Zendaya Theory

Submission 855
Part of a series on Creepypasta. [View Related Entries]
Related Explainer: What Is The 'Zendaya Theory' On TikTok? The Creepy Viral Memes About Zendaya's Big Hat Explained

Zendaya Theory
Part of a series on Creepypasta. [View Related Entries]
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About
The Zendaya Theory or Zendaya Big Hat Theory refers to a series of parody creepypasta memes that share scary theories related to an image of actress Zendaya wearing a big black hat to the 2014 Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party. The memes were started by TikToker @thesnakesbloxx at the beginning of May 2025 and garnered viral spread over the following days. The theory is meant to be vague and absurd, with no actual theory being linked to the big hat image. In one video by @thesnakesbloxx, they share an image of a Google Doc with a partial theory about the hat being enchanted.
Origin
On September 26th, 2014, the 2014 Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party took place. Zendaya was in attendance and wore an oversized black hat by Emporio Armani, which was widely reported on in the media.[1]

On May 1st, 2025, TikToker[2] @thesnakesbloxx posted an edit that begins with a clip of Zendaya talking about her favorite Beyoncé song set to ominous music. The video then cuts to show several low-resolution photos of her wearing the big hat. The video gained over 17 million views in four days.
@thesnakesbloxx Mama hat #zendaya #hat #meme #fyp #zendayaglitch #ethelcain ♬ Perverts – Ethel Cain
Spread
TikToker @thesnakesbloxx continued to post videos in early May 2025, playing into the "Zendaya theory" meme over the following days as others also began posting related memes.
On May 3rd, 2025, TikToker[3] @thesnakesbloxx posted a video that is meant to explain the Zendaya theory, but only further complicates it, garnering over 950,000 views in two days.
@thesnakesbloxx The truth about the Zendaya theory #thezendayatheory #zendaya #ethelcain #scary #fyp #truecrime ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) – howlingindicator
On May 4th, TikToker[4] @user47574684829 posted a video set to ominous music beginning with a clip of Zendaya telling people not to forget to smile before cutting to images of her wearing the big hat, garnering over 694,000 views in a day.
@user47574684829 The Zendaya Hat Theory #zendaya #scary #bighat #zendayaglitch #fy ♬ original sound – 🎧
On the same day, TikToker[5] @owenwitmer posted a video sketching the image of Zendaya in the big hat, writing "Zendaya theory" in the video description, garnering over 72,000 views in under 24 hours.
@owenwitmer zendaya theory #zendaya #foryoupage #foryou #thezendayatheory #meme #drawing #bighat #ethelcain #art ♬ Punish – Ethel Cain
Also on May 4th, 2025, TikToker[6] @thesnakesbloxx posted a slideshow video consisting of a screenshot of a Google Doc with a rough outline sharing a theory about the hat being enchanted, garnering over 40,000 views in a day.

Various Examples
@pusheenlover34 zendaya theory. #fyo #zendaya #zendayatheory ♬ original sound – pusheenlover34
@thesnakesbloxx help bring her home, the zendaya theory is happening to everybody #zendaya #ethelcain #meme #fyp #dance #thezendayatheory ♬ Punish – Ethel Cain
@max_balegde WHAT IS IT ?!? #zendayatheory ♬ original sound – Max_Balegde
@arielyse The Zendaya Theory… @💋 #zendaya #thezendayatheory #bighat #stantwitter #trending #theory #fypシ #xyzbca #viral #fyp ♬ original sound – ari
Search Interest
External References
[1] RedCarpet-FashionAwards – Zendaya Coleman In Emporio Armani
[2] TikTok – thesnakesbloxx
[3] TikTok – thesnakesbloxx
[4] TikTok – user47574684829
[5] TikTok – owenwitmer
[6] TikTok – thesnakesbloxx
Recent Videos 3 total
Recent Images 4 total
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