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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Isobel Lewis

Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter reveals he’s a flat-earther who doesn’t believe you can catch coronavirus

Photograph: Getty Images

Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter has revealed that he believes in a number of debunked conspiracy theories, including that the earth is flat. 

The musician, who has performed with the band since 1988, appeared on an episode of conspiracy podcast Tin Foil Hat with Sam Tripoli on Wednesday (11 November) where he said that he was “absolutely” a “flat earth dude”.

“If you think you live on a spinning, flying space ball, you are in a cult,” Carpenter said, adding that what shape the Earth actually was is “still to be discovered”.

Carpenter also shared his thoughts on Covid-19 and news of a potential vaccination, claiming that the virus was “something the body creates”.

“You are not capable of catching a virus from somebody,” he continued. “You develop viruses because you have some type of poison or toxin within you. And that’s your poisoned and toxined cells secreting the virus to clean them from the body.”

Carpenter on stage with Deftones (Getty Images)

On vaccines, the 50-year-old said that there’s “never been one single vaccine that’s ever worked ever”, claiming that polio was “never eradicated”.

“[It’s] all poisons, you can never get it out of your body. [Your] body has no means to expel it, it’s stuck in you forever and you just suffer with whatever it becomes,” he said.

Elsewhere, Carpenter referred to mask-wearers as “suckers” who had “been played”.

The Independent has reached out to Deftones’ representative for comment.

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