A spokesperson for the Pearl and Maxxine star called Instagram’s actions “incomprehensible” 

Actress Mia Goth is hitting back after a fan account shared viral AI-generated photos of her unchecked for days. 

The photo in question looked like a selfie of Goth, wearing a shirt captioned “My Ex Is My Biggest Fan.” The account was verified and had the handle @miagoth_, but the Pearl and Maxxine actress famously does not use social media and has never had a public Instagram account. The photo spread after Goth confirmed that she and her former partner, actor Shia LaBeouf, were filing for divorce.

Goth is best known for her work on Ti West’s horror trilogy X, starring as the lead in X (2022), Pearl (2022), and MaXXXine (2024). The English actress and LaBeouf share a four-year-old daughter, Isabel.

The Instagram account identified itself as a fan account in its profile description, but it also had a verified blue checkmark, a badge Instagram typically uses to identify accounts run by notable people or celebrities. In recent years, Instagram has also started using Meta Verified badges, blue checkmarks almost identical to the verified badges, but purchasable via subscription. The lack of visible distinction is most likely why news outlet People posted a now-removed article on the pic — as if Goth herself has posted it. 

Christine Tripicchio, a spokesperson for Goth, called the image’s circulation “disconcerting” in a statement to The Verge. 

“The fact that this fan account meets Instagram’s criteria to qualify for a ‘blue check’ is disconcerting on a fundamental level,” Tripicchio said. “Beyond that, it is incomprehensible that Instagram evidently prioritizes the dissemination of forged and manipulated images over the protection and integrity of a public figure’s likeness.”

The account, which had over 1 million followers when the AI-generated selfie was posted, appears to have been taken down, but AI-generated content remains a major hurdle for social media platforms. Under Instagram’s current policies, AI-generated profiles and content are allowed on the site, but contain a banner noting the account is an AI-generated profile.