© Shutterstock 

Who is David Icke? -

David Icke started his career in the public eye as a soccer player and then as a sports commentator in England.

© Getty Images 

Who is David Icke? - He was fired from his broadcasting job with the BBC and apparently went to see a psychic. She apparently told him he was put on Earth for a purpose and would start to receive messages from God.

© iStock

Who is David Icke? -

Around this time, he declared he was the new Messiah. He began writing prophetic books based on his visions. One example of these predictions was that the world would end in 1997 after a series of floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes.

© Reuters

Who is David Icke? -

He has now written more than 20 books and declares that climate change is a hoax, 9/11 was an inside job, and, most famously, that a race of lizard aliens are secretly ruling the world.

© BrunoPress

Who is David Icke? -

His 1998 book 'The Biggest Secret: The Book That Will Change the World' outlines this theory, and also names several prominent figures he believes to be lizards.

© Getty Images 

The world according to Icke -

The theory basically states that humans are the unwitting prisoners of a predatory race of shape-shifting lizards who occupy the most powerful roles in society.

© Shutterstock

The world according to Icke -

The 'reptilians' as he calls them are cold-blooded humanoid reptiles who have the power to shape-shift into human form.

© Shutterstock

The world according to Icke - He says that they came to Earth thousands of years ago and began creating reptile-human hybrids by manipulating our DNA.

© iStock

The world according to Icke - They demand human sacrifice, which is why he says they are linked to Satanism, and feed off human energy like leeches. They particularly like to feed off children.

© iStock

The world according to Icke -

He claims that references to serpents in the bible are evidence of this early invasion. For example, the snake who tempted Eve to eat the apple in the Garden of Eden is often depicted with a human head. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC0 1.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons 

The world according to Icke -

Satan is also often depicted as a reptilian creature in medieval paintings.

© Public Domain 

The world according to Icke -

The Caduceus is the symbol for medicine and includes one or two snakes wrapped around a staff. Icke sees this as representative of the merging of human and reptile DNA.

© Getty Images 

The world according to Icke -

Icke claims that these invaders created a bloodline of human hybrids who have remained in positions of power throughout history and manipulated the progress of mankind.

© Getty Images 

The world according to Icke -

Over time they created a worldwide network of control, deciding on the divisions between countries and ensuring humans remain ignorant by separating them.

© Getty Images 

The world according to Icke - They dumb down the population by spiking our food, air, water, and pharmaceutical drugs.

© iStock

The world according to Icke -

They distract people with entertainment, media, and politics, so they remain unaware of the truth.

© Shutterstock

The world according to Icke -

Icke believes the reason the human brain doesn't work at maximum capacity is due to this alien intervention.

© Shutterstock

The world according to Icke -

Our supposed captors have created the ultimate prison: one without bars that gives the illusion of freedom. The prisoners do not even know they're in captivity.

© Shutterstock

The world according to Icke - He believes that world leaders and other powerful figures like Queen Elizabeth, the Clintons, and Mark Zuckerberg are all lizard people.

© Getty Images

The world according to Icke - In addition, the reptilians are supposedly behind other rumored secret societies like the Freemasons and the Illuminati.

© iStock

The world according to Icke -

Icke says that the end goal of the reptilians is to create an Orwellian world order where mankind is completely transformed into a slave race.

© Getty Images 

Confirmation bias - As with most conspiracy theories, confirmation bias seems to play a huge part in Icke's explanations and supposed evidence.

© iStock 

Confirmation bias -

In an interview with Vice, he explained his process. "When you connect the dots between apparently unconnected people and situations and organizations, that's when the tapestry appears."

© BrunoPress

Connecting the dots -

Whatever one thinks of his ideas, it's hard to deny that he makes a good argument if you take the time to sit down and listen to him. He has spent a lot of time connecting a lot of dots!

© Shutterstock

His mission - He claims that he is trying to push the human race to intervene and stop external forces from impacting life on Earth. While there's something to be said for waking people up to the fact that our leaders may not have our best interests at heart, there may be more concerning factors at play.

© Reuters

Possible psychological issues -

Icke says that he first began to be guided by voices in his head in 1990, which have been the inspiration for many of his theories and 'prophecies.'

© Shutterstock

Recent theories -

One of his most recent theories was that 5G phone networks were linked to the spread of Covid-19. This resulted in his Facebook and YouTube accounts getting shut down for violating their policies on harmful misinformation.

© Shutterstock 

Popularity -

Despite some clear issues with his theories and many incorrect prophecies, his books are hugely popular and he is kept busy speaking at events and holding talks.

© NL Beeld

Popularity -

In 2017, his 'Worldwide Wake Up Tour' took him all over the world. Every show involved Icke speaking for 12 hours about everything from reptilians to his predictions for World War III.

© BrunoPress

Popularity -

In a 2013 poll, 4% of people in the US said that they believed in lizard people. This would suggest that something like 12 million Americans have accepted this conspiracy theory.

© Getty Images 

What next? - Is there something about the US that makes it particularly susceptible to conspiracy theories? Lizard people are only the tip of the iceberg. Check out this list of the conspiracies that Americans are obsessed with.

© Getty Images