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"There's a rumor online that I can't read or write? It's sad."
Celebrities are constantly the subject of gossip and rumors -- but sometimes the speculation about the lives of A-list stars gets a little out of hand. These stories turn into full blown conspiracy theories, with fans conducting their own investigations to find evidence to support their beliefs. Some of these wild conspiracy theories propose that major celebs have been killed off and replaced with clones while other theories question the paternity of famous families. For a few stars, fans take things a bit too far and they’re forced to speak out and shut things down.
Find out what these stars had to say about conspiracy theories…
1. Avril Lavigne
For years, some of Avril Lavigne’s fans have speculated that the singer died years ago and was replaced by a lookalike actress named Melissa Vandella. While Melissa initially only appeared in paparazzi photos, after Avril’s “death” her record label recruited her to record new music and appear in concerts and music videos. Although the conspiracy theory has gained traction over time, Avril says it’s not true at all -- but she does find it funny.
“There is a conspiracy theory that I’m not me,” Avril said during a recent appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. “Honestly, it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right? I feel like I got a good one. I don’t think it’s negative or anything creepy, so it’s like, we’re good…Obviously, I am me, it’s so dumb.”
2. Kate Middleton
The British royal family are constantly the subject of gossip and rumors but things were taken to a new level when Kate Middleton was hospitalized in January 2024. It was later revealed that she had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” -- despite the fact that she had previously scheduled events she had to postpone.
Rumors began swirling about what had happened to Kate, especially after Prince William suddenly canceled his plans to attend a memorial service for his godfather and then a photoshopped picture of Kate was released for Mother’s Day.
While some people joked Kate must have undergone a botched plastic surgery procedure, others believed that Kate had actually been killed. Amid all the conspiracy theories, Kate finally put the rumors to rest when she revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer. In a video, Kate opened up about why it took her so long to address things.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay,” Kate shared in a video.
3. Lady Gaga
Early in Lady Gaga’s career a conspiracy theory surfaced that the musician was actually transgender or intersex. Gaga was totally unphased by the constant rumors and when she was asked to address whether she has male genitalia in an interview, she said it truly shouldn’t matter.
“Maybe I do. Would it be so terrible?” Gaga said in the 60 Minutes interview. “Why the hell am I gonna waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis. My fans don’t care and neither do I.”
4. Lea Michele
For years, there have been rumors that Lea Michele doesn’t know how to read. It all began back in 2017 when hosts of the One More Thing podcast joked that the reason Lea purportedly did not like to improvise scenes, was because she had memorized lines read to her from the script and couldn't deviate from that. From there, the rumor exploded with fans finding “evidence” that Lea couldn’t read -- like her overuse of emojis as captions on social media instead of actual words.
Lea even took part in the fun by responding to tweets about the rumors but things eventually got out of hand. While speaking to the New York Times, Lea finally cleared things up.
“I went to Glee every single day. I knew my lines every single day. And then there’s a rumor online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn't be the case,” Lea said.
5. Khloé Kardashian
Throughout her life, Khloé Kardashian has faced conspiracy theories that she’s not actually completely related to her sisters. There have been rumors her mother Kris Jenner had an affair with family friend O.J. Simpson, and Khloé is actually his daughter. Khloé’s appearance has been picked apart and she’s often been compared to O.J.’s other children. But in an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloé put the rumors to rest.
“My dad is Robert Kardashian. My other dad is [Caitlyn] Jenner. I don’t need someone to tell me who my family is. I have had the blessing of having two phenomenal fathers. I don't need a DNA test to prove who my father is,” Khloé shared on the episode.
O.J. also spoke out about the conspiracy theory on the Full Send podcast, saying, “I always thought Kris was a cute girl, she was really nice, but you know I was dating supermodels. But the rumor ain’t true. Nowhere even close to being true.”
6. Taylor Swift
There have long been rumors that Taylor Swift has secretly dated several of her female friends, including Dianna Agron and Karlie Kloss. While Taylor has never directly addressed her sexuality, her reps have shut things down. After Taylor was reportedly seen kissing Karlie at a concert back in 2014, her reps called the rumors “crap.” Taylor even took to X [formerly Twitter] to address the incident.
“As my 25th birthday present from the media, I'd like for you to stop accusing all my friends of dating me. #thirsty,” Taylor tweeted.
Years later, Dianna also spoke out about the dating rumors, sharing that there was no truth to it.
“That [speculation] is so interesting. I mean, there have been many stories about my dating life that are so wildly untrue. That’s funny,” she told Rolling Stone.
7. Louis Tomlinson & Harry Styles
Former One Direction bandmates Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles also faced their fair share of dating rumors. Fans, who dubbed the alleged couple “Larry Stylinson,” created a conspiracy theory that Louis and Harry were secretly in a relationship. They even accused Louis’ son of being fake and a distraction from his true romance with Harry.
“I realized a few years ago that there is nothing I can say, there is nothing I can do to stop those who believe in this conspiracy," Louis shared with the Brazilian magazine g1. “I’m sure many people find all these little conspiracies interesting, [and] I’d be lying if I said it didn’t irritate me a little, but it’s the nature of the job. This is what we have now. There’s nothing I can do about it. There’s nothing I can say to stop people from inventing what they want to invent. So be it.”
8. Jamie Foxx
When Jamie Foxx suffered a medical emergency in April 2023, no one knew what was wrong with him. He has since kept the details of his medical issue under wraps, causing some conspiracy theories to develop. In one particular rumor, fans theorized that Jamie had actually died and been replaced with a clone -- which Jamie later shot down.
“You know, it’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago -- I couldn’t actually walk. I’m not a clone, I’m not a clone. I know a lot of people who were saying I was cloned out there,” he reportedly said during a Critics Choice Association event. “I want to thank everybody. I’ve been through something, I’ve been through some things. I cherish every single minute now — it’s different.”
9. Mindy Kaling & B.J. Novak
Ever since Mindy Kaling welcomed her two children, fans have speculated about the babies’ father. While Mindy has kept quiet about the paternity of her kids, many believe that her ex-boyfriend and former The Office co-star B.J. Novak is the father of both her son and daughter. Mindy has addressed the conspiracy theories, sharing that B.J. has an involved role in her children’s lives and the rumors don’t bother them.
“It doesn't bother me. He's the godparent to both my kids -- and they have such a great relationship -- and so far [the rumors haven’t] affected my happiness at all, it hasn't affected my kids or BJ… If that's what is going to be titillating to people, I’ll take it,” Mindy told Marie Claire.
10. Paul McCartney
Since the 1960s, Paul McCartney has faced conspiracy theories that he died in a fatal car crash and was replaced by a lookalike. Some fans believe that the remaining members of The Beatles began hiding clues in their music about Paul, including the song “A Day in the Life,” where the phrase “Paul is dead, miss him, miss him” can be heard when played backwards.
The rumors persisted for over 50 years until Paul finally addressed things during an episode of Carpool Karaoke. As for what Paul thought of it all, he said that “we just kind of let it go” after so many years.
“At that time everyone was stimulated with way too many stimulants, so it was a pretty crazy time…The Beatles, there were millions of legends and so we just kind of let them go, you know , there wasn’t really any way you could stop it,” Paul said.
