Content warning: This piece contains explicit language.
Rumble, an extreme right-wing video-sharing platform that has been the official streaming site of the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates, on December 4 listed as one of its “editor picks” a video featuring a conspiracy theory about supposed “lizard people” controlling the world.
The lizard people conspiracy theory, also known as the reptilian conspiracy theory, was popularized by infamous conspiracy theorist David Icke. Business Insider noted the likely antisemitic background of the concept, noting that Icke’s written commentary about the conspiracy theory is “clearly evocative of the centuries-old blood-libel conspiracy theory, which alleged that a cabal of Jews were controlling the world and drinking the blood of Christian children.” The lizard people conspiracy theory has also been tied to multiple violent incidents, including a man who killed his brother with a sword in 2019 and a man who exploded his recreational vehicle in downtown Nashville in 2020.
Rumble’s “editor picks” section is apparently curated to highlight specific videos available on the platform. A video titled “Lizard Climate Scam ReeEEeE Stream 12-03-23” was featured in Rumble’s “editor picks” section on December 4. The video was posted by “TheSaltyCracker,” who has amplified conspiracy theories and harmful rhetoric before. The thumbnail features an image of King Charles III with a long cartoon tongue sticking out, seemingly a reference to the conspiracy theory about lizard people.
