09-05-2026 12:00:00 AM
Instagram users reported a sudden drop in follower counts across celebrity and creator accounts, sparking the viral “Great Purge of 2026” discussion online. The decline is believed to be linked to a large-scale removal of fake, inactive and bot accounts. Some of the many accounts which were affected were of Kylie Jenner, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Virat Kohli and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.