The conspiracy theories of Beyoncé’s reign over the music industry have plagued users on social media for months. After videos of numerous celebrities “thanking” Beyoncé in award acceptances went viral, the online community began to formulate a complex web of plots and subplots that connected Beyoncé to the dark side of the entertainment industry.
It started when a conspiracy theorist’s video of J. Cole’s song “She Knows” started to gain attention. The song alludes to the so-called mysterious deaths of singers like Aaliyah, Left Eye and Michael Jackson, all of which the infamous rapper P. Diddy is believed to be involved in. Users on social media even noticed how similar “she knows” sounds like “she Knowles” — “Knowles” being Beyoncé’s legal last name, hinting to the idea that Beyoncé might have something to do with the many serious allegations against Diddy.
After seeing the highly controversial lawsuits involving Diddy, the public was fully focused on the darker side of the entertainment industry — one that had never truly been uncovered yet. Beyoncé’s connections with Diddy through her husband, Jay-Z, meant that she was swept into a wave of infamy that only led her to shore of the allegations of being complicit (and potentially leading) the twisted schemes that occur in Hollywood.
Then there are the acceptance speeches at awards shows. Fans started recognizing the pattern of many famous artists thanking Beyoncé in them, sometimes going out of their way to do so. For example, at the 2017 Grammy Awards, singer Adele decided to break her award for Album of the Year in half, splitting it with Beyoncé. Following this, similarly, at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Lizzo also thanked Beyoncé in her acceptance speech. Later the same night, Harry Styles won Album of the Year for his album, “Harry’s House.” As he attempted to give an acceptance speech, audience members booed and shouted, strongly believing that Beyoncé was the true winner.
Additionally, when Kanye West infamously interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in order to support Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” he was met with huge backlash from the public for his actions. This controversy has followed both Swift and West throughout their careers; however, as of late, there has been a slight change in public perception to his action as people started to believe that West was doing his best to protect Swift, as she was a relatively new artist and might not have been familiar with the theme of artists who win against Beyoncé often going out of their way to excessively praise her out of fear of industry repercussions.
Even at the recent 2025 Grammys, many fans were shocked when Beyoncé’s country album, “Cowboy Carter,” won multiple awards over what they considered stronger contenders. This only reinforced their belief that she holds undue influence over the music industry, with some convinced that questionable subterfuge is happening behind the scenes.
While these far-fetched conspiracy theories may have gained traction, the reason is that the music industry has an undeniable and unsettling dark side — one shaped by secrecy, power struggles and whispered rumors. Theories like these thrive because of the industry’s pattern of power being concentrated in the hands of a few, leaving fans questioning what goes on behind the scenes. So just to be safe, we’ll say what so many others have said: Thank you, Beyoncé.
