In reading conspiracy theories about Beyoncé, I came to believe that our society is always ready to attack women, particularly women of color.

To give some background, a TikTok trend recently emerged where people thank Beyoncé for anything and everything that happens in their lives, from monumental life events to the mundane. An example would be someone posting a video about something terrible happening, like getting in a car crash, and then saying, “I forgot to thank Beyoncé.” This trend is really funny and seemingly harmless. 

The “thanking Beyoncé” trend comes from an obvious pattern seen in acceptance speeches at awards ceremonies. Artists frequently thank Beyoncé during their speeches, especially when they win in a category over her. Artists who have publicly praised Beyoncé in their speeches include Lizzo, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Adele. When Adele won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2017, over Beyoncé’s iconic “Lemonade” album, Adele spoke about how Beyoncé inspires her, even calling Beyoncé “the artist of [her] life.”

Some people think this pattern occurs because Beyoncé is some godlike figure who would be vengeful if people did not give her kudos. I believe that it comes solely from her influence, and many of these artists are sincere because they either envy or fear Beyoncé’s influence. 

Although the “thanking Beyoncé” trend is mostly innocent, some viral conspiracy theories about her are troubling. They go as far as to accuse Beyoncé of having involvement in the deaths of other famous artists, including Left Eye, Aaliyah, and Michael Jackson, because, supposedly, she saw them as threats to her career and fame. Supporters of this theory point to J. Cole’s song “She Knows” as evidence through its lyrics, and they believe that the song title is a play on Beyoncé’s maiden name, Knowles. 

These theories have no concrete evidence but have gone ridiculously viral. The virality of these theories reflects a larger issue: society is very willing to vilify powerful women, especially women of color, rather than powerful men. This issue is systemic in today’s media and American culture. Many believe that this was visible in the 2024 presidential election because an aging felon was voted president by the majority of American citizens over a strong candidate, who is a woman of color.

These conspiracy theories about Beyoncé became viral after disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested. Beyoncé and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, have been connected to Diddy for many years and even appear in photos from his infamous white parties. This association caused many to speculate about her involvement in Diddy’s crimes despite there being no evidence to support these claims. It is worth noting that many other celebrities were present at these parties, many of whom were likely not there to be a part of Diddy’s crimes.

While there isn’t evidence that Beyoncé committed crimes with Diddy, she did stay silent about all of his crimes. With how close Diddy and Jay-Z were, I find it hard to believe she knew nothing about his crimes. As an advocate for female empowerment, it is surprising and contradictory that Beyoncé, like Jay-Z, remains silent about Diddy’s troubling behavior. Critiquing Beyoncé’s silence in this case is valid, but it is unfair to make claims about her possible involvement. It is also absurd that these conspiracy theories surrounding Beyoncé’s involvement have received so much traction online when the clear focus should be on the proven and heinous crimes that Diddy committed.

The pattern of celebrities thanking Beyoncé led to an absurd conspiracy theory about Kanye West and Beyoncé, proving that society is more likely to blame women than men. Some people believe that when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs, saying, “I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time,” he was trying to protect Taylor from Beyoncé’s supposed wrath. Even though this moment was controversial for years, they are now praising Kanye. I find this crazy. This clearly was an incident of erratic behavior, not him protecting Taylor Swift.

It is important to acknowledge that Beyoncé is not entirely innocent. It is disappointing that, with all of her social power, she has not used her platform to condemn Diddy’s actions. The “thanking Beyoncé” trend is legitimately funny, but its mockery points to a real pattern that occurs due to her massive influence. It is absurd that when Beyoncé is just existing as a celebrity and has not explicitly done anything, she is getting blamed for the erratic behaviors of other male celebrities, particularly Diddy and Kanye.

We must also be careful not to turn funny trends into harmful conspiracy theories. People quickly believed that Beyoncé helped Diddy despite no evidence supporting such accusations. These types of conspiracy theories are not only dangerous attacks; they overshadow the proven crimes Diddy committed. It is essential that we do not villainize women for holding power and that we hold celebrities of all genders to the same moral standard.