What Is Pizzagate? The Viral Conspiracy Theory and Why Hillary Clinton Was Dragged Into It

Pizzagate was a viral conspiracy theory that falsely claimed senior Democrats were linked to a child sex ring, drawing Hillary Clinton into unfounded allegations during the 2016 United States presidential election. The theory centred on hacked emails and unproven claims about a Washington restaurant. It was widely discredited by law enforcement and media organisations.

Hillary Clinton was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2016 United States presidential election, and had previously served as US Secretary of State and as a US Senator from New York. In the 2016 race, she ran against Republican candidate Donald Trump. Although she won the popular vote, she lost the Electoral College, and Trump became president.

What Is Pizzagate? The Viral Conspiracy Theory Explained

Pizzagate emerged in October 2016 after a Twitter account falsely claimed that the New York City Police Department had uncovered a paedophilia ring linked to the Democratic Party while examining emails connected to Anthony Weiner, a former US congressman from New York who resigned in 2011 following a sexting scandal. Earlier that year, in March 2016, the personal email account of John Podesta, then-chairman of Clinton's presidential campaign and a longtime Democratic adviser, had been hacked in a spear-phishing attack.

WikiLeaks published those emails in November 2016, prompting online groups to allege they contained coded references to child trafficking. Supporters of the theory claimed the messages implicated high-ranking Democratic officials and pointed to Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington, D.C., as a meeting place for abuse. The restaurant was accused online of hosting Satanic ritual activity. However, these claims were rejected by the Washington, D.C., police and other authorities. No evidence of child trafficking, abuse or ritual activity was ever found.

Why Hillary Clinton Was Dragged Into It

Clinton was central to the allegations because of Podesta's role as her campaign chair in 2016. Online posts alleged that references in the hacked emails linked her and other Democrats to criminal activity. Fake news websites repeated the claims, including stories that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had confirmed them, which was untrue.

The theory spread rapidly across platforms including 4chan, 8chan, Reddit and Twitter in the weeks before the election. A Reddit post published in early November 2016 presented what it described as 'evidence' tying Comet Ping Pong to abuse. The subreddit dedicated to the topic was banned on 23 November 2016 for violating policies against posting personal information.

Real-World Consequences And Harassment

The conspiracy theory led to direct consequences offline. A man from North Carolina travelled to Comet Ping Pong and fired a rifle inside the restaurant while attempting to investigate the claims. The restaurant's owner, James Alefantis, told The New York Times, 'From this insane, fabricated conspiracy theory, we've come under constant assault.'

Staff and nearby businesses received hundreds of threats, including death threats. Other Washington establishments such as Besta Pizza, Little Red Fox and Politics and Prose also reported harassment. The Federal Bureau of Investigation examined Pizzagate-related threats in March 2017 as part of inquiries into interference in the 2016 election.

From Pizzagate To QAnon

Pizzagate is widely regarded as a precursor to QAnon. The theory resurfaced in 2020, largely through QAnon content on TikTok, where videos tagged #Pizzagate amassed more than 80 million views by June 2020. It re-emerged again in 2026 during renewed attention on files connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Over time, the focus shifted away from Clinton towards claims of a global elite involved in trafficking. Despite repeated debunking, the conspiracy theory continued to circulate online in various forms.