The Fez Fan Theory That Changes Everything On That '70s Show

According to theory-crafter William O'Connor, writing for Overthinking It, the "nameless and placeless" Fez may actually be a figment of everyone's imagination. As fans know, the Point Place kids have a habit of smoking marijuana while hanging in the Forman basement. It's possible, then, that Fez is simply an illusion in the gang's discussion circle — "a narrative device to add depth to a handful of self-absorbed stoners" — and not a living person.

One fan theorized in the comments section of the article that perhaps Eric and Jackie dated in the time before the events of "That '70s Show," and that they created Fez following their breakup. "A fringe figure in their lives like Fez could and would be used as a catch-all for the protection of their egos," they wrote. Another fan added, "I also had to factor in an unseen relationship between Eric and Jackie to explain the idea of a shared Fez-construct. Your bitter breakup angle pulls it all together for me."

A riff on the original theory, also detailed in the article's comments, suggests that maybe the gang knew a lot of foreign exchange students and simply called them all "Fez," which could explain why the "Fez who dated Jackie wasn't the same one who married Eric's sister."

The shared-construct theory does require quite a bit of magical thinking, no matter how many basement "circles" may have facilitated its creation. The multiplicity of Fezes, however, is a very intriguing concept, especially for viewers who subscribe to the reading of "That '70s Show" as a pot-soaked retrospective. The fact that "Fez" just happens to be a somewhat-problematic acronym that could be applied to any foreign exchange student from anyplace whatsoever both complements the intentionally ambiguous aspects of Fez's character and blends seamlessly with the retrospective POV.