‘Euphoria’ Star Jacob Elordi Targeted With Nonconsensual Explicit Deepfake

Actor Jacob Elordi has become the subject of nonconsensual, explicit deepfakes on social media. 

Since late Monday, posts on X containing the deepfake video of Elordi have been viewed more than three million times. 

Deepfakes, which refer to deceptive digital media generated or altered using artificial intelligence, have become an increasingly prominent issue, particularly when it comes to nonconsensual sexually explicit content. While recent federal and state legislation in the U.S. aims to combat this problem, the increase of such material online has continued to escalate.

The deepfake in question combines Elordi’s face with a video taken from a male creator. The body in the deepfake does not match Elordi’s distinctive appearance, with a noticeable birthmark on his chest. The deepfake has appeared in more than 16 X posts, with one garnering over 1.7 million views.

The OnlyFans creator featured in the original video has spoken out against the Elordi deepfake and revealed that he was only 17 when the video was recorded. In his social media posts, he expressed his dismay and stated, “That’s literally my video” and “Deepfake is getting creepy.” The creator, now 19 and in Brazil, has pleaded for removing the posts containing the deepfake.

In some of the posts featuring the Elordi deepfake, the content was presented as a “leak,” a term suggesting the material was real and published without the individual’s consent. Other posts correctly identified the material as a deepfake.

The emergence of easily accessible deepfake apps, advertised on social media platforms for their ability to create nonconsensual explicit deepfakes and disinformation, has raised concerns from public policy experts. 

Although nonconsensual explicit deepfakes have predominantly targeted prominent women, male celebrities like Elordi have also been subjected to such material. 

X, the social media platform, has a policy against the promotion of “synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm,” as well as content that “sexualizes an individual without their consent.” 

In February, Elordi was in the news for allegedly assaulting a photographer outside a hotel in his native Australia.