Chrissy Teigen is the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that exists in the deepest corners of celebrity fans.
Avid fans of famous actors and musicians are guilty of advancing many theories that range from the plausible to the absurd.
We’ve seen accusations of PR manipulation, fake relationships or even alleged attempts to cover up romances between the stars – such a theory has spread among One Direction fans as, despite the group’s split in 2015, fans are still clamoring for clues that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are secretly dating.
But false pregnancy theories are among the most cruel of these theories. Rooted in misogynistic ideas that women use pregnancies to “catch” their partners, these theories depict women as liars and try to “undress” their pregnancies – even after their children are born.
Chrissy Teigen is one of many celebrities accused of faking her pregnancy.
Teigen, who announced her pregnancy in early August after overcoming the devastating death of her newborn son in 2020, joins a list that includes Sophie Hunter, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Meghan Markle and Amber Heard – it should be noted that Heard has never claimed to have been pregnant, but critics are still trying to “prove” that her daughter was born via a surrogate.
The specifics vary from one celebrity to another, but the concept is basically the same across the board.
In the case of Beyoncé, Kardashian and Markle, conspiracy theorists believe they were wearing fake baby bumps. For Heard, they believe her 1-year-old daughter was hired for publicity.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s wife has been accused of having fake children.
For Sophie Hunter, fans believe she “trapped” her husband with fake pregnancies and babies that are actually dolls.
In 2020, Kaitlyn Tiffany, a writer for The Atlantic, spoke with a conspiracy theorist who had been running a Tumblr blog for years about Hunter. The theorist, who went by only her first name, Patty, claims Hunter has been blackmailing Cumberbatch into staying in a “fake” marriage for years.
“Even if it’s just on Tumblr, I want her to know that she’s not going to get away with it,” Patty told The Atlantic. “I want her to know that someone knows what she’s doing.”
Patty claims that “sources” began approaching her with information about the couple. She also claims she knew Hunter’s IP address and that she was a former companion and used drugs to control Cumberbatch.
“Every time I start to question it, one of my sources comes to me or something happens and pulls me back in,” Patti told the Atlantic. “I just fell down the rabbit hole and I’m not completely out of it yet.”
Another prominent figure in the celebrity gossip space is an entertainment attorney and blogger who goes by Enty.
He has run the gossip website Crazy Days and Nights since 2006 and regularly takes tips from his readers. He also produces a podcast for his Patreon supporters with at least 20 episodes per month.
Beyoncé and Meghan Markle were both accused of using secret surrogates.
Enty also told The Atlantic some of his celebrity conspiracy theories. He said it was “very clear” that Beyonce was using a surrogate and said it “didn’t make sense” that Markle supposedly had a bump when she was just two months pregnant.
While he has “no opinion” on Hunter and Cumberbatch’s first two children, he finds it odd that no one has supposedly seen their third child Finn, who was born in 2019.
Many of the celebrities involved in the conspiracies have denied the allegations outright.
Beyoncé called the rumors “stupid, ridiculous and false” through her publicist in October 2012. Kardashian also denied the false pregnancy claims by posting a pregnant, nude photo on Instagram.
Cumberbatch has also defended his family throughout the “scandal”, also criticizing the people who pedaled such claims.
“There are people who believe that my wife is a PR stunt and my child is a PR stunt,” Cumberbatch told Vanity Fair in October 2016.
“I think it’s really about the idea that ‘the internet’s boyfriend’ can’t really belong to anyone but the internet. It is impossible that it belongs to anyone but me. And that’s what stalking is. This is obsessive, delusional, really scary behavior.”
RELATED: Fan Theory Details That Kylie Jenner Was Secretly Kim Kardashian’s Surrogate
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Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. Follow him I tweet to continue with its content.