What is the Illuminati?

Belief in the secret society known as the Illuminati is one of the longest-running and most widespread conspiracy theories of our time.

Beyoncé, Madonna, Jay Z and Donald Trump are among the celebrities named as "collaborators" in the powerful elite group influencing the world, said indy100. For the "powerless and frustrated", it can be "pretty compelling" to believe the story that the "establishment is ruled by a corrupt elite and that we are but innocent pawns in their sinister game". Yet, "that's all it is, a story". And it is one that the "stars themselves have shrugged off or even mischievously fuelled".

While most of the rumours surrounding the Illuminati and its members are fiction, the group was at one time real – though its influence was not nearly as vast and enduring as modern conspiracists claim.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

How did the Illuminati start?

The Order of the Illuminati was a secret group founded in Bavaria in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt. He believed "the monarchy and the church were repressing freedom of thought", said National Geographic. Weishaupt "decided to find another form of 'illumination', a set of ideas and practices that could be applied to radically change the way European states were run". His society was partially inspired by the Freemasons, and was named the Order of the Illuminati to reflect the enlightened ideals of its educated members.

The society grew from a handful of men to a few thousand, including some influential members. The most famous is thought to have been the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, though this is disputed. But the society didn't last long after Karl Theodor, Duke of Bavaria, outlawed secret groups on punishment of death in the 1780s.

From 1785 onwards, the "historical record contains no further activities of Weishaupt's Illuminati", said Britannica. Yet, the order has continued to figure "prominently in conspiracy theories for centuries".

How did the conspiracy develop?

The Illuminati's modern-day renditions don't take much inspiration from Bavarian culture at all. Instead, experts say the 1960s "era of counter-culture mania, LSD and interest in Eastern philosophy is largely responsible for the group's (totally unsubstantiated) modern incarnation", said BBC Future. "It all began somewhere amid the Summer of Love and the hippie phenomenon, when a small, printed text emerged: Principia Discordia."

"Principia Discordia" was a "parody text for a parody faith – Discordianism", said the publication. It preached a form of anarchism, and promoted civil disobedience, including everything from practical jokes to hoaxes.

Some of the main proponents of this new ideology were writers Robert Anton Wilson and Kerry Thornley, who wanted to bring chaos back into society by spreading "misinformation through all portals – through counter-culture, through the mainstream media", said author and broadcaster David Bramwell.

Wilson and Thornley went on to turn their theories into a book, "The Illuminatus! Trilogy", which became a "surprise cult success". It was even transformed into a play, "launching the careers of British actors Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent".

The idea of a powerful global elite conspiring to rule the world remained a niche belief upheld by a handful of enthusiasts until the internet changed everything. It gave conspiracy theorists a global platform to expound their beliefs and present their evidence to a massive audience.

Why do people believe in the Illuminati?

If there is "one thing social media likes even more than conspiracy theories, it's Easter egg hunts: searching for hidden clues", said Indy100. "The Illuminati has those in abundance, most notably the so-called 'Eye of Providence' – an eye set within a triangle, which happens to feature on the reverse of the American one-dollar bill."

This has led to claims that some of the American Founding Fathers were members, with Thomas Jefferson accused in the aftermath of the American War of Independence.

Other associated symbols include pentagrams, goats and the number 666. Conspiracy theorists often analyse public events for "evidence" of Illuminati influence.

Joe Biden fanned the flames of the conspiracy theory in 2022 when he referred to a coming "new world order". It was clear "he was referring to the shifting sands of geopolitical relations in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine", said The Independent. However, this didn't stop social media lighting up with outlandish interpretations.

The Illuminati inspires our imaginations, "for better and for worse", said Discover magazine. Humans have a "natural nosiness", so secret societies are "irresistibly intriguing".

Who is supposedly a member?

Over the years, numerous pop culture icons have been accused of having links to the Illuminati – from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Rihanna, Madonna, Kim Kardashian and LeBron James. Beyoncé's immense fame and popularity have long made her a favourite target for conspiracy theorists. Illuminati "experts" seized upon her half-time performance at the 2013 Super Bowl, when she made a diamond shape with her hands, as an indicator of her affiliation with the group.

Jay-Z has also been accused of hiding secret symbols such as goat imagery and devil horns in his music videos. A hand symbol affiliated with his former music label, Roc-A-Fella Records, depicts a pyramid – one of the most well-known Illuminati logos.

Some musicians seem to enjoy deliberately playing with symbols connected to secret societies. For instance, Rihanna has incorporated Illuminati images into her music videos, and even jokes about the theories in the video for "S&M". It featured a montage of fake newspaper headlines, with one declaring her "Princess of the Illuminati".

David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, Jacob Rothschild and Queen Elizabeth II were all rumoured to be members. Katy Perry once told Rolling Stone the theory was the preserve of "weird people on the internet" but admitted she was flattered to be named among the supposed members: "I guess you've kind of made it when they think you're in the Illuminati!"