Conspiracy Theories

extremism Feb. 23, 2021

Conspiracy Theorist Ron Johnson the New Model for Swing State GOP SenatorsSenators from battleground states used to be mostly moderates. Johnson has gone sharply the other way, making wild claims about the Capitol riot.

By Ed Kilgore

capitol riot Jan. 29, 2021

QAnon and the Bright Rise of BeliefJanuary 6 was a terrifying day in history, not least because it felt like witnessing the birth of a religion.

By Kerry Howley

early and often Nov. 17, 2020

Lindsey Graham Pressured Georgia Secretary of State to Toss Legal BallotsSecretary of State Brad Raffensperger says he’s alarmed by the efforts of Graham and other Trump allies to challenge Biden’s victory in Georgia.

By Chas Danner

satire Oct. 21, 2020

All the Surprise Guests Trump May Bring to Thursday’s DebateNo one loves televised surprises more than President Trump. Here’s who he might invite to the debate to mess with Biden on Thursday night.

By Chas Danner

qanon Oct. 6, 2020

Facebook Bans QAnon Accounts Across All Its PlatformsThe platform’s major step comes on the heels of a decision this summer to remove all Q-related groups discussing “potential violence.”

By Matt Stieb

politics Oct. 2, 2020

17 Republicans Refuse to Condemn QAnon in House VoteThey did so even after a Democratic colleague was targeted with death threats by the conspiracy’s followers a few days earlier.

By Charlotte Klein

presidential debate Sept. 30, 2020

Trump’s Conspiracy-Theory Shorthand Limits His Audience to True BelieversIn the debate and on the campaign trail, Trump constantly alludes to conservative myths that probably sound like gibberish to the uninitiated.

By Ed Kilgore

politics Sept. 28, 2020

QAnon Goes to WashingtonTwenty-four followers of the grotesque conspiracy theory are running for Congress in November. Where does this end?

By Simon van Zuylen-Wood

qanon Sept. 23, 2020

QAnon Is Madness. But Believing In It Can Be Rational.For those who lack the resources to understand or influence political reality, conspiracy theories are more useful than the truth.

By Eric Levitz

misinformation Sept. 16, 2020

Trump Aide Michael Caputo Takes Leave of Absence After Facebook RantThe former Trump campaign official baselessly accused CDC scientists of “sedition.”

By Chas Danner

qanon Aug. 11, 2020

QAnon Groups on Facebook Reportedly Have Millions of MembersThe top ten groups have more than 1 million combined members, a sign of the increasing popularity of the far-right conspiracy.

By Matt Stieb

coronavirus July 28, 2020

Twitter, Facebook Delete Video Trump Tweeted Over COVID-19 MisinformationThe video, in which doctors decry masks and call hydroxychloroquine a COVID-19 cure, had millions of views and a Trump retweet before it was removed.

By Adam K. Raymond

the media July 25, 2020

Sinclair Pulls Segment Sharing Anti-Fauci COVID-19 Conspiracy TheoryThe company defended its right to share the baseless conspiracy theory on dozens of local TV stations, but eventually caved amid the blowback.

By Chas Danner

conspiracy theories July 22, 2020

Twitter Bans Thousands of QAnon AccountsThe platform will suspend accounts pushing the conspiracy theory, along with other measures meant to limit its spread.

By Adam K. Raymond

donald trump May 26, 2020

Husband of Late Scarborough Staffer Asks Twitter to Delete Trump ConspiracyIn a letter to Jack Dorsey, Timothy J. Klausutis writes that Trump has “perverted” his wife’s memory for “perceived political gain.”

By Adam K. Raymond

qanon May 20, 2020

QAnon Supporter Wins Republican Senate Primary in OregonJo Rae Perkins, an insurance agent in Oregon, became the first advocate for the sweeping conspiracy theory to win a GOP nomination for the Senate.

By Matt Stieb

conspiracy theories May 18, 2020

Great News: Ryan Seacrest Did Not Have a Stroke During the American Idol Finale’Like many people right now, Ryan is adjusting to the new normal and finding work-home balance’

By Halle Kiefer

trump rally Feb. 20, 2020

Trump Enters Full Conspiracist Mode at Colorado Springs RallyThe president appeared to combine multiple conspiracy theories in one indiscernible claim.

By Matt Stieb

technocracy Feb. 6, 2020

5 Theories About Conspiracy TheoriesWe live in the age of red yarn and corkboard. There’s no easy explanation — but here are five theories why.

By Max Read

conspiracy theories Feb. 4, 2020

Incompetence Isn’t a Conspiracy, But It Looks Like OneCritics who cry conspiracy about the Democratic Party’s failures in Iowa have real reasons to worry.

By Sarah Jones

jeffrey epstein Jan. 6, 2020

5 Takeaways From the 60 Minutes Jeffrey Epstein ReportNew photos show the inside of Epstein’s cell after he was found dead. Here’s what they tell us.

By Adam K. Raymond

lawsuits Dec. 31, 2019

Alex Jones Ordered to Pay $100K in Sandy Hook Conspiracy CaseThe Infowars creator must pay court and legal fees after being sued for his claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.

By Hannah Gold

jeffrey epstein Nov. 19, 2019

U.S. Senator Floats Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracy Theory During HearingLouisiana’s John Kennedy quipped that “Christmas ornaments, drywall, and [Jeffrey] Epstein,” are three things that “don’t hang themselves.”

By Adam K. Raymond

jeffrey epstein Nov. 11, 2019

The ‘Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself’ Meme Has Gone MainstreamThe meme is spilling into the real world, where it’s now being used to sell beer, among other things.

By Adam K. Raymond

the epstein enigma Oct. 30, 2019

Why Are Jeffrey Epstein’s Lawyers Still Questioning That He Killed Himself?Aside from a simple desire to know the truth, there could be legal and financial reasons for Epstein’s defense to question the official autopsy.

By Matt Stieb

jeffrey epstein Oct. 30, 2019

Epstein Evidence ‘Points to Homicide,’ Claims Pathologist Hired by BrotherMichael Baden is attaching his name to claims Epstein’s lawyers were making in August.

By Adam K. Raymond

conspiracy theories Sept. 13, 2019

McCarthy Still Repeating Bogus Conspiracy Theories About Midterm-Election TheftHouse GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is still whitewashing his party’s terrible performance in his home state with lurid tales unsupported by evidence.

By Ed Kilgore

conspiracy theories Aug. 12, 2019

The Conspiracist-in-ChiefTrump gravitates toward outlandish conspiracy theories to explain a fairly straightforward phenomenon: People don’t like him.

By Zak Cheney-Rice

jeffrey epstein Aug. 11, 2019

Trump and Others Turn to Conspiracy Theories After Epstein’s DeathA look at some the suspects being suggested by the president, pundits, and others in response to the shocking death by suicide of Jeffrey Epstein.

By Matt Stieb and Chas Danner

conspiracy theories Aug. 7, 2019

All the Evidence That This Deeply Chaotic YouTuber Marriage Is FakeTana Mongeau finally admitted that her marriage to Jake Paul isn’t legal. But … she swears it’s real.

By Amanda Arnold

aliens July 19, 2019

This Area 51 Thing Is Getting Out of HandMillions of people have now responded to the Facebook event, prompting a response from the Air Force.

By Hannah Gold

keeping up with the royals May 2, 2019

Look Into Your Heart … Has Meghan Markle’s Baby Arrived?The palace says one thing, but the public senses another.

By Kelly Conaboy

#freebritney Apr. 24, 2019

What’s Going on With These #FreeBritney Protests?Some fans, convinced the singer has been confined to a treatment facility against her will, have taken to the streets.

By Hannah Gold

border crisis Apr. 22, 2019

FBI Arrests Far-Right Militia Leader Detaining Migrants at GunpointLarry Mitchell Hopkins was once arrested for impersonating an officer. His vigilante group, United Constitutional Patriots, appears to be at it again.

By Matt Stieb

conspiracy theories Apr. 20, 2019

What Do the Chickens in Sunglasses Even Mean, Taylor?And how will a certain population of fans twist it into confirmation of Kaylor?

By Bethy Squires

q&a Apr. 16, 2019

What Drives Someone to Become a Conspiracy Theorist?The Cut spoke to Anna Merlan about Pizzagate, paranoia peddlers, and her debut book Republic of Lies.

By Amanda Arnold

conspiracy theories Apr. 13, 2019

Even Conspiracy Theories Have Gotten Dumber, a New Book ShowsA Lot of People Are Saying plumbs “the new conspiracism,” conspiracy theory without the theory.

By Jesse Singal

marriage: an investigation Apr. 4, 2019

What the Melania Body-double Conspiracy Says About the Trumps’ MarriageIt reinforces the notion that Melania is more a category of person than an irreplaceable individual.

By Rhonda Garelick

game of theories Apr. 2, 2019

The Best Fan Theories About Game of Thrones’ Final SeasonFollowing the most-hyped reveal in Westerosi history—the confirmation of R+L=J—the field is open for other favorite fan theories to prove themselves.

By Alicia Lutes

conspiracy theories Mar. 28, 2019

Siegfried and Roy’s Tiger Trainer Says Cover-Up Hid the Reason Roy Was AttackedHuman error, not an onstage stroke, may have been to blame.

By Bethy Squires

nra Mar. 28, 2019

NRA Official Emailed Conspiracist to Spread Doubt on Parkland Day After ShootingThe day after Parkland, an NRA instructor emailed a man who had harassed Sandy Hook parents, prodding him to question reports on the shooting.

By Matt Stieb

conspiracy theories Mar. 26, 2019

Unpacking Reddit’s Wildest Theory About UsIf the fingerless glove fits …

By Rebecca Alter

crime Mar. 18, 2019

Man Suspected of Killing Gambino Mob Boss Drew QAnon Symbols on Hands in CourtCriminal conspiracy and far-right conspiracy theories overlap at the extradition hearing of a Staten Island man who allegedly killed a mobster.

By Matt Stieb

flat-earthers Feb. 19, 2019

Can You Believe YouTube Caused the Rise in Flat-Earthers?Big if true.

By Madison Malone Kircher

lyndon larouche Feb. 13, 2019

Political Cult Leader Lyndon LaRouche Dies at 96At first a Marxist and later a right-wing conspiracy theorist, LaRouche thrived on deception and the fanatical support of his followers to the end.

By Ed Kilgore

youtube Feb. 11, 2019

Don’t Congratulate YouTube for Trying to Tame the Conspiracy Monster It CreatedThe company announced it is no longer recommending conspiracy videos. That’s long overdue.

By Madison Malone Kircher

the matrix Feb. 8, 2019

15 Irrefutable Reasons Why We Might Be Living in a SimulationWeird news. Quarks with computer code. Missing aliens. The evidence discussed on a few sub-Reddits might actually be plausible.

By Matt Stieb

the matrix Feb. 6, 2019