Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert
The singer dismissed claims he used a body double during his 7 August performance at MetLife Stadium
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert
Photograph: IBTimes UK (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Usher performed at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 7 August as part of his co-headlining tour with Chris Brown.
- Fans posted side-by-side video comparisons questioning whether the performer was Usher, citing differences in his cap, sunglasses, cheekbone structure and hand tattoo.
- Usher denied the rumours in an Instagram comment, writing 'AI ain’t that advanced'.
- The left-rated reports led on Usher’s direct response, while the right-rated digest focused on fan speculation without mentioning his denial.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 37 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 16 of the 53 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
45/100
53 sources · methodology
Usher performed at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 7 August during his co-headlining tour with Chris Brown. After the show, fans posted video comparisons on TikTok and X, questioning whether the performer was Usher. They pointed to differences in his cap, sunglasses, cheekbone structure and a hand tattoo. Some suggested he had used a body double or clone.
Usher responded to the rumours on Instagram, writing in a comment: 'Y’all are funny... clone? They can’t clone this?? How y’all come up with this? AI ain’t that advanced.' The comment was reported by IBTimes UK and PerthNow. Fans had also compared the footage to previous photos of Usher, with some defending him by noting his age and others demanding refunds.
What the coverage left out
None of the digests or reports mentioned the specific cities or dates of Usher’s upcoming tour stops. The right-rated digest did not include Usher’s denial of the clone rumours. None of the centre-rated digests quoted fans who defended Usher by citing his age, a detail included in IBTimes UK’s full report.
Coverage settled. We checked this 9 times and stopped on 16 Aug 2026, 01:15. The figures above are what it finished at.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
18 rated outlets
- The left-rated outlets agree Usher performed at MetLife Stadium on 7 August 2026 and then denied on Instagram that he had been replaced by a clone. All eleven reports carry his exact words: 'They can't clone this'. Ten of the eleven are digests that note fans compared his cheekbones, tattoos and stage manner to earlier footage.
- IBTimes UK’s full report adds that Usher wore a cap and sunglasses during the New Jersey concert, that sceptics posted side-by-side videos on TikTok and X, and that some fans defended him as a 49-year-old man. The same report quotes a concertgoer who said 'Usher really sent out his doppelganger' and another who called the performer 'Unsure!!'.
- Nine digests mention that Usher laughed off the claims. Three digests specify that the rumours began after footage of the 7 August show circulated. None of the digests mention the 2024 neck injury that IBTimes UK links to earlier body-double speculation.
Centre
15 rated outlets
- The four centre-rated digests carried Usher’s denial but led with the fan speculation. PerthNow quoted his Instagram comment and described the viral clip that sparked the rumours, while Hindustan Times framed the story as Usher 'breaking silence' on the claims. Jornal Expresso’s digest summarised his response as 'You Guys Are funny... Me, a Clone? No One Can Clone This, the AI Isn’t that Advanced'.
- EURweb’s digest included additional context, noting that Usher appeared in white and sunglasses during the performance. None of the centre-rated digests omitted his denial, but none quoted it as prominently as the left-rated reports.
Right
4 rated outlets
- Het Laatste Nieuws, the only right-rated digest, led on fan speculation without mentioning Usher’s denial. The digest described 'striking images' from the concert that left fans 'wondering' whether he had used a lookalike. It did not include his Instagram response or any reference to artificial intelligence.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert?
- Of the 37 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 49% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 11% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 53. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 37 rated outlets on this story, 49% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 11% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert biased?
- Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert is one event reported by 53 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Usher denies clone rumours after fans question New Jersey concert?
- 53 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Usher say about the clone rumours?
- Usher denied the rumours in an Instagram comment, writing 'AI ain’t that advanced' and calling the claims 'funny'. The comment was reported by IBTimes UK and PerthNow, and quoted in full by several left-rated outlets.
- Why did fans think Usher used a body double?
- Fans posted side-by-side video comparisons on TikTok and X, noting differences in Usher’s cap, sunglasses, cheekbone structure and hand tattoo during his 7 August performance at MetLife Stadium. Some suggested he had sent a lookalike to perform.
- Which outlets reported Usher’s denial?
- All left-rated and centre-rated digests and reports included Usher’s denial. The right-rated digest, Het Laatste Nieuws, did not mention his response or the artificial intelligence reference.
Read it at the source
53 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
18- Why did fans think Usher wasn’t actually onstage? The singer finally responds (opens Fast Company in a new tab)
Fast Company — is Fast Company biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Responds to Rumors as Fans Believe He’s Hired a Look-Alike to Perform at Concerts (opens Today in a new tab)
- Usher responds to viral 'clone' discourse: 'AI ain't that advanced' (opens AZCentral in a new tab)
- Usher responds to viral 'clone' discourse: 'AI ain't that advanced' (opens USA Today in a new tab)
- Popular singer addresses viral rumor that he sent a clone to his concert: ‘Y’all are funny’ (opens lehighvalleylive in a new tab)
lehighvalleylive — is lehighvalleylive biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Has Hilarious Response To Conspiracy He Was Cloned (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- Did Usher Really Hire a "Clone" to Perform in His Place on Tour? (opens TVA Nouvelles in a new tab)
TVA Nouvelles — is TVA Nouvelles biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Is Not a Clone, So He Says (opens Jezebel in a new tab)
Show 10 more
- Usher Denies Cloning Allegations (opens The Cut in a new tab)
- Usher Addresses Claims He Used a Lookalike Onstage: “They Can’t Clone This” (opens Vibe in a new tab)
- 'They Can't Clone This': Usher Responds to Rumours He Used Body Double at Metlife Stadium Concert (opens IBTimes UK in a new tab)
IBTimes UK — is IBTimes UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
- “Something Definitely Off Here”: A Viral Clip Has People Genuinely Convinced That Usher Hired A “Clone” To Perform For Him On Tour — And Now He’s Responded (opens Buzzfeed in a new tab)
- Usher Shoots Down Clone Claims... They Can’t Clone This! (opens Media Take Out in a new tab)
Media Take Out — is Media Take Out biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher, Cloned? The Singer Ironizes on the Crazy Rumor Surrounding His Last Concerts (opens Le Huffington Post in a new tab)
Le Huffington Post — is Le Huffington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher responds directly to bizarre internet rumours that he’s a clone (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Addresses Claims He Used a Lookalike Onstage: ‘They Can’t Clone This’ (opens RollingStone in a new tab)
RollingStone — is RollingStone biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Denies Having Body Double During New Jersey Performance: 'They Can't Clone This' (opens Complex in a new tab)
- No, Usher has not been cloned despite bizarre internet theory: ‘They can’t clone this’ (opens Entertainment Weekly in a new tab)
Entertainment Weekly — is Entertainment Weekly biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
15- Usher Breaks Silence After ‘Clone’ Rumors Go Viral (opens Tv Shows Ace in a new tab)
Tv Shows Ace — is Tv Shows Ace biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher responds to viral 'clone' discourse: 'AI ain't that advanced' (opens Green Bay Press in a new tab)
Green Bay Press — is Green Bay Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher responds to viral 'clone' discourse: 'AI ain't that advanced' (opens The Columbus Dispatch in a new tab)
The Columbus Dispatch — is The Columbus Dispatch biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher responds to viral 'clone' discourse: 'AI ain't that advanced' (opens The Tennessean in a new tab)
The Tennessean — is The Tennessean biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Had To Clap Back After Fans Claimed He Used A Look-Alike On Stage (opens Cinema Blend in a new tab)
Cinema Blend — is Cinema Blend biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Accused Of Using A Look-A-Like To Perform In His Place At MetLife Stadium Show (opens BroBible in a new tab)
- Singer Usher Made Doorman Run to Hold Door Open for Him (opens Sandra Rose in a new tab)
Sandra Rose — is Sandra Rose biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Accused of Hiring a Clone for His Concerts, Usher Reacts to This Crazy Rumor that Ignites the Web (opens Voici.fr in a new tab)
Show 7 more
- You Guys Are funny... Me, a Clone? No One Can Clone This, the AI Isn't that Advanced. (opens Jornal Expresso in a new tab)
Jornal Expresso — is Jornal Expresso biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Usher responds to ‘body double’ conspiracy as fans question unusual detail (opens The LADbible in a new tab)
The LADbible — is The LADbible biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Did Usher really use a clone body during New Jersey concert? Yeah singer breaks silence on viral clips (opens Hindustan Times in a new tab)
Hindustan Times — is Hindustan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Did Usher Hire A Clone To Perform At His Recent Concert? He Reacts As Concertgoers Argued, 'How..' (opens BollywoodShaadis.com in a new tab)
BollywoodShaadis.com — is BollywoodShaadis.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher responds to viral claims that he was replaced by a body double at one of his concerts (opens NME in a new tab)
- Usher hits back at bizarre 'clone' conspiracy theory (opens PerthNow in a new tab)
- Usher Laughs Off Wild ‘Clone’ Rumor After Fans Question MetLife Performance - U Decide | WATCH | EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More (opens EURweb in a new tab)
Right
4- "A Clone? How Did You Get to This Theory?": Usher Denies a Crazy Rumor About His Concerts (opens Le Parisien in a new tab)
Le Parisien — is Le Parisien biased? Our profile of this outlet
- There Can only Be One! : Usher Resists Clone Addictions (opens n-tv in a new tab)
- Striking Images Leave Fans Wondering: Did Usher Use a Lookalike During the Concert? (opens Het Laatste Nieuws in a new tab)
Het Laatste Nieuws — is Het Laatste Nieuws biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher responds to fans claiming his lookalike performed at concert (opens ARY News in a new tab)
Not rated
16- Replaced by Clone? Usher Responds to Wild Fan Theory (opens Promiflash.de in a new tab)
Promiflash.de — is Promiflash.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Clone Rumors Go Viral as Fans Question His Concert Appearance (opens Latest Breaking News in a new tab)
Latest Breaking News — is Latest Breaking News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Opposes the Clone (opens Vísir in a new tab)
- Usher Addresses Claims He Used a Look-Alike Onstage: ‘They Can’t Clone This’ (opens My Site in a new tab)
- Wild Theory Is Spreading Online, Alleging that a Clone of Usher Performed at a Concert Instead of Him (opens Index in a new tab)
- Usher responds to clone allegations amid ‘R&B’ tour (opens happymag.tv in a new tab)
happymag.tv — is happymag.tv biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Denies Using A Clone During Concerts (opens 107.5 WBLS in a new tab)
107.5 WBLS
- Usher responds to viral claims he used a ‘clone’ after fans weren’t sure it was really him onstage (opens vt.co in a new tab)
Show 8 more
- Did Usher Really Hire a "Clone" to Perform in His Place on Tour? (opens Le Journal de Quebec in a new tab)
Le Journal de Quebec — is Le Journal de Quebec biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Singer Responds to Curious Clone Hungers (opens gala.de in a new tab)
- Usher Responds to Accusations of Using a Body Double at Concert (opens medcom.id in a new tab)
- I Didn’t Use A Clone To Perform During My Latest Tour – Usher (opens The InfoStride in a new tab)
The InfoStride — is The InfoStride biased? Our profile of this outlet
- According to His Fans, It Wasn't Usher, but a Clone of Him Who Performed at the Star's Last Concert. (opens 24 HU in a new tab)
- Usher Fans Ask for Money Back: They Claim the Concert Made It a Double (opens Qué! in a new tab)
- Usher Or Uhhh… Sure? Usher Denies Body Double Deception Onstage After ‘Confessions’ Clone Conspiracies Go Viral (opens zhiphopcleveland.com in a new tab)
zhiphopcleveland.com — is zhiphopcleveland.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Usher Gets Steamy With DreamDoll, And Brings Out Mary J. Blige, Method Man, Ashanti, Future, And A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie On Night 2 Of His & Chris Brown’s 'R&B Tour' In New Jersey (opens Hollywood Unlocked in a new tab)
Hollywood Unlocked — is Hollywood Unlocked biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
More in Media
All Media →Elsewhere on the site
Politics•3 min readDavid Eby says some Conservatives want BC as US protectorate
Politics•3 min readTwo Ole Miss students die; kratom found in investigation
Politics•3 min readUniversity of Maryland Lab Faces Civil Rights Complaint Over Race Bias Allegations
