Internet celebrities woke up to one of the biggest online jump scares in a while. With a major shake-up to their follower count, some of these personalities, the biggest in their leagues, have lost millions of followers overnight. While this was not a massive cancel culture bow out, it was an Instagram update.
And it hit some of the celebrities with some of the highest follower counts in their industry. From Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli to football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, billionaires Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé were not left out either.
Why did the follower count drop?
Interestingly, the routine cleanup wiped out millions of bot accounts from the app, thus reflecting a major dip in followers. As per an official statement from a Meta spokesperson, the sudden disruption was part of a ‘routine process’.
It read, “As part of our routine process to remove inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts. Active followers remain unaffected, and any restored suspended account will be included in the count again after verification.”
As a result, the ‘Great Purge of 2026’ became a trending keyword on social media.
Who lost what?
According to Celebrity Radar, a third-party follower service which kept track of the celebrities’ online database, revealed that Virat Kohli, who had 276 million followers on Instagram, had a drop of 2 million followers, taking the total tally to 274 million.
Both ace footballers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, saw a decline of 4 million and 8 million followers each. While Ronaldo had 673 million and Messi had 512 million, they now stand at 665 million and 507 million, respectively, as per BPT Scans.
However, Kylie Jenner was the worst hit. BPT Scans also reported that the beauty entrepreneur and reality TV star lost nearly 15 million followers from the bot purge on Instagram, the worst hit among all celebrities.
Musical woes – Artists who were hit by the purge
According to a Pop-Rant report, K-pop girl band BLACKPINK lost over 10 million followers from their official Instagram page, while Lisa is said to have lost 1.1 million on her personal account. Both Rose and Jennie lost nearly 700,000, while Jiso was down by 600,000.
Taylor Swift, the richest female artist in the world, a billionaire who shot to fame after she announced her new album ‘Life of a Showgirl’ in 2025, lost 4 million followers, who now reports a following of 275 million on Instagram, inches above Virat Kohli.
The sudden bot purge also hit Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez, each by 6 million, taking their tally to 386 million and 408 million, respectively. Evergreen pop artist Justin Bieber also reportedly dropped by 5 million on Instagram, with 289 million to spare.
Why followers matter?
Primarily, followers are a key monetising mechanism which allows a user to use their audience to give brands, products, or ideas a mega platform. With a huge fan following in their profession, such as actors, singers, or sports stars, followers act as a testament to justify high payments in exchange for visibility, engagement, and overall fame.
As per a Stan Guide report, mega influencers typically charge $50,000 per post, with top stars and A-listers even charging millions. A sponsored brand post from a Ronaldo, Jenner, The Rock, or Gomez would earn them $2-3 million.
The Great Purge: Who Lost the Most Followers?
Meta’s routine cleanup of inactive accounts wiped millions of followers overnightFollowers also act as a gateway to their personal promotions when a milestone like a world tour comes up. Limited to artists, followers are a ready-made customer base waiting to be served with new merchandise, product, or even a movie. One of the biggest examples of who has cracked this code is Hailey Bieber. Supermodel turned entrepreneur likes to stir the social media pot with product launches for her brand Rhode, unlike a typical campaign, but subtly placing it in one of her selfies, and the rest of the work is done by her 57.7 million follower base.
Similarly, followers are one of the key factors that help dominate the algorithmic advantage and the means to justify a bigger paycheck, combined with engagement and impression rates.