Another year, another viral deepfake of Katy Perry at the Met Gala and once again, she wasn’t even there.
Photos showing the pop star in a sleek black designer gown circulated widely on social media during Monday night’s event, matching the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme. But the images were AI-generated. Perry quickly clarified she was not at the Met; she was on tour.
Perry’s reaction
“Couldn’t make it to the MET, I’m on The Lifetimes Tour (see you in Houston tomorrow IRL),” she posted to Instagram alongside the fake images.
She added a jab at AI confusion: “P.s. this year I was actually with my mom so she’s safe from the bots… but I’m praying for the rest of y’all.”
The repeat hoax
This marks the second year in a row Perry has gone viral for an AI-generated Met Gala look. In 2024, a fabricated image of her in a floral ball gown fooled thousands, including her own mother.
These deepfakes are getting harder to spot. A fake post claiming Perry wore a never-before-seen Mugler fabric went viral with over 400K views and was even falsely credited to Getty Images.
The spread of believable AI-generated content is becoming a growing concern, especially as it dupes not just fans, but family.
AI is now dressing celebrities for events they don’t attend, and millions are still falling for it.
Perry continues her “Lifetimes Tour” with her next stop in Houston. Meanwhile, the internet keeps grappling with what’s real and what’s algorithm.
Are deepfakes becoming the new celebrity PR?