AI-generated images can now give celebrities entire social media moments they never took part in. For Mia Goth, that meant a supposed response to her divorce — right down to a T-shirt and breakup soundtrack.
After news of the Pearl and MaXXXine actress's divorce filing from Shia LaBeouf a few weeks ago, an Instagram post appeared to show Goth wearing a shirt that read "MY EX IS MY BIGGEST FAN." Paired with Beyoncé’s "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," it was easy to read as a comment on the split.
Except Goth’s representative says the image was AI-generated. And Goth doesn’t even use social media.
The post came from @miagoth_, a verified fan account with more than a million followers. Despite the fan-page label, People initially wrote about the image as a selfie Goth had posted herself, describing the shirt as her fashion choice days after filing for divorce. (The article and post have both been removed.)
That confusion is exactly what the actress's team says it has been trying to stop.
"Mia Goth does not have ownership of, nor does she engage in social media on any platform," her representative, Christine Tripicchio, told The Verge. "We have filed multiple complaints with Instagram to remove the verified fan account which continues to post counterfeit, AI images of Mia Goth."
Tripicchio also questioned how the account had qualified for a verification badge in the first place.
"The fact that this fan account meets Instagram’s criteria to qualify for a 'blue check' is disconcerting on a fundamental level," she said. "Beyond that, it is incomprehensible that Instagram evidently prioritizes the dissemination of forged and manipulated images over the protection and integrity of a public figure’s likeness."
In response, Meta told Mashable, "This account has been removed for impersonating a public figure."
"We must call out the misuse of AI"
Goth’s team isn’t alone in trying to correct a public moment that never happened.
A March investigation by Indicator identified six AI-generated influencer accounts with roughly a million Instagram followers combined that posted fabricated celebrity encounters. One, @ayannasoblack, shared fake gym photos with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena. All but one of the accounts linked to Fanvue profiles selling access to synthetic adult content.
Real performers' work also supplies material for these accounts. As Mashable reported, AI personas have recently reproduced comedians' jokes and performances to build audiences. Comedian Sarah Purdum told Mashable that women’s material was being "stolen and repurposed for sexy AI models."
For celebrities, the consequences extend beyond invented encounters. In January 2024, nonconsensual, sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift spread online, prompting SAG-AFTRA to condemn them as "upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning." Later that year, Swift cited a separate fabrication — images falsely suggesting she supported Donald Trump — when announcing her endorsement of Kamala Harris.
"It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she wrote.
Scarlett Johansson raised a similar objection in 2025 after an AI-generated video depicted her and other Jewish celebrities protesting Ye’s antisemitism. Although she condemned antisemitism, she objected to being included in a video she never participated in. "We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality," she said in a statement.
Even deceased performers' families are being left to push back: In October 2025, filmmaker Zelda Williams asked people to stop sending her AI-generated videos of her father, Robin Williams, saying the recreations were "NOT what he’d want."
What is Instagram's current AI policy?
An image being AI-generated doesn’t automatically mean Meta will take it down.
In its explanation of its policy, Meta says it generally keeps manipulated content available unless it breaks another platform rule, such as those against bullying or harassment. Instead, it uses "AI info" labels to provide context when it detects certain technical signals or someone discloses AI use.
Even those labels have needed adjusting, though. In 2024, Meta changed "Made with AI" to "AI info" after acknowledging that some photos with minor AI retouching were getting flagged. It later moved labels for content detected as AI-edited into the post’s menu, while keeping visible labels on content detected as AI-generated.
But that approach depends on detecting AI use in the first place. Meta has acknowledged that its systems can’t identify every AI-generated image and that the invisible markers it uses for detection can be removed. A missing AI label doesn't necessarily mean a photo is real (clearly).