Women dominate list of celebrities drawing most deepfake interest, including some familiar to Utahns

SALT LAKE CITY — Lisa Swearingen bought several bottles of pills advertised online as a way to lose weight. She thought they were endorsed by Oprah Winfrey.

"There are many videos of Oprah on TikTok and on Reels," she said.

Karen Grey has been trying to get a refund for pain pills advertised on Facebook. The ads included a video endorsement from Elon Musk.

"Elon Musk was advertising in a way that he can fix any problems," Grey said.

Now, new research from Create UGC, shared with the KSL Investigators, shows that neither celebrity scratches the top ten of deepfake-related internet searches.

Musk ranks 23rd.

Oprah does not make the top 50.

Women top the list

At number one is online creator Pokimane. Then Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson and Ariana Grande.

Looking at the bigger picture: every celebrity in the top 10 is a woman. The first man does not show up until number 19: Tom Cruise.

Celebs trying to help

Many celebrities have been trying to warn their fans about deepfakes and scammers using their likenesses.

Olympian Lindsey Vonn issued a warning to fans after scammers impersonated her online.

"If anyone's asking you for money, it is not me. It is not real," Vonn said.

Sandra Bullock recently took to the SmartLess podcast, lamenting that she only started a social media account to try to combat the fakes.

Congress taking steps

The research comes as a new federal law is being enforced against one especially harmful kind of deepfake.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered online platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated fakes, within 48 hours of receiving a valid request.

But that law does not mean every fake celebrity video is illegal.

For consumers, the advice in the age of AI is simple: Don't trust an endorsement just because you can see and hear a celebrity making it.

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