close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

No, the feds didn’t arrest a Sean “Diddy” Combs clone
asane

No, the feds didn’t arrest a Sean “Diddy” Combs clone

Federal agents arrested music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs on sex-trafficking and other criminal charges in September, but some social media posts claim they got a clone.

“Whether or not you believe Diddy in custody is a clone is up to you,” one Instagram user said in a video posted on October 28. The video shows a screen recording of a TikTok video posted on October 4.

TikTok shows several images of Combs with the caption: “they arrested P. diddy wrong (they have different noses and lips, eyes) which means Diddy has a clone???” The TikTok video has over 10.9 million views and 81,200 likes as of October 29.

But these suspicious images of Combs were identified by their creator as AI-generated fake photos back in March.

Federal agents descended two of Combs’ properties on March 25, looking for evidence in a sex-trafficking investigation. As the news went viral, social media users shared fake images of Combs being arrested and a fake photo.

Sign up for PolitiFact messages

“I don’t know what in the AI ​​shape-shifting devil clone is going on here, but this is not Diddy,” said one TikTok user on March 27. video showing one of the arrest pictures.

Combs remained at large until he was arrested and charged in September.

USA Today reported the images were deepfakes generated by AI. Riiah Mitchell, the person who created the images, confirmed that he used AI to make them.

AI-generated deepfake images of Combs from March 2024 are identical to images from October 2024 videos.

Federal agents arrested Combs on September 16 in Manhattan, ABC News reported. A federal judge denied multiple bail applications for Combs and set his trial date for May 2025.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is holding Combs at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

There is no credible evidence that scientists have ever cloned human beings to create celebrity doppelgängers. PolitiFact investigated the alleged clones of King Charles III, Jeff Bezos, Ellen DeGeneres and other stars.

We’re evaluating the claim that photos show federal agents arrested a Sean “Diddy” Combs Pants on Fire clone.