Several celebrities and influencers around the world have reportedly seen their Instagram followers plummet this week after the platform reportedly removed millions of fake, inactive and bot-linked accounts in a massive cleanup.
Prominent names affected include Virat Kohli, Priyanka Chopra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez and several other global celebrities.
The sudden drop in followers sparked widespread discussion on social media platforms, with users dubbing the move “The Great Purge of 2026”.
What triggered the massive drop in followers?
According to reports circulating online, parent company Meta Platforms has stepped up efforts to remove spam accounts, bots and artificially inflated followers from Instagram.
Although Meta has not officially commented on the alleged purge, several reports claim that the platform has recently been targeting inactive accounts and profiles linked to third-party follower support services.
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Social media users began to notice dramatic changes in follower numbers within a short period of time, with some accounts reportedly losing millions of followers overnight.
Celebrity accounts appeared to be among the most visibly affected, as they have huge audiences and the volume of inactive or suspicious accounts attached to them.
Ronaldo, Kylie Jenner and Virat Kohli among those affected
According to online reports, Kylie Jenner reportedly lost more than 14 million followers during the cleaning exercise, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s account reportedly saw a drop of almost 8 million followers.
Selena Gomez is also said to have lost around 6 million followers.
Other celebrities reportedly affected include Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Virat Kohli and Priyanka Chopra.
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Fans of popular K-pop groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK also saw a noticeable drop in followers.
In addition to celebrities, several influencers and digital creators claimed that they too lost some of their audience during the alleged crackdown.
Some creators have claimed that even real accounts may have been accidentally removed or restricted during the process.
“The Great Purge of 2026” trends online
As screenshots of the dwindling number of followers spread online, hashtags associated with the incident quickly started popping up on social media platforms.
Many users have labeled this development as “The Great Purge of 2026”, with debates about fake engagement, paid followers and social media authenticity.
Reports suggest that millions of accounts may have been deleted in just a six-hour period.
Smaller creators reportedly lost between 2% and 5% of their followers, while celebrity profiles saw a much steeper decline due to their significantly larger number of fans.
The development has also renewed conversations about the business of artificial inflation of followers and the pressure on public figures to maintain massive social media numbers.
There are earlier reports of fake followers
In the midst of the latest discussion, older reports of celebrity follower inflation have resurfaced online.
In 2019, the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance reportedly conducted a study investigating fake follower activity among celebrities on Instagram.
The report claimed that some highly followed personalities had a large percentage of inactive or suspicious followers attached to their accounts.
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American TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres was among the names mentioned in the news at the time.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Chopra’s name has also resurfaced on the internet in connection with older reports regarding an investigation into an alleged fake follower. According to reports, the actor was summoned by the Mumbai police in connection with the matter a few years back, though she never spoke publicly about the issue in interviews or on social media.
No official evidence has emerged linking the current drop in followers directly to celebrities buying followers, and no public statements have been made by the celebrities mentioned in the reports.
Users are reporting more problems with Instagram
The reported cleanup comes as several users across Instagram and Threads have complained about unexplained account restrictions, bans and sudden drops in engagement.
Some users have claimed that legitimate profiles may have been mistakenly flagged as part of an anti-spam operation.
Instagram has regularly conducted clean-up exercises in the past to remove fake engagement and improve the platform’s authenticity, though the latest reported drop appears to have affected celebrity accounts on an unusually large scale.
As discussions continue online, many users are keeping a close eye on follower numbers to see if the numbers stabilize in the coming days.
