As images flooded social media Wednesday of Trump-supporting rioters attempting to overtake the Capitol Building, some pictures stood out. One in particular was of a shirtless man with red, white, and blue face paint sporting a racoon hat with horns with a giant American flag in tow. The internet dubbed him “viking guy,” but some thought he looked suspiciously familiar.
People on Twitter began to compare the viking guy to Jamiroquai, the ’90s UK funk singer known for his flamboyant headpieces.
Very very disappointed in Jamiroquai pic.twitter.com/4VLVPExuYx
— Tim Callanan (@MrTimCallanan) January 6, 2021
Hearing Jamiroquai's album launch tonight has gotten a little out of hand pic.twitter.com/QAdFfzraXX
— Tom Cheesewright (@bookofthefuture) January 6, 2021
How did Jamiroquai get wrapped up in this mess pic.twitter.com/j8cS6Ktgzk
— Hudson Mohawke (@HudMo) January 6, 2021
Not sure I like the new direction Jamiroquai are taking. pic.twitter.com/tOGyFL5Chr
— dubs 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️💕 (@dublonothing) January 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/byronkaye/status/1346948920178479108
Though it seems like many of the tweets were joking in nature, Jamiroquai decided to put an end to the rumors. Addressing the situation in a video posted to Twitter, the musician denied his involvement. “Good morning, world. Now, some of you may be thinking you saw me in Washington last night but I’m afraid I wasn’t with all those freaks. Happy New Year to all of you, haven’t seen you for ages.” The musician went on to say that he’s currently in lockdown in the UK and just celebrated his 51st birthday.
Good Morning Washington, loving the headgear, but not sure that's my crowd. Stay safe everyone, J xxx pic.twitter.com/8Fuime28cc
— Jamiroquai (@JamiroquaiHQ) January 7, 2021
Turns out, the viking guy is actually a 32-year-old man named Jake Angeli. Angeli has been spotted at several MAGA rallies over the past year and is a vocal supporter of the conspiracy theory QAnon.
