David Duchovny’s role as Fox Mulder on the iconic science fiction series The X-Files meant that he’s been associated with conspiracy theories going back more than 30 years. Whenever the actor left the set for the day, he made a point of separating himself in real life from the fictional stories he performed opposite Gillian Anderson. That is until well after the original run of the series ended, when Duchovny accidentally entered a slithering discourse about a notable conspiracy theory.
In alignment with his 2025 TV guide show, Secrets Declassified, the new History Channel host caught up with People. During the conversation with the publication, the Californication star shared he doesn’t regularly humor fans’ interest to talk about tall tales, until he surprisingly found himself in one. He noted it was around the time of the X-Files reboot (roughly around 2015) and he was repeatedly asked about lizards. He gave his frank thoughts at the time, then later learned about the deep lizard discourse:
If somebody starts to invest a yarn in me like that, I can tell, so I’ll get myself out of the situation. But I do remember, probably about 10 years ago, I think we were doing some convention for the reboot or something. We were down in San Diego, and a lot of people were asking me what I thought of lizards, and I was like, ‘Lizards? I’m fine with lizards.’ But I didn’t know there was this whole conspiracy about the lizard people. I didn’t know that’s what we were talking about.
Is anyone else having a hard time processing that one of the most recognized fictional FBI agents wasn’t familiar with the lizard people theory? Although with his pretty rigid boundaries of shutting any paranormal queries down, I guess it makes sense. That, and I’m sure Duchovny isn’t chronically online or have a habit of diving down any type of social media rabbit holes.
For anyone not in the know, the TLDR version boils down to people believing there are reptilian humanoids that can shape shift and live in society. No matter your take, it’s a lot to press on an actor just because his fictional character was a believer in the most bizarre. That isn’t to say I don’t love my own random dive into a conspiracy just for fun, but fans may want to consider their real-life audience before asking an actor about lizard people. Regardless, I do love how Duchovny found himself there.
The Twin Peaks alum then didn’t mince his words when he shared his thoughts on the topic at large:
It’s a simplification of the world to believe in conspiracies.
There you have it! He’s not one who wants to believe like Fox Mulder, and that’s fine. He had more than his fair share delving into conspiracies as showcased by the best X-Files episodes, many of which featured future TV stars as cameos. It’s almost hard to believe that since Duchovny auditioned for Full House, ’90s television would have been very different if he’d been cast! What kind of world would we be living in if he had been Danny Tanner, Joey Gladstone, or Jesse Katsopolis?
Whether you dabble in the simplification of our present world or not, we know where Duchovny stands. But if you’re a well-seasoned Scully and Mulder fan looking for the truth of any kind, you may just be able to catch the Hollywood vet off guard with a conspiracy topic, even if you probably shouldn’t. To be safe, I’d recommend returning to rewatch or watch the cult classic with a Hulu subscription, because the truth is out there!