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Why Do People Think Dril Was 'Replaced'? A Long-running Twitter Conspiracy Theory Explained
If you don't know Dril, we suggest you click that hyperlink because the following article will probably make no sense otherwise.
Recently, there's been some speculation that Twitter's "greatest poster," responsible for a few dozen memes and countless imitators of his unique style, has given away or sold his account to somebody else, and that unknown replacement is doing their best "Dril" impression but is not the real guy.
Here, we'll explain why the conspiracy theory has grown in prominence in recent months — even though it has no basis in reality and has persisted for nearly an entire decade.
Why Do People Think Dril Has Been Replaced?
The theory is gaining traction now thanks to a tweet by Twitter / X user @confusionm8trix, who asserted that Dril tweets now compared to "a few years ago" are "totally different."
The tweet saw significant spread on Twitter, and eventually, one of the offshoot tweets parroting the conspiracy theory reached Dril himself, leading to his sniping at an NBC reporter.
While this may seem like a recent revelation, the conspiracy theory that Dril has "sold his account" has persisted since 2014. Dril himself even joked about the idea that he "sold his account" as early as 2017.
Is It True That Dril Has Been Replaced?
So, the big question is, "Is there any truth to the idea that Dril's tweets are 'totally different' from a few years ago?"
Thankfully, pidgezero_one on Medium has done a deep, "scientific" dive into Dril's history to investigate the theory.
According to their investigation and a scan of tweets about Dril, the key reason Dril is thought to be somebody else is that he is "much more topical" than he was in years past. This, as proved by pidgezero, is simply not true.
Their research shows Dril tweets about former President Barack Obama, Octomom, the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and other current events throughout his years on Twitter. More recent examples of this have led to some ludicrous claims that Dril had "gone woke."
To put it bluntly, there is no evidence to suggest Dril has "sold the account" or given it away or that the person running it is in any way a different guy.
Pidgezero argued that the theory about Dril selling the account is due to Twitter users' nostalgia for Dril's best works — the cream that rose to the top at a time he was firing off roughly a gazillion tweets daily.
There were some Dril tweets one might find "less funny" back in the days of corn cob and the Candles tweet and all the other tweets fondly remembered by many on the internet.
Furthermore, both Dril and Dril readers have gotten older, and time has a natural way of changing one's sense of humor. Did Dave Chappelle sell his body to a less funny guy because some think his comedy isn't as good as it was 20 years ago?
Maybe, but that's another matter.
For the full history of the Dril Replaced Theory, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.