Ruth Bader Ginsburg appearing in public somehow doesn't convince conspiracy theorists she's alive


You would think Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg appearing at a public event would be enough to squash baseless conspiracy theories that she's secretly dead. But you'd be wrong.
On Monday, Ginsburg appeared in public for the first time since her cancer surgery, going to a concert held in her honor at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington. This event, and Ginsburg's appearance, was widely reported on by outlets like The Washington Post, The Associated Press, and CNN.
In spite of this, conspiracy theorists continued to latch on to their evidence-free claims that Ginsburg has actually died. On The_Donald, the pro-Trump Reddit community with more than 700,000 users, one of the top posts on Tuesday doubted the reports because "there are no pics of her." AP had reported photography wasn't allowed at the event. Several popular comments asserted that nobody saw Ginsburg at the event, despite the Post making clear that many people did see her, including the Post reporter himself.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
On Twitter, links to news articles about Ginsburg's appearance similarly faced skeptical replies, including from one user whose smoking gun was that the photo used of Ginsburg in CNN's report was not from the event, even though CNN never claimed it was and clearly captioned the picture as being from April 2017.
The baseless theory took root after Ginsburg first publicly announced health issues in late December, reports The Daily Beast. As they continue to grasp at straws, online conspiracy theorists will likely next latch on to Ginsburg potentially not appearing at the State of the Union on Tuesday night — even though, as the Post points out, she didn't go last year, either. But considering people at one point claimed former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had been literally replaced with a body double, the conspiracy may rage on despite all evidence.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US