A video circulating on social media claims that American pop star and NFL team's Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's girlfriend Taylor Swift referred to the recent wildfires in Los Angeles as "divine retribution" against the U.S. for its support of Israel's bombings in Gaza. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that the video is a deepfake, and Taylor Swift did not make these comments.
Fact Check: The Video is Manipulated
BOOM, a fact-checking organization, analyzed the viral video and found it to be artificially created using deepfake technology. The footage, which seems to show Swift making a controversial statement about the wildfires, is actually a fabrication. The original clip of Taylor Swift was taken from her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 12, 2021—well before the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, which began in 2024.
Discrepancies and Deepfake Analysis
Upon reviewing the video, several inconsistencies in the audio were noted, particularly in Swift's tone and manner of speaking. These discrepancies pointed to the use of voice cloning technology, a tool commonly employed in the creation of deepfakes.
To verify the video’s authenticity, a reverse image search led to the Tonight Show appearance in 2021, revealing identical scenes and clothing worn by Swift in both the original and the viral clip. This confirmed that the manipulated video had used footage from her earlier interview, which was not related to the wildfires or Gaza.
AI Technology Detects Deepfake Manipulation
Further investigation by the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) revealed clear signs of AI manipulation in the video. Their tools, including Hiya and Hive, flagged the audio as likely being AI-generated. The Hiya tool showed a 99% probability that the audio track was fabricated, while Hive’s AI audio detection pointed to strong evidence of voice cloning within the first 20 seconds.
Additionally, deepfake detection models from the University at Buffalo Media Forensics Lab confirmed that the video was manipulated, with an 85% likelihood indicated by their LIPINC (2024) model and a 87.4% probability from the WAV2LIP-STA (2022) model.
A Fake Video with False Claims
In conclusion, the viral video attributing statements about the Los Angeles wildfires to Taylor Swift is a deepfake. Swift did not make these comments about the wildfires being "divine retribution." The video was artificially created using AI technology and does not reflect any real statements from the pop star. The true source of the original footage was Swift’s 2021 appearance on The Tonight Show, which had no connection to the ongoing events in Gaza or the wildfires in Los Angeles.
As always, it's important to approach viral videos with caution and verify the information before accepting it as truth.