From Jim Carrey to Megan Fox: Inside the bizarre celebrity 'clone' conspiracies that have plagued A-listers for years

Jim Carrey is one of many celebrities who have had to swerve the utterly bizarre rumour of being a clone.

Yes, it may sound ridiculous. But over the years, huge stars such as Avril Lavigne and Megan Fox have faced the outrageous conspiracy theory that they're actually a genetic copy of another individual.

While completely unfounded, the rumours have been around as far back as the '60s – with conflicting theories, ideas, rumours and beliefs all feeding the storm.

The most interesting part of these theories is the split in beliefs of the people who spread them.

Most conspiracy theorists can't agree on whether the clone theory means the celebrity was literally cloned with DNA, or if they were just replaced by a look-alike.

They also can't agree on the "why" of the matter – why would agents and music labels create clones of celebrities?

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While most of the clone rumours come from conspiracy theorists, some have more interesting origins.

Ridiculous? Yes. But are we diving into it? Absolutely.

Paul McCartney

There's an odd conspiracy claiming Beatle Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike named William Campbell to spare the public from grief.

It's said that Britain's M15 replaced the singer, with the band secretly trying to convey that McCartney had been replaced through subtle details in their albums.

McCartney himself parodied the theory, naming his live album Paul is Live. 

While the word clone wasn't widely used at the time, it's the first notable example of the clone conspiracy theories.

Avril Lavigne

The rabbit hole of celebrity clone theories is literally never-ending, but the Avril Lavigne theory is arguably the most popular and well-known.

A wild theory emerged on a blog online in 2011, simply titled Avril is Dead.

The theory goes on for pages, alleging the Sk8er Boi singer died after her debut album Let Go dropped.

It is said that the singer's grandfather died after the album came out, and that Avril passed away shortly after.

Her doppelgänger friend, Melissa Vandella, was said to have taken her place as Avril Lavigne.

The theory somehow reached the masses, with literally thousands of people believing the theory.

Eventually, the creator of the blog admitted they made up the whole thing to prove how easy it is to get people to believe things they see online.

Of course, many people who believed the theory never saw the admission, and people around the world still believe that Lavigne is a clone.

Jim Carrey

The man of the hour, Jim Carrey, is the most recent celebrity to dodge accusations of being a clone.

The comedy icon usually stays out of the public eye, but he caught some unwanted attention at the César Awards in Paris on February 26.

His appearance, which was deemed as unrecognisable, sparked bizarre theories, including that a make-up artist had impersonated him with the help of a mask, or that he had simply been cloned.

The theories came years after an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show in 2014, where he made a triangle symbol with his hand and stuck his tongue through it.

When Kimmel asked what the sign was, Carrey replied "Like you don't know what it is."

"I have no idea," Kimmel replied.

"Come on Jimmy," Carrey continues. "The time is up, people are hip to this stuff, I'm here tonight to blow the lid off it, to be the whistleblower. I'm sick and tired of the secrets and the lies, it is the secret symbol of the Illuminati, you're a part of it."

It was obvious that Carrey was doing a bit, making a joke about the rumours of a deep state – but theorists took it as an admission.

Ever since, the actor has been a target of these clone theories, with people believing that his cameo on the Kimmel show was the final nail in the coffin that caused him to be turned into a clone.

Megan Fox

Even one of the most beautiful women in the world can't escape rumours of cloning.

While most people haven't heard the Fox clone rumours, there seems to be one theory that suggests Fox isn't one person, but rather 23 people who switch in and out playing the star.

Unlike most of these rumours, the theory didn't start on social media.

The conspiracy came from a bizarre email sent in 2010 by an "anonymous whistleblower" to an apparent reporter named Jay Hernandes, who doesn't exist.

It was sent to a media outlet called AVClub, which published the email in a clearly satirical article.

It reads like a fever dream, so I'll sum it up for you.

Most of the theory relies on the fact that (apparently) six body doubles can be spotted playing Megan's character in Jennifer's Body. 

Keep in mind, it is not unusual for Hollywood to use body doubles in films, especially in stunts or scenes shot from behind.

Even all these years later, the Transformers actress has been accused of being a clone once again.

After taking a break from social media, Fox returned to Instagram with new pictures of herself.

One fan wrote underneath the post, "This isn't Megan. This is a Clone."

Fox, who clearly finds the theory ridiculous, replied back, "B-tch, a clone could never," implying that a clone could never look as beautiful as her (and she's not wrong).

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