Arts & Entertainment
Twitter conspiracy theory thinks Adele and Sam Smith are the same person
a video of ‘Hello’ slowed down on a turntable is raising eyebrows

Sam Smith (Image courtesy of Instagram)
Adele and Sam Smith are both Brits known for their powerful, blue-eyed soul ballads and wracking up Grammy awards but a conspiracy theory believes they might be the same person.
Twitter user @Jesse21Valona posted a video of Adele’s “Hello” playing on a turntable and slowed the song down to show that he thinks Adele’s voice sounds similar to Smith’s.
Did you know that when you slow down Adele it’s actually Sam Smith pic.twitter.com/SysXOoQgZY
— jesse (@jesse21valona) February 5, 2018
He posted another video of “Million Years Ago” by Adele slowed down to show the similarity to Smith.
Example B pic.twitter.com/OjYxKsqJx0
— jesse (@jesse21valona) February 7, 2018
Some people marveled at the coincidence while others couldn’t help but joke that the two singers have never been seen together.
All imma say is I’ve never seen both of them at the same place at once https://t.co/mj3gwgsB3J
— nelly (@nellychillin) February 6, 2018
It all adds up. I just googled to find a picture of them together. There is non! pic.twitter.com/GcWXb1fme1
— Mubzy (@Mubzy) February 6, 2018
As soon as my brain recognises his voice…… pic.twitter.com/kbpVSEiOnW
— eretria (@Shyyywah) February 6, 2018
Adele and Sam Smith are never out at the same time.. they’re not slick pic.twitter.com/pfnTjX4dlU
— ✨ (@YeIIowbang) January 29, 2018
There ain’t no pics together so you have a valid argument pic.twitter.com/INpJbqXeaE
— Joshua Grimes (@_joshgrimes_) February 6, 2018
Online Culture
Clavicular charged in alleged rape of teenage influencer
Online personality’s real name is Braden Peters
Online personality Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, has been accused of rape.
According to NBC, Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza, an 18-year-old influencer known online as Alorah or Alorah Ziva, accused Peters of sexual assault, and the case is making its way through the court system.
The alleged incident occurred on May 23, 2025, when Mendoza was 17.
According to a criminal complaint from the Chatham (Mass.) Police Department, Peters called her an Uber to his family’s home. Once there, he allegedly got her drunk on vodka while they livestreamed on Twitch and then raped her. His mother and grandmother were allegedly in the house.
The documents allege Clavicular committed rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and procuring and providing liquor to a person under 21.
According to court documents acquired by NPR, Mendoza began communicating with Peters on Instagram, where he paid her to appear on his livestreams to help her “make her name known on social media.”
According to those documents, Peters arranged for the minor to come to Cape Cod home to participate in a videostream for his 437,000 followers on Kick, 1.2 million followers on TikTok, and more than 1 million followers on Instagram.
At his home, Peters allegedly instructed Mendoza to say she was 18 on his videostream and to claim the alcohol on camera was water instead of vodka. Mendoza said she felt peer-pressured to drink the spirit and that she became noticeably intoxicated after a couple of drinks.
The allegations go on to state that after stopping the stream, Peters and Mendoza kissed on a couch and then had sex in his bed without her consent. Mendoza said she did not receive a sexual assault forensic exam after the incident. NPR does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.
The charges come months after Mendoza sued Peters in Miami, accusing him of sexual battery in connection with the events of May 2025. The civil lawsuit also separately alleges that he injected her face with a non-FDA-approved fat-dissolving substance during a November livestream in Florida.
Peters is known for his “looksmaxxing” concept of vanity, which is at the core of his online presence. The “looksmaxxing” culture he has helped cultivate combines elements of incel culture and heterosexuality, with the stated goal of attracting the opposite sex. He has gone as far as to say he has undergone “bonesmashing,” or hitting his own face with a hammer; taken anabolic steroids to more rapidly grow muscle; and used crystal meth as an appetite suppressant.
At the same time, looksmaxxing has been described as having elements of homoeroticism, with “looksmaxxers” appearing more concerned with impressing other men than women. Peters has multiple times pointed to openly gay actor Matt Bomer as the gold standard for male facial aesthetics.
Peters’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Photos
PHOTOS: Shenandoah Valley Pride
LGBTQ celebration held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va.
The 2026 Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival was held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va. on Sunday, Sept. 20.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
















Whitman-Walker Health held the 40th annual Walk and 5K to End HIV at Anacostia Park on Saturday, Sept. 19.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)



















