Reason why conspiracy theorists believe Katy Perry could be JonBenét Ramsey

Throughout the years, there have been many conspiracies surrounding the death of pageant winner, JonBenét Ramsey, but the belief that she is Katy Perry is pretty out there.

For those who may not know, the unexplained death of JonBenét has been baffling people since the youngster tragically lost her life around Christmas in 1996.

At the time, the six-year-old was found dead in the basement of her parents' home in Boulder, Colorado, and an autopsy revealed she died via strangulation, with a homemade garrotte found nearby.

Now, even in 2026, JonBenét's murder remains unsolved, and while some think her family had something to do with it - despite them denying it for three decades - others think the child never actually died at all.

Instead, they believe she grew up to become Katy Perry, and before you roll your eyes, there are a lot of 'clues' theorists have pegged as potential evidence.

Where did the theory begin?

While Perry herself has only recently shared her thoughts on the theory, it's something that's been floating around for more than a decade.

It seems like it all started in 2014, when a seven-minute video titled 'JonBenét Ramsey is singer Katy Perry' went viral with a string of claims which linked Perry to JonBenét.

The original video has since been deleted, but it claimed that Perry's parents were actually John and Patsy Ramsey - the parents of JonBenét. It further claimed that her death was actually part of a plan to allow her to become famous.

More recently, an AI-generated video showing JonBenét morphing into Perry aimed to highlight the physical similarities between the pair.

Katy Perry has been pegged as being the little girl (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Variety via Getty Images)

'Links' between Perry and JonBenét

To back the claim, internet users have pointed to similarities in Perry and JonBenét's bone structures, particularly in their eyebrows, jaws, and noses.

Another piece of 'evidence' in the theory stems from a 2011 interview Perry conducted with Vanity Fair, in which she reportedly made reference to JonBenét, who was a child beauty queen prior to her death.

Perry is quoted as saying: "Not that I was one of those stage kids. There was no JonBenét Ramsey inside of me waiting to burst out."

Some theorists have speculated this comment was actually a hint at Perry's real identity - despite her saying she was effectively the opposite of JonBenét.

JonBenét was just six when she was killed (Netflix)

What have people said about the theory?

Despite the fact that police in Boulder have spoken extensively about JonBenét's death, the theory took the internet by storm and appeared to convince a lot of users.

Writing on X in 2022, one person wrote: "Before we end 2022 I just wanna say that JonBenet Ramsey is actually Katy Perry…"

Another X user claimed to share a whole thread on the theory, writing: "Why we know that Katy Perry is JonBenét Ramsey, a thread."

Perry herself also weighed in after she saw the AI-generated video, simply writing: "wait am i."

The theory is flawed (Getty Stock Images)

Problems with the theory

Again, beyond the fact that police have confirmed JonBenét to be dead, there are a number of holes with the theory.

The first is the fact that Perry was born in 1984 - making her five years older than JonBenét, who was born in August 1990.

Perry was also, as I mentioned, born in California, in comparison to JonBenét who was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

Finally, Perry also has her own parents, Mary Christine (née Perry) and Maurice Keith Hudson.