YouTuber and podcaster Trisha Paytas is being hilariously linked to the new pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, as part of a long-running meme that involves another major moment in history.
The internet couldn’t help but notice that her daughter, Malibu Barbie Paytas-Hacmon, was born just days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, sparking memes that suggested her daughter was actually a reincarnation of the long-reigning British monarch.
The reincarnation meme seemingly remerged following Pope Francis’ death in April. Paytas, who is pregnant with her third child, addressed in her podcast, “Just Trish,” the “unhinged online theories” that her baby is actually Francis reincarnated, US Weekly reported last month.
Prevost, who will be known as Leo XIV, was selected to lead the Catholic Church on Thursday, May 8.
Now, fans and pop culture sleuths realize another humorous connection: It’s Paytas’ 37th birthday on Thursday, the same day Prevost was chosen and made history as the first pope from the United States.
Content creator Adam McIntyre shared the observation in a viral post on X earlier Thursday.
the new pope elected today…on…trisha paytas’ bday…
But the connection doesn’t end there. Prevost was born on Sept. 14, 1955, according to multiple reports, evidently sharing the month and day with Paytas’ two-year-old daughter.
Instagram users have left several comments on Paytas’ latest post, joking about how the pope was chosen on her birthday. And Paytas seems to be fully aware of this latest connection in the ongoing, silly conspiracy theory surrounding her pregnancies. The YouTuber shared a post from Pop Hive, which has over 730,000 Instagram followers, about her connection to the pope on her Instagram story.
A post shared by Pop Hive (@pophive)
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Is YouTuber Trisha Paytas responsible for the new pope? No, but the internet is making memes
Reporting by Paris Barraza, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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