New Delhi: A recent clean-up drive by Instagram has reportedly led to a sharp decline in follower counts for several global celebrities, including Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli, actress Priyanka Chopra, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo and reality TV star Kylie Jenner.
Among the most notable changes, Kohli’s Instagram following reportedly slipped from nearly 276 million to 274 million within a short span earlier this month. Data tracked by analytics platform “Not Just Analytics” indicated that the decline became visible during the opening week of May, when his account allegedly lost close to two million followers.
The sudden reduction in follower numbers is widely being linked to a large-scale purge of fake, inactive and automated accounts by Instagram’s parent company, Meta. Although the company has not issued an official statement regarding the clean-up, multiple social media tracking platforms have recorded significant fluctuations in follower counts across several celebrity accounts.
Reports shared online, including updates circulated by Celebrity Radar on X, claimed that Kylie Jenner lost more than 14 million followers during the purge. Cristiano Ronaldo’s account reportedly saw a decline of around 8 million followers, while singer-actress Selena Gomez is said to have lost nearly 6 million followers.
The development has sparked fresh discussions around the authenticity of social media popularity, with many users debating the extent of bot-driven engagement and artificially inflated follower figures on major platforms.
Industry observers believe the purge reflects a broader effort by Instagram to improve platform credibility and remove suspicious accounts that may distort engagement metrics. The move has also renewed pressure on influencers, celebrities and brands that rely heavily on massive online followings for visibility and partnerships.
