American music artist Usher has sparked bizarre internet rumours suggesting he was replaced by a clone or body double during his performance at MetLife Stadium.
Footage of the R&B legend performing on 7 August on his co-headlining Raymond & Brown tour with Chris Brown put him under intense online scrutiny, with sceptical concertgoers flooding platforms like TikTok and X with side-by-side comparisons.
Clips from the show featured the singer wearing a cap and sunglasses, prompting fans to hyper-analyse his cheekbone structure, hand tattoo placement, and body language.
Posts by concert attendants on TikTok and X raised suspicion on whether the singer on stage was actually Usher. One commenter said, 'Usher really sent out his doppelganger' in a video of him dancing. Another quipped, 'That's Unsure!!'
Fans also compared the 'doppelganger' to previous photos of Usher, citing differences in cheekbone structure, hand tattoo placement, and the fact that he was wearing a cap and glasses. Others defended Usher, saying that 'y'all looking for 20-year-old Usher forgetting that man is almost 50.'
Usher Shuts Down the Claims Online
Usher quickly caught wind of the chatter and addressed the conspiracy theories directly through Instagram
Laughing off the absurd claims in an Instagram comment, the singer wrote, 'Y'all are funny... clone? They can't clone this?? How y'all come up with this? AI ain't that advanced.'
This is not the first time the 'Yeah!' singer has faced such peculiar allegations.
During his 2024 Past Present Future tour, similar body double rumours circulated after he was forced to postpone opening shows due to a sudden neck injury, leading internet sleuths to question his physical presence on stage. This caused him to postpone his first shows in Atlanta at the time.
'My hope was that with physical therapy and medical treatment, I would be able to overcome the injury and be ready for opening night,' he said in the run-up to the 2024 tour. 'Unfortunately, the injury hasn't healed yet, and my doctors have instructed me not to perform any shows this week.'
A Tour Marked by Unpredictable Viral Moments
The clone rumours weren't the only things Usher had to deal with. Just last month in Nashville for the same tour, the musician had to escort a woman off the stage after she was called on to participate in a serenade to his song 'Can U Handle It?'
A shirtless Usher performed the song and noticed that the woman was visibly uncomfortable, which prompted him to pause. 'I don't think she want to be on the stage, huh?'
He then motioned to security and had them bring her back to the crowd.
The reactions to this were mixed. The fan who was brought on stage, whose name was Gabrielle Cheyenne, had received backlash for her demeanour during the concert. She took to defending herself online.
'Their team approached us and moved us to VIP before the show even started. PRETTY privileges something you hoes will never know about!! They don't say who you're going up there for!! Y'all wanted me to get up there and f--- him atp?'
In a later show in Birmingham, Alabama, Usher warned fans following this interaction:
'Now, before we get started, don't bring your ass up here if you don't want to be here,' he told the audience. 'God don't like ugly, but he most certainly don't feel too good about pretty privilege either, do he?'
Usher will be performing in the R & B tour with Chris Brown around North America through to December. For many fans, whether or not the man on stage will actually be Usher or a 'clone' is still uncertain.
