Several of the world’s biggest celebrities have suffered massive drops in their Instagram follower counts after Meta launched what is being described as the platform’s largest-ever crackdown on fake, inactive, and bot-operated accounts.
The unexpected purge sent shockwaves across social media after millions of followers disappeared from celebrity accounts within hours, sparking widespread debate about fake engagement and inflated online popularity.
Among the biggest names reportedly affected were reality TV star Kylie Jenner, football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, pop superstars Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, and entertainment mogul Kim Kardashian.
Reports circulating online suggest Kylie Jenner may have lost between 5 million and 15 million followers.
In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the platform’s most-followed personalities, reportedly lost over 6 million followers during the cleanup exercise.
Music stars, including Beyoncé and K-pop group BLACKPINK, were also said to be among the affected accounts.
In the sports and entertainment world, Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli reportedly lost more than 2 million followers, while actress and global entertainer Priyanka Chopra also experienced a significant decline.
African music stars were not left out of the cleanup, with Nigerian Afrobeats giants Davido and Wizkid reportedly seeing noticeable reductions in their follower counts.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, explained that the operation forms part of its routine effort to eliminate inactive and suspicious accounts from the platform.
In a statement, the company said: “As part of our routine process to remove inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts. Active followers remain unaffected, and any restored suspended account will be included in the count again after verification.”
The purge has reignited discussions around social media credibility, particularly in the entertainment industry where follower counts often influence endorsement deals, partnerships, and public perception.
Digital analysts say the crackdown could expose the extent to which fake followers and automated engagement tools have been used across the platform for years. Others believe the move may ultimately help brands and advertisers better measure genuine audience engagement.
Despite the sharp declines, many celebrities continue to maintain enormous online audiences, with fans arguing that the purge only removed inactive or fake accounts rather than real supporters.
Meta is expected to continue similar cleanups in the coming months as the company intensifies efforts to improve authenticity and reduce spam activity across Instagram and its other social media platforms.
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