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Canadian singer Avril Lavigne recently addressed an ongoing conspiracy theory about her — that she was replaced by a look-alike named Melissa.
The singer, who grew up in Napanee, Ont., appeared on an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast this month, hosted by Alexandra Cooper. During the interview, which covered a wide range of topics from her childhood to her career, Cooper asked Lavigne about a “crazy rumour out there.”
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“Oh, yeah. That one…” replied Lavigne, before elaborating.
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What is the conspiracy theory?
The conspiracy theory is as follows: Lavigne is not herself. Rather, she is a look-alike named Melissa. The theory asserts that Lavigne actually died in the early 2000s and was replaced by a doppelgänger.
The rumours were fuelled by a post written in May 2011 on a blog site from Brazil called Avril Está Morta (translated to Avril is Dead). The blogger uses song lyrics and music videos as “proof” — although the post does not go into detail about how Lavigne could have died. It points out changes in some of Lavigne’s features, like her height and the shape of her nose. It also says her voice had changed.
How did the rumour spread?
A Buzzfeed reporter who travelled to Brazil claimed he played a role in popularizing the theory when he wrote an article about it in 2015. After it was published, the story was picked up by other American publications. The theory continued to snowball, with fans on social media writing long threads on X, formerly Twitter, that apparently explained what happened to the singer.
The rumour took on a life of its own, even leading to the creation of a Wikipedia page entitled “Avril Lavigne replacement conspiracy theory.”
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Lavigne addressed the rumours in 2019. She called them “dumb” and said she was “flabbergasted” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“I look the exact same,” she told the publication. “On one hand, everyone is like, ‘Oh my god, you look the same,’ and on the other hand people are like ‘Oh my god, she died.’”
The subject has not faded with time.
This year, a podcast called “Who replaced Avril Lavigne?” centres around the theory, with a comedic approach.
What did Lavigne say in her most recent interview?
Lavigne knew exactly what Cooper was talking about when she mentioned a conspiracy theory during the Call Her Daddy podcast episode released on May 15.
“There’s a conspiracy theory that I’m not me,” she said.
Lavigne then smiled at the camera and gave a thumbs up.
“Cool,” she said. “Honestly it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right? I feel like I got a good one. I don’t think it’s like negative or anything, like creepy. We’re good.”
Cooper asked if it bothered Lavigne that some viewers might watch the podcast (also available in video format) and make comments about her being “Melissa.”
“Obviously I am me. It’s so dumb,” she said.
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