The singer spoke out on social media amid widespread speculation that he tried to dupe concertgoers with a lookalike performer
Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Usher addressed viral rumors claiming he used a “clone” to perform during the Raymond & Brown Tour
- Fans speculated about a lookalike after footage from his MetLife Stadium show in New Jersey went viral
- Usher joked on Instagram that “AI ain’t that advanced” and dismissed the viral claims on Aug. 9
Usher is shutting down rumors that he enlisted a clone or body double to perform for him at recent shows.
After fans accused the 47-year-old musician of secretly hiring a lookalike to perform in his place during concerts for his Raymond & Brown Tour with Chris Brown, Usher spoke out about the viral speculation — which had gained steam on social media in early August — on Instagram.
The “OMG” singer laughed off the rumors in a video shared to the official R&B Tour account on Sunday, Aug. 9. The post included a video of the singer performing onstage as well as a screenshot of Instagram comments he made addressing the clone allegations.
After starting off his first comment with a laughing emoji, Usher then debunked the claims, writing: “Ya’ll are funny…clone? They can’t clone this??”
Credit: Usher/Instaram
“How ya’ll come up with this?” the musician said in a different comment included in the post. He added several more laughing emojis before joking, “AI ain’t that advanced.”
The clone rumors began picking up steam after footage of Usher performing at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Friday, Aug. 7, went viral, with fans declaring that the singer looked different and uncanny in widely circulated clips.
“Usher you can’t fool New York that’s not you bro i want my money back,” reads a viral X post with over 4 million views.
“Usher, why’d you have to play us all like that last night??” a TikTok user wrote over a clip of the singer at his MetLife show. “That was foulllll,” the same user added in the comments. “Usher really sent out his doppelganger.”
Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty
In another viral TikTok, a user discussed Usher’s rumored doppelganger, which they declared to be “a very bad” likeness.
“I have to say that these people do not look the same in my opinion, at all,” the same user said while the viral footage from Usher’s New Jersey shows on-screen. “And it’s not just one fan, it is multiple fans saying, ‘Wait, is this really Usher?’ ”
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In the comments of these and other viral posts, users pointed out that the singer’s face is obscured behind a hat and sunglasses, and they mad similar accusations of a lookalike Usher performer.
Usher (born Usher Raymond IV) is currently traveling with Brown, 37, for their co-headlining R&B Tour, which nods to both of the artists’ last names. The tour kicked off in June and continues through December with dates throughout North America.
Last month, the “Love in This Club” singer made headlines after another tidbit from a tour performance went viral.
At his Nashville tour stop on July 25, Usher brought a fan onstage for a steamy dance moment and serenade of “Can U Handle It?” — a staple segment in his shows — and then had her removed after she seemed uncomfortable.
“I don’t think she wanna be on the stage,” the “My Boo” singer said at the Nissan Stadium show after noticing the fan appeared uninterested.
After the moment went viral, Usher also issued a warning at a concert days later for all fans who are brought up for the mid-show serenade, stating in part: “Before we get started, don’t bring your ass up here if you don’t wanna be here.”
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