John Oliver can't look away from the 'Katespiracy' either

• John Oliver is getting swept up in the "Katespiracy," too.

• He said he didn't care about where Kate Middleton had gone until he saw the doctored photo of her.

• "There is a non-zero chance that she died 18 months ago," Oliver joked.

It's not just the internet — the "Katespiracy" has John Oliver in its clutches, too.

"I was out. I thought, 'Let's all just ignore this, we've moved on,' until the photoshop thing," Oliver told the television host Andy Cohen on Tuesday's episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."

"That feels, like, you're almost handling it badly in an impressive way at this point," Oliver added.

Oliver was referencing the digitally altered photo of Kate that Kensington Palace released on Sunday. The photo was removed by several photo agencies including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse — all of which issued kill orders for the image over concerns that it was doctored.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the Princess of Wales said in a statement on Monday, in which she apologized for the confusion over the photo.

The bizarre turn of events was puzzling for Oliver and Cohen, with the latter expressing his bemusement at Kate's apology.

"Because isn't their motto, 'Never complain, never explain?' And then they have her explaining on Twitter?" Cohen said.

"There is a non-zero chance that she died 18 months ago," Oliver joked. "They might be 'Weekend at Bernie's-ing' this situation.'"

"I'm not saying it happened, but I'm saying it's non-zero until proven otherwise. Until we see her sitting there with a copy of the day's paper," Oliver said while making a throat-cutting motion with his hand.

To be sure, Oliver hasn't been a fan of the British monarchy. The comedian aired a segment where he criticized the royal family in November 2022, two months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

"They're like a human appendix. We've long evolved past needing them, and there's a compelling case for their surgical removal," Oliver said at the time.

Speculation has been rife about Kate's whereabouts. She was last seen publicly in December before the palace announced on January 17 that she had undergone a "planned abdominal surgery."

Kate's continued absence from the public eye has spawned multiple conspiracy theories about her health and her relationship with Prince William. Some people have come up with terms such as "Katespiracy" and "KateGate" as catchall names for the unconfirmed — and at times, wild and outlandish — theories that have been swirling online.

Kensington Palace didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

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