As the internet and social media gain users, different ideas are able to come together. Sometimes these ideas create fake news or conspiracy theories, which can be harmful because it makes it harder for people to discern reality from things people made up.
An example of one such theory is the “Thank you, Beyoncé” meme on TikTok. Please note this is a conspiracy theory that people on TikTok made up. It is not necessarily true or based on evidence!! The TikTok conspiracy theory claims that Beyoncé and P. Diddy are rigging award shows and killing other celebrities to help Beyoncé. The conspiracy theory heavily revolves around the song “She Knows” by J. Cole. Listeners believed that “She” was referring to Diddy, as his name is Sean, and “Knows” references Beyoncé’s maiden name, Knowles. The song mentions Left Eye, Aaliyah, and Michael Jackson, who all died on the 25th days of the various months they died in. The conspiracists said that they killed Tupac, which an Eminem song called “Fuel” alluded to. The motivation? To knock out Beyoncé and Diddy’s competition. These rumors surfaced last year, when Diddy was getting arrested, and are resurfacing again after Beyoncé won album of the year for Cowboy Carter. Supposedly, the incident at the VMAs in 2009 where Kanye West “stole” Taylor Swift’s moment was really to save Swift from facing Diddy and Beyoncé’s wrath. West came onstage during Swift’s acceptance speech of the award and thanked Beyoncé, which took away from Swift’s award and turned the special moment into an infamous incident. After Diddy’s arrest, and the supposed connections to Beyoncé and the deaths of various artists, TikTok users made connections between the “murders” and West coming onstage to thank Beyoncé. The meme where TikTok users “thanked” Beyoncé was a reference to this theory, and to the pattern of singers thanking Beyoncé when they win awards. The meme served as a representation of how they wanted to prevent her from killing them.
This conspiracy theory, however, takes attention away from the real issue. Sean Combs (Diddy) has taken advantage of many girls and women in the industry. Numerous people, some underage, have filed lawsuits against Sean Combs regarding sexual abuse, dating back to 1991. On September 16, 2024, Combs was arrested in his hotel room for racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. In addition to these charges, he was also connected to kidnapping, forced labor, and more. More details regarding his “Freak-Offs” were revealed during his court appearance. Combs is currently on trial, which started on May 12 and will last approximately eight weeks. Despite the many charges, he will only face up to 15 years in jail.
The conspiracy theory is obviously very far fetched, but it still has gained a lot of traction and attention on TikTok. It, in some ways, takes away from the seriousness of what Combs did and undermines the importance of ensuring he faces consequences for his actions. Most celebrities have not commented on the situation regarding Diddy, and as of right now we do not know what will happen or if he will spend time in jail. It’s very unlikely that the “Thank you, Beyoncé” conspiracy theory is true, but the accusations against Diddy are, and they are important to take seriously.