Explainer / What exactly is the Illuminati, and is Diddy’s son a member? King Combs was just seen wearing sweatpants with the secret society’s logo, and Beyoncé and Donald Trump are rumoured to be linked too

Apr 7 , 2024

Beyoncé has been accused by conspiracy theorists of being in the Illuminati. Photos: Unsplash; @illuminatiminds/Instagram

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ son King Combs has been spotted outside the rapper’s recently-raided LA mansion wearing sweatpants printed with an Illuminati logo, stirring up chatter online

Conspiracy theorists have long pondered the possibility that celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Madonna, Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump are involved in the mysterious secret society

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ son King Combs was spotted pacing outside his father’s LA mansion in late March. The video emerged in British media the day after his dad’s Los Angeles and Miami properties were raided by federal agents as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged sex trafficking.

With Diddy now in the news non-stop since shocking allegations against him came to light – from his exes’ abuse claims to sexual assault – King’s choice of outfit has raised eyebrows: the 26-year-old decided to wear sweatpants printed with an Illuminati logo.

King Combs outside his father’s home in LA wearing sweatpants featuring the Illuminati symbol. Photo: @veechannnel/Instagram

For years, conspiracy theorists have pondered the possibility that certain celebrities are involved in the mysterious, historical secret society. Considering the level of media attention on Diddy’s family right now, King Combs’ choice of clothing has unsurprisingly been taken as a sign by overzealous online sleuths, who are asking why he would wear such a symbol, and where did he even get such a piece of clothing in the first place?

While any real information about the Illuminati and the possibility of its existence in the modern age is scarce, it’s not stopped netizens from delving deep into its origins and relevance today. Here’s a quick explainer on the Illuminati, why people think it controls the world, and which celebs are believed to be connected to it:

How did the Illuminati begin?

According to Vox, the “Illuminati” refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, which operated from 1776 to 1785. Per the BBC, it began with just five law students, then expanded to over 2,000 members spread across Bavaria, France, Hungary, Italy and Poland, among others.

The same source explains that it was formed as a secret organisation to oppose religious influence on society. Inspired by the Freemasons and French Enlightenment philosophers, the group was created to counter the abuse of power by the state with the goal of fostering a “safe space for critique, debate and free speech”.

Who started the Illuminati?

The Illuminati was founded by German philosopher Adam Weishaupt, a descendant of Jewish converts to Christianity, according to National Geographic. Weishaupt was a professor of natural and canon law at the University of Ingolstadt who was convinced that religious ideas “were no longer an adequate belief system to govern modern societies”, per the same source. His goal was to create another form of “illumination” – a set of ideas and practices – that could, in his mind, change the way Europe was run for the better.