Usher laughs off ‘clone’ speculation after tour footage goes viral

The R&B star responded directly after fans claimed someone else may have taken his place during a recent performance.

Usher is laughing off viral “clone” rumors after social media users claimed a lookalike had been performing in his place on the Raymond & Brown Tour. The speculation surfaced as the R&B star continues his co-headlining run with Chris Brown and follows another viral moment from a recent Nashville performance. The Usher clone rumors have now prompted a response from the singer himself.

The rumors gained momentum after footage from the singer’s Aug. 7 show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey circulated online. Some fans said Usher looked different in the clips, while others focused on the hat and sunglasses obscuring part of his face as they questioned whether it was actually him onstage.

Usher responded on Instagram on Sunday, Aug. 9, appearing amused by the theory.

“Ya’ll are funny…clone? They can’t clone this??” he wrote in one comment included in a post from the official R&B Tour Instagram account. In another response, he questioned how fans came up with the theory before joking, “AI ain’t that advanced.”

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People reported that several viral posts helped fuel the speculation. One X user accused Usher of trying to fool concertgoers, while a TikTok user claimed the singer had sent out a doppelganger. Other users joined the discussion, arguing that the performer captured in the footage did not resemble the 47-year-old singer closely enough.

Usher’s comments rejected the claim that a clone or body double had taken his place. The viral posts cited in the report did not provide evidence that a substitute performer was used.

The unusual rumor arrives during Usher and Brown’s Raymond & Brown Tour, which kicked off in June and is scheduled to continue through December with dates across North America.

Usher has already generated other viral moments during the tour. At a July 25 stop in Nashville, he ended an intimate onstage interaction after noticing that a fan he had invited up appeared uncomfortable.