Actress Zendaya has become the subject of an eerie series of videos on TikTok that place her at the center of the sinister "Zendaya Theory."

The theory, which involves a photo of the actress wearing a big hat at the 2014 Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party, is going viral across the platform as users struggle to explain what exactly is going on.

So, what is the "Zendaya Theory," and what does it have to do with her big hat? Here's what we know.

@thesnakesbloxx don’t forget not to forget your big hat mhm #thezendayatheory #zendaya #zendayahat #ethelcain #fyp #truecrime #scary #emergencyintercom #drewphilips ♬ original sound – ★ zkkaitopia ★

What Is The 'Zendaya Theory?'

Back in September 2014, Zendaya attended the 2014 Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party. She attended wearing a big, oversized black hat designed by Emporio Armani. Her big hat was reported on and shared across social media, with many finding it funny and amusing.

The Zendaya Theory meme was started by TikToker @thesnakesbloxx on May 1st, 2025. The video that started the meme shows a clip of Zendaya refusing to tell an interviewer her favorite Beyoncé song, then cuts to a photo of her in the big hat over ominous music. From there, the TikToker continued to post videos pairing low-res versions of the big hat photos with spooky music.

The joke is that there is no Zendaya Theory. The meme acts as a parody of creepypasta stories by suggesting something sinister is related to the hat, with no video explaining what that sinister thing is.

@thesnakesbloxx Mama hat #zendaya #hat #meme #fyp #zendayaglitch #ethelcain ♬ Perverts – Ethel Cain

How Is The 'Zendaya Theory' Used In Memes?

The original Zendaya Theory video garnered over 17 million views in just four days, inspiring TikToker @thesnakesbloxx to post more videos alluding to the theory. One video even attempts to explain it, but purposely fails to do so, only making it more absurd. They also posted a mockup of a missing persons poster that uses the hat photo, claiming that Zendaya has gone missing.

Other TikTokers started to play into the meme as well by posting their own creepypasta-style edits that combine Zendaya footage with images of her wearing the big hat. Confused TikTokers have been posting videos begging for an explanation of the theory and getting none, because there is no solid answer to what the Zendaya Theory entails.

@thesnakesbloxx The truth about the Zendaya theory #thezendayatheory #zendaya #ethelcain #scary #fyp #truecrime ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) – howlingindicator

What Are Some More 'Zendaya Theory' Memes?

@max_balegde WHAT IS IT ?!? #zendayatheory ♬ original sound – Max_Balegde

@zendaya.theory I don’t know how we didn’t see this before.. @valetubi #zendayatheory #thebabadook #hat #jointhefight #missing ♬ Suspense, horror, piano and music box – takaya

@owenwitmer zendaya theory #zendaya #foryoupage #foryou #thezendayatheory #meme #drawing #bighat #ethelcain #art ♬ Punish – Ethel Cain

@thesnakesbloxx Don’t forget to…🙂☺️#fyp #zendaya #roblox #meme #robloxfyp #scary ♬ Televangelism – Ethel Cain

---

For the full history of the Zendaya Theory, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.