be running for the presidency again in 2024 — something that the former reality star announced in 2022. 

Meanwhile, many were shocked that a Season 17 episode of "The Simpsons," in which Homer's deep sea exploration via submarine leads to him running out of oxygen at the bottom of the ocean, seemed to eerily echo the tragic circumstances of the "OceanGate" submersible. In June 2023, the vessel disappeared with limited amounts of oxygen. It imploded, killing all five passengers. Still, we're inclined to believe these are little more than odd coincidences. 

The conspiracy theory that O.J. Simpson could be Khloé Kardashian's biological father has circulated the internet for a while now. The football star turned Hollywood actor turned alleged murderer was a close friend of Khloé's mother, Kris Jenner, and her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian — who was part of Simpson's defense team during the 1994 murder trial of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, in which Simpson was acquitted. Per In Touch, the rumor started when Robert's third wife, Ellen Pierson, claimed that he'd told her that Khloe wasn't his biological child. However, she'd never identified who the alleged biological father was. 

Over the years, the rumor has gained traction with some people pointing out a striking physical resemblance between Khloé and Simpson's daughter, Sydney. This, alongside some differences in appearances between herself and her sisters, Kim and Kourtney, has fueled internet chatter on the topic. 

Jenner has consistently denied the rumors during episodes of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," as has Simpson. During an appearance on the "Full Send" podcast in 2022, he refuted the claims that he had ever had an affair with the Kardashians' iconic momager. "The rumor ain't true. It's not even anywhere close to being true," he said. "I've never been attracted to her and I never suspected she was ever attracted to me." 

JonBenét Ramsey was a toddler beauty pageant contestant who was tragically murdered in 1996 at the painfully young age of six. The case instantly became sensationalized by the media and fodder for true crime fans. Katy Perry is a former gospel vocalist turned successful pop singer who rose to fame in 2008 with her popular hit, "I Kissed a Girl". The theory that they are actually the same person relies solely on a rumor created by Youtuber Dave Johnson in a since-deleted video from 2014 in which he claimed this was the way that she could become famous — by sacrificing Ramsey's old identity and reemerging as Katy Perry. 

Besides some coincidental similarities in their appearance, the conspiracy lacks any credible evidence and is widely regarded as a hoax – Perry is even six years older than Ramsey would be if she were still alive. At the 2017 MTV VMA's, comedian Billy Eichner teased Katy Perry during a seemingly scripted "Billy on the Street"-style interview in which he said to her, "Blink twice if you're actually JonBenét Ramsay," to which Perry replied, "Um wait, no, that is not real." Many netizens subsequently took to Twitter to share their distaste for the joke. Funny or not, this theory clearly doesn't add up.

The sudden death of rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 was incredibly hard on his beloved fans. The rapper better known as 2Pac was shot in a drive-by shooting outside a Las Vegas nightclub after leaving a Mike Tyson fight, with Suge Knight in the backseat. Shakur was rushed to the hospital but died six days later, and his killer was never found nor identified, per the Las Vegas Sun. 

According to the Daily Mirror, there was speculation that Shakur faked his own death for a few reasons. According to friends, Shakur generally wore a bullet-proof vest after a previous attempted shooting left him a bit rattled. The night he was killed, he allegedly told a friend he didn't need to wear one that night. This led to rumors that he wanted to make his death more believable. 

However, this theory has a few holes in it as some internet sleuths claim that he was seen wearing one on the Las Vegas security cameras. In the Showtime documentary "American Dream", Knight alleged that Shakur had previously made references to faking his own death. Additionally, some fans believe that some of the rapper's lyrics alluded to his alleged plan to fake his death or have a second coming. The song "Outro" has lyrics that read, "Expect me like you expect Jesus to come back." Some have even claimed to have spotted Shakur out and about, alive and well. Unfortunately, we don't think any of this conclusively points to 2Pac being alive.

Marilyn Monroe is truly one of the most fascinating public figures of our time. So her sudden death in 1962 came as a shock to many. After all, Monroe appeared to have it all — beauty, wealth, power, and a thriving film career. However, the Hollywood star was said to have had a turbulent love life in which she was rumored to have had affairs with some influential people  — including President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy.

Per Parade, the conspiracy theory suggests that her involvement with these two men may have led to her death, which was ruled a probable suicide. The CIA was rumored to have been involved in covering up any potential scandals and issues that would negatively impact the Presidential family. And apparently, the beloved Hollywood star was considered to be one such issue. 

It was speculated that Monroe had been told about numerous intelligence issues by both John and Robert during their rumored time with the bombshell actor. As such, the rumor suggests that the CIA orchestrated her death in the interests of national security. Norman Mailer first pushed the theory into the mainstream with his 1973 book, "Marilyn: A Biography." However, that same year he appeared to retract his theory on "60 Minutes." The author admitted that the biography was written using secondary sources, and as a result, his story may have been lacking accuracy, per The New York Times. Still, the book sold well, and the theory persists to this day.

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Harley Pasternak is renowned as a premier personal trainer to the stars, but internet sleuths would also like to add, "MK-Ultra handler" to his resume. Pasternak trained and had a personal relationship with Kanye West, better known as Ye. And in 2022, the rapper was clearly experiencing some public hardships, including his messy divorce from Kardashian.

In November of that same year, following an anti-semitic rant that lost him several brand partnership deals, the star took to Instagram to share a since-deleted screenshot of an alleged text message from Pasternak. In the caption, Ye wrote, "I was mentally misdiagnosed and nearly drugged out of my mind to make me a manageable well-behaved celebrity." In 2016, he was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward and diagnosed with bipolar disorder after experiencing exhaustion. Per TMZ, the rapper was said to have been acting erratically at Pasternak's home, prompting a call to law enforcement with West undergoing a psychiatric evaluation soon after.

The alleged text from the trainer appeared to show Pasternak negotiating with his client in providing him help. The first option? An honest discussion, "Where everything is based in fact, and not some crazy stuff that dumb friend of yours told you." The second? "I have you institutionalized again where they medicate the crap out of you, and you go back to Zombieland forever." Pasternak declined to comment on the post, per Page Six. However, some netizens regardless theorized this screenshot was hard proof that Pasternak practiced mind control against his clients. 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.