A Zac Efron ad campaign has the internet up in arms over his unexpected new look.
An image of the actor recently went viral for its heavy-handed spray tan and bee-stung lips.
In the photo, Efron poses in a full white suit for what appears to be a Prada ad. The caption reads: “Zac Efron x Prada drop their disco-inspired ‘Saturday Night Fever’ line.”
At first glance, it looked like the real thing—at least to less discerning Facebook users. Many rushed to the comments to express their horror.
“What in the Botox is going on around here…” one person joked. Another wrote: “Seriously? Zac Efron? You are ruining my High School Musical memories.” A third pleaded: “Please say it’s a prank?”
Say it with me: It’s AI.
Despite claims of a Prada collaboration, the fashion house has made no such announcement. The image originated on a Facebook page called The Celeb Talk Girl, whose bio reads: “Pop culture chaos, celebrity tea, parodies, and just the right amount of satire. All content is for entertainment and fair use purposes only. Please don’t take it too seriously.” (Fast Company has reached out for comment).
Still, the image spread across social media without context, where plenty of people fell for it.
“The lack of general discernment is SO concerning to me. Why would any of you look at this photo and think it was real?” one TikTok user wrote. “Please use your brains. oh my god we are COOKED.”
AI-generated celebrity images going viral is nothing new, and this certainly won’t be the last. A recent study asked participants to identify images as AI or real; they only got it right 61% of the time—far below expectations. Online, users have already been duped by everything from AI bunnies on trampolines to fake rock star tributes for conservative pundit Charlie Kirk.
But really, don’t do Troy Bolton dirty like that.