11 Insane Conspiracy Theories and Myths in Pop Culture People Believed to Be True

The answer: aliens who have been in our society since ancient civilization. Kidding! This time, there is no History Channel show that will explain these far-fetched theories.

Celebrities are not immune to elaborate conspiracy theories that concoct details about their lives. The most popular and widespread legend about Hollywood celebs is their affiliation with the Illuminati.

The Illuminati is a secret society associated with the Enlightenment era and was founded in 1776. The highly secretive organization is believed to have many ties in every industry in existence.

Their association with celebrities (and the government) is meant to give aspiring artists a leg up in the saturated industry. Having help from the Illuminati is apparently the only sure way, aside from trading your soul to the devil, to "make it" in Tinseltown.

These types of rumors and urban legends used to spread like wildfire from one person to another through rag magazines, radio shows, and in-person chats. Now, it's easier to spread these theories through the use of the worldwide web.

You would think that immediate access to all the information in the world would make it easier to disprove these conspiracies, but it is the exact opposite. It is now easier than ever to make conspiracies like these go viral.

So what were some of the pop culture conspiracies that many people believed and still believe to be true? Keep scrolling down the rabbit hole to find out.

1. Our friendly neighbor Mister Rogers was a sniper during the Vietnam War, where he developed anger issues. He was advised by his therapist to get involved in children's shows to cope with it.

PBS / Courtesy of Everett Collection / Tim Page / Getty Images

Mister Rogers was never in the military. He began working for a TV station in 1953 and started Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in the 60s.

PBS

2. Yoko Ono killed John Lennon if you listen to the song "Kiss Kiss Kiss" backwards, where you can hear her "confess" she shot her husband.

Geffen / Capitol

This wasn't true, of course. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman in New York City after a recording session.

Evan Agostini / Bettmann / Getty Images

3. Lindsay Lohan had a twin sister named Kelsey, but she killed her before the release of the movie The Parent Trap.

Disney

The actress doesn't have a twin; she played both of the sisters in the movie through movie magic and a body double.

Disney / Via youtube.com

4. Cass Elliot from the band The Mamas and the Papas died from choking on a ham sandwich.

New Line Cinema / Dunhill ABC

She actually passed away due to a heart attack, but her manager and friend, Alan Carr, asked a paper to write the sandwich story to save her reputation (she allegedly had a drug problem).

Donaldson Collection / Getty Images / People / Via people.com

5. An '80s urban myth: Richard Gere was rushed to the E.R. because he inserted a gerbil up his rectum for pleasure.

Bertrand Rindoff Petroff / Alicia Lohnes / EyeEm / Getty Images

The actor believes Sylvester Stallone started the rumor as revenge for kicking him off a film they were in together.

Paramount Pictures / Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection / Via uproxx.com

6. Katy Perry is JonBenét Ramsey.

The morbid online theorists believe that JonBenét Ramsey wasn't really dead. There's a less sad reason why she's famous: she's all grown up, and we all know her by the name of Katy Perry.

Axel Koester / Getty Images / Capitol

JonBenét Ramsey's death is still unsolved; the theory that she's Katy Perry was started by several YouTube conspiracy theorists.

CBS

7. Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson's son was born in 2016; his fans believed the baby was actually a doll or didn't exist at all.

whasting / Via whasting.tumblr.com

The parents of the newborn kept their baby away from the public eye.

whasting / Via whasting.tumblr.com

They did share some photos of him every now and then, but that didn't help because fans believed the images were just photoshopped or someone else's child they borrowed.

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8. TV host Wendy Williams told her audience that Beyoncé's baby bump was fake after she appeared in an Australian interview.

She said when the singer sat down for the show, her "fake bump" got squashed down and crumpled. She replayed the video for her viewers and slowed down the footage until her fans believed her.

Fox

Several videos of the pregnant singer were released during her tour in 2014.

HBO

9. The "Paul is Dead" theory posits that Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike.

Beatles fans believed the legend died on November 9, 1966, after his car skidded on an icy road. He was then replaced by a double named Billy Shears.

Icon and Image / Getty Images / Apple

Their belief solidified when they played the "White Album" backwards and heard "Paul is dead" in between songs.

NBC / NBCU Photo Bank / Getty Images

10. People thought that an actor playing a munchkin hanged himself on the set of the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939).

While Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow were merrily skipping on the Yellow Brick Road, people believed they saw a tragic death happening. That dark figure was actually an exotic bird from the L.A. Zoo borrowed by the producers to complete the wilderness look.

MGM

Many still believe the classic film is cursed because of the multiple accidents that occurred during filming.

MGM

11. Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death and will one day be brought back to life.

Some even went as far as to believe that the late media mogul was buried in a freezer-type coffin under the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. Sadly, X does not mark the spot, as the Disney founder was actually cremated and buried at a California cemetery.

Alfred Eisenstaedt / Getty Images / NBC

The rumors surrounding his death started almost immediately after his passing. It didn't help that "former employees" were spreading stories supporting the false narrative.

Barry King / WireImage / Getty Images

All eleven conspiracies have already been factually proven to be false. Still, we encourage you to do your own searches and see for yourself just how untrue they are.

Spreading lies is a sin, kids, and it hurts the lives and reputations of the people involved. Be careful what you claim to be true, especially on the internet, or else the FBI agent surveilling you will be disappointed.