Has Kanye West been cloned? The dark truth behind theory he ‘isn’t the same person’ anymore-Brooke Ivey Johnson-Entertainment – Metro

If you thought the conspiracy theories your weird aunt posts on Facebook couldn’t get any wilder, wait until she finds out about the Kanye West clone rumour. 

Reality star Kristin Cavallari just mainstreamed the niche internet theory by discussing it on her Let’s Be Honest podcast, claiming she wholeheartedly ‘believes it.’

The 37-year-old referred to an online discussion topic that has faded in and out of obscurity over the past several years.

The theory posits that rapper Kanye West, 47, has been replaced by a clone who looks almost identical to him and is living his life in his place.

The ‘evidence’ to support the claim includes the assertion that Kanye’s physical appearance has drastically changed in recent years, with his face supposedly changing shape and his height increasing by several inches. 

Purveyors of the idea also claim that nefarious – possibly government or Illuminati – forces were responsible for the shift, with their motivation being that Kanye was ‘speaking too much truth.’ 

Kristen Cavallari spoke about the crazy theory on a recent episode of her podcast (Picture: Instagram/ kristin cavallari)

The TV star claimed on her podcast that Kanye has said ‘too much’ in recent years, and therefore the version that is presenting himself to the world right now isn’t actually him.

She continued: ‘I think there are clones, and I think Kanye is a clone. Remember when he was talking a lot? He was really saying too much and the cabal didn’t like that.’

The word ‘cabal’ – which means a secret political clique or faction – has become a buzzword among American far-right conspiracy theorists in recent years. It’s usually used to refer to an ambiguous, usually left-wing, usually Jewish, group of powerful forces bent on keeping ‘the truth’ (another ambiguity) from being found out by the average citizen. 

When QAnon supporters discuss the fantasy that President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election, they often blame ‘the cabal’ for the subterfuge.

The same term comes up among those who, more recently, have become convinced with zero evidence that federal responders are diverting disaster relief money to house undocumented migrants in the wake of Hurricane Milton, which devastated a large swatch of the South Eastern United States earlier this month. 

Conspiracy theorists online are comparing old pictures of Kanye to new pictures and claiming he looks vastly different (Picture: Getty/ Backgrid)

It seems that if you want to blame somebody for something, ‘the cabal’ is a reliable catch-all among conspiracy-minded right-wingers who are falling victim to misinformation more and more often in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election. 

Cavallari continued: ‘He [Kanye] said, “If I go away and I come back and I look different, that is not me.” And what the f*** happened? He was gone. Remember when he fell off the face of the earth?

‘Compare old photos of him. It’s not the same f****** person!’

She also insisted that Britney Spears has been replaced by a clone, to which guest co-host Justin Anderson argued that he had worked with Britney’s sister Jamie Lynn on multiple occasions, but the Laguna Beach star refused to back down.

The theory is more widespread online than one might assume (Picture: X)

She said: ‘I believe this with every ounce of my body but people who are going to come out and say something get killed.’

Cavallari initially posted a TikTok of her espousing the theory but later deleted it from her account, but that hasn’t stopped the idea from spreading with increased gusto. Cavallari has 4.9million followers on Instagram alone.

The theory first began circulating several years ago thanks to an interview clip in which Kanye said: ‘If I ever go anywhere you’ll know why.’

The video is often misquoted, with many people (including Cavallari) remembering the quote as: ‘If I ever disappear and come back, it’s not me.’

While some people spreading the theory online seem to only be looking to cause controversy or ‘rage bait’ to get engagement, a quick scroll through Reddit or X makes it all too evident that many people seem to buy into the idea. 

X user @CarolinaIsabelF wrote: ‘Honestly, I kind of agree with Kristin on this one—Kanye has been acting super weird lately. Whether it’s the clone theory or not, something definitely feels off. It wouldn’t be the first time strange things happen in Hollywood, and when people start exposing secrets, you never know how far the powers-that-be will go to keep things quiet. It’s definitely got me thinking!’

@Sweetemmilyn posted: ‘Lol. Does make you think. Kanye totally reversed course after his forced lockdown. No longer freedom loving talk. Went back to creepy and angry, dating a sexpot, and doesn’t care about her being modest like he did with Kim. So I have to lean toward the possibility she’s right though.’ 

Comments on the clip of Cavallari explaining the theory are shockingly in agreement with her (Picture: Instagram)

@DavidLCorbo posted a recent photo of the rapper with the caption: ‘This is NOT Kanye. This is a clone. The man recently called himself the new Jesus and I said to myself “that’s it, we’ve lost him.” But I can’t ignore what my eyes are seeing. This ain’t him. Fight me.’

Cavallari also posted the clip on her Instagram and the comments are…startling.

@ginalolla wrote: ‘The fact that people (like your cohost) think there’s absolutely no way this could happen, is astonishing to me. I think everyone just doesn’t want to believe how much control some people have in this world.’

@hbsellsohaz agreed, writing: ‘Girl you are awake.’

@stephanieannfenton posted: ‘Yesssssss Kristin!!!! Love you more!!! 🙌🙌 it’s not freaking Kanye!!! Look at Diddy too. His eyes are so close together now and it doesn’t even look like him.’

There are also those online who are quick to laugh at the theory, with one Reddit user writing: ‘Ye clone theory is ridiculous and nobody ever gives a reason as to why he would be cloned.’

There are plenty of Kanye-clone deniers online as well (Picture: Reddit)

Any difference in Kanye’s appearance can most reasonably be chalked up to the simple passage of time, something that seems lost on posters sharing side-by-side photos of Kanye from 2006 and 2024 and going on about how different he looks after 20 years of aging.

Many also reference a photo in which Kanye is obviously wearing shoulder pads, claiming the difference in his shoulders proves he’s a copy of the original rapper.

As for the erraticness of his opinions and social media outbursts, the story is likely much simpler and sadder than a government clone.

The rapper, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has been displaying increasingly erratic behaviour in recent years, clearly suffering from the symptoms of the mental health disorder. 

Many of the posts about the theory of strong antisemitic undertones (Picture: X)

But logic is obviously not at the forefront of the ‘Kanye is a clone’ movement. Instead, the theory is likely rooted in thinly veiled anti-semitism.

The Gold Digger rapper sparked controversy for antisemitic remarks in 2023, resulting in his being banned from Twitter and Instagram for violating the rules of the social media platforms. 

He later apologised for the comments and hasn’t spoken on the topic since – which Kanye clone-conspiracy-theorists think proves he was replaced by a pawn beholden to powerful forces who don’t want him revealing dangerous ‘truths.’ 

Many online users think instances in which Kanye has worn should pads proves he’s a clone (Picture: Getty/ Backgrid)

Many posts about the theory refer to these remarks when discussing the ‘truths’ Kanye was supposedly telling.

One Redditor not-so-subtly posted: ‘He got taken out for speaking the truth, that’s a clone. We all know who ended him, it’s the certain group of people he criticised in his tweets…’

It’s worth noting Cavallari may be unaware of the antisemitic and right-wing undertones of the Kanye clone theory and just thinks the rapper has looked different recently.

But the seemingly harmless conspiracy is part of a larger, more complex web of misinformation that has infected right-wing American politics to a dangerous degree – and Cavallari’s endorsement is further proof that these ideas are finding their way into the mainstream.

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