Fact Check: About That 'Upside-Down Satanic Cross' Ice Spice Supposedly Wore at the Super Bowl

Claim:

Rapper Ice Spice wore an upside-down "satanic" cross at the 2024 Super Bowl.

Rating:

Context:

The pendant, designed by New York jeweler Alex Moss, does appear to be in the shape of an inverted (upside-down) cross, but there is nothing inherently "demonic" or "satanic" about it. In the Catholic tradition, the inverted cross represents the martyrdom of St. Peter and is called the Cross of St. Peter.

American rapper Ice Spice was among celebrities who watched Super Bowl LVIII with Taylor Swift on Feb. 11, 2024. Because of that, Spice was prominently featured in many photos and videos from the event — including ones that generated conspiracy theories about her jewelry.

A number of social media posts raised alarms about Spice supposedly wearing an "upside-down cross" as a pendant, a gesture popularly asserted to represent a devotion to Satanism on the part of the wearer (famous women like Chelsea Clinton and Melinda Gates have faced the same accusation). All images supposedly serving as evidence of Spice's "satanic" cross had low resolution and were fuzzy, like this post on X (formerly Twitter):

(@EndWokeness / X)

However, higher-resolution images of Spice at the Super Bowl proved the claim was false. Spice was wearing a Greek (equal-armed) cross, not an upside-down cross.

( Getty Images)

The belief that an inverted (upside-down) cross represents satanism, or literal devil-worship, is more widespread than it is accurate. Such crosses are routinely portrayed in popular culture as every Satanist's must-have accessory. But, in Catholicism, the inverted cross is known as the Cross of St. Peter and represents that apostle's martyrdom.

In addition to the (not really) upside-down cross Spice wore at the Super Bowl, imaginative TV viewers also claimed she flashed a "demonic" hand gesture (she actually used the harmless "devil's horns" sign) and wore clothing marked with the Balenciaga fashion house brand that conspiracy theorists have tried to associate with satanism without any real evidence.

Here are similar rumors stemming from celebrities' appearances Super Bowls:

• Did 'Satan' Appear During The Weeknd's Super Bowl Halftime Show?

• Was Lady Gaga's Super Bowl Halftime Show Satanic?

• Did Rihanna Wear a 'Satanic' Pentagram During Her Super Bowl Halftime Show?
  

Sources:

Emery, David. "Does Chelsea Clinton Wear an Upside-Down 'Satanic' Cross?" Snopes, 22 Aug. 2018, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/chelsea-clinton-upside-down-satanic-cross/.

---. "No, This Is Not a 'Human Skin Jacket' from Balenciaga." Snopes, 3 Dec. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/balenciaga-human-skin-jacket/.

Issawi, Danya. "The Cool Tang of Ice Spice." The Cut, 2 Feb. 2024, https://www.thecut.com/article/ice-spice-rapper-nyc-profile.html.

Lee, Jessica. "Did Melinda Gates Wear an Upside-Down Cross?" Snopes, 15 May 2020, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/melinda-gates-upside-down-cross/.

Lovejoy, Heather. "Hand-Horns: The Story behind the Popular Rock-Concert Gesture." The Florida Times-Union, https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/local/2011/02/18/hand-horns-story-behind-popular-rock-concert-gesture/985504007/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.

Palma, Bethania. "No, 'Baal Enci Aga' Doesn't Mean 'Baal Is King' in Latin." Snopes, 7 Dec. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/balenciaga-baal-is-king-latin/.

"What Does an Upside-Down Cross Mean?" Catholic Answers, https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/the-upside-down-cross-satanic-or-symbolic. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.

Updates:

This article was updated with reports that the cross worn by Ice Spice was indeed an inverted cross custom designed by Alex Moss.