Meta began one of the largest purges of fake, inactive and bot accounts in Instagram’s history in May 2026. Within just a few hours, tens of millions of „ghost” accounts disappeared, and the world’s biggest stars saw huge drops in their follower numbers.
Who lost the most followers?
- Kylie Jenner → down 14-15 million (the biggest loss worldwide)
- BLACKPINK (official account) → down 10 million
- Cristiano Ronaldo → down 8 million
- Selena Gomez → down about 6 million
- Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and others also lost several million each
The purge has already been dubbed „Great Purge of 2026”. Instagram is removing accounts that have shown no activity for a long time, bots, and profiles created solely to artificially inflate reach.
Meta has not issued an official statement, but people close to the platform confirm that it is part of a broader strategy to combat fake engagement and improve ad quality.
Many influencers and celebrities initially panicked when they saw their numbers drop sharply. Over time, however, voices emerged saying that „at last you can see the real audience.” After the purge, engagement rates (reach relative to follower count) even rose for many users.
The purge is still ongoing, and experts estimate that tens of millions of accounts worldwide could disappear in the coming weeks.
How many followers have you lost?
