There are many theories surrounding The Office's most bizarre employee, Creed Bratton, that the latest one doesn't come as a shock at all. In fact, it makes perfect sense that Creed was a part of the Manson Family cult.
The Reddit theory connects the dots in the The Office that suggest that Creed was a Manson Family member at one point in time. There are many allusions to Creed's storied life through his one-off comments that fly under most people's radar, though much of Creed's personal and professional life is a mystery. From what Creed says about cults to his up-for-anything personality and loose morals, Creed was almost certainly a part of the California desert commune and cult led by Charles Manson.
In Season 4, Episode 1,"Fun Run," Creed says,"I've been involved in a number of cults, both as a follower and a leader. You make more money as a leader but you have more fun as a follower." This is clear evidence that Creed has been involved in several cults, which is the first part of the theory. In Season 5, Episode 16, "Lecture Circuit," Andy is in need of some dating advice on how to get a woman. Creed interjects to offer this gem: "All right, all right. Say no more. So, this is how I got Squeaky Fromme. No small talk. Just show her who’s the boss. Just go right in and kiss her."
Squeaky Fromme is an American criminal who is best known for her assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford in 1975 and being a part of the Manson Family. Fromme joined the Manson Family in 1967 when she was 19, which means her dating age window until she went to prison for the assassination attempt in 1975 would have been when she was a part of the Manson Family. This makes it almost definite that if Creed romanced Fromme, he would have done so when she was a cult member, and odds are Creed knew her because he was a cult member too.
It is too much of a coincidence that there are two mentions of Creed being associated with cults to not connect the dots and conclude that Creed was a part of the Manson Family. The fact that Creed said he was a part of several cults also increases the likelihood that one of them was actually the most famous cult of all time. Knowing Creed's personalty, it is less of a theory and more of the audience filling in Creed's quite believable backstory. Fans can clearly picture a young Creed in the late 1960s living in a commune and engaging in psychedelic drugs and cult-like activity. He was also a rock musician the 1960s, making his presence in California undoubtable.
Creed has a long-standing reputation of living a beguiling and crooked lifestyle, but a deleted scene from the The Office explains the finale's twist, where it's revealed that he's been living in the Dunder Mifflin office to avoid being found by the police. This was another major Creed theory that the show confirmed. Creed has a lengthy rap sheet of criminal activity and this only adds to the belief that he had the ability to commit indecent and illegal acts while in the cult. Creed was also a fan favorite suspect in the series' long mystery of the Scranton Strangler. It's possible that he could be a murderer, since he even showed up to work covered in blood once, but strangling seems too vanilla for Creed's perversions.
Being a part of the Manson Family is just another day at the office for a man like Creed Bratton, especially when the show practically leads the audience to that conclusion. There truly is no theory too outlandish for Creed; the real mystery is how he ended up working at a mid-size paper supplier company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.