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- QAnon influencers are outraged over Lil Nas X's "Satan Shoes" and new music video.
- The far-right conspiracy theory is taking cues from right-wing influencers and pundits.
- The QAnon connection comes as no surprise, as believers accuse their enemies of being Satanists.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
As right-wing politicians and pundits wage war against Lil Nas X for his "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" music video, which featured the artist simulating sex with the devil, QAnon influencers are also enraged.
It's the latest touchpoint for followers of the far-right conspiracy-theory movement that alleges the existence of a "deep state" cabal of human traffickers. QAnon social-media influencers are seeking new ways to push forward the movement that took a hit when President Joe Biden took office in January.
But the QAnon connection to the controversial music video, and accompanying "Satan Shoes," comes as no surprise: many believers of the baseless theory also claim that the cabal, which they say includes Chrissy Teigen and Hillary Clinton, worships Satan.
One Saturday message in a popular QAnon Telegram channel with 207,000 subscribers called Lil Nas X an "illuminati puppet" after he released his "Satan Shoes" to accompany the viral song. The shoes, sold by a Brooklyn-based startup called Mschf, are supposedly made with one drop of human blood.
A QAnon influencer with 102,000 subscribers who frequently posts about "blood drinking" and "Satanic ritual abuse" - Clinton and others have been accused by QAnon of consuming the blood of children, a trope based on centuries-old anti-Semitic claims - shared a bible verse on Friday night after the "Satan Shoes" were announced. "We are living in a time where Satan doesn't even hide anymore, and the world still can't see him," the verse said.
Nike is suing the shoemaker, alleging copyright infringement, as the shoe features Nike's Swoosh logo. But even as the brand distanced itself from the controversial shoes, one QAnon influencer told their Telegram followers on Tuesday morning that it was "TOO LATE."
QAnon thrives by finding its own angles on big news stories. When Oprah interviewed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, QAnon accused the TV host of wearing an ankle monitor, reigniting a 2020 conspiracy theory about her being part of the fictional human trafficking cabal. As Texas faced a statewide snow storm that knocked out electricity in millions of homes, QAnon influencers helped spread misinformation about the disaster.
The QAnon sphere takes cues from right-wing influencers and pundits like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, frequently putting its own spin on the "culture war" stories that are amplified on Carlson's Fox News show and on Owens' Twitter feed.
But in this situation in particular, QAnon outrage was expected, as the conspiracy theory's followers frequently accuse enemies of being Satanists. This is partially because the movement is highly connected to Christianity. As Insider's Sophia Ankel reported, several church leaders have been forced to leave their congregations after they were overrun with QAnon support.
Since 2017, "Q," the anonymous and now-offline figure who invented QAnon on fringe message boards, used the term "Satan" on 10 occasions in cryptic messages for followers, called "Q drops." On October 29, 2017, "Q" wrote that many people in the US government "worship Satan."