Chris Daughtry frustrated after AI photos depicted him paying tribute to Charlie Kirk: ‘I certainly don’t stand with MAGA’
(Gray News) – Chris Daughtry is setting the record straight after fake AI photos went viral of him paying tribute to the late Charlie Kirk.
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In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the singer said he was one of several musicians – including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen – who were depicted paying tribute to Kirk after his death.
But the photos were AI, and Daughtry is making it clear that he’s frustrated.
Chris Daughtry of Daughtry performs at the Rialto Square Theatre on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Joliet, Ill.(Rob Grabowski | Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
“I certainly don’t stand with MAGA, Charlie Kirk, Turning Point or any other movement rooted in bigotry or intolerance or exclusivity,” Daughtry told Rolling Stone. “So when it [AI] starts lumping me into these groups that do not align with my values and the things I stand for and where my heart is, it affects me on a deep level. I don’t want anyone out there believing that. When it starts to step on or completely contradict the things you stand for, that’s when it hurts the most.”
The singer added that his values and beliefs have changed over the course of his career.
“I’ve evolved quite a bit as a human over the last 20 years. I don’t hold the same religious dogma I grew up with. I’m all about equal rights, including, equal rights for LGBTQ, and minority communities,” he told the outlet.
In an Instagram post, Daughtry, 45, also confronted AI-generated material that claimed his marriage was on the rocks.
“S*** is getting just unbelievably nuts out there with the fake accounts, the fake news, the fake headlines,” he said in his Instagram reel.
Daughtry also reminded his fans that if a post about him is not coming from his verified account or the verified Daughtry band page, then it’s likely AI or false information.
“So, if you’re not seeing news being posted on our official page or my page — or at least being corroborated by reposting something from another source — then it’s not real,” he added.
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