Bishop TD Jakes, pastor of The Potter’s House megachurch, is taking action against Google over the proliferation of videos on YouTube that misuse his likeness and “degrade and defame” him. These videos, deepfakes, link the Texas pastor in sexually suggestive ways to recording label CEO Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Jakes’ attorney, Dustin Peach, has “filed a motion in the Northern District of California seeking to subpoena Google, YouTube’s parent company, to share information concerning the identities of four YouTube account holders,” NBC News reports.
These YouTubers, apparently located in Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines, and Kenya, use AI technology to create and disseminate sexually suggestive deepfake videos featuring Bishop Jakes and Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs, embroiled in his own legal battles, is not involved in Jakes’ current legal action.
These fake videos are often monetized, “bringing both them and YouTube large profits while spreading misinformation that can be damaging to people like Jakes,” according to Complex.
The deepfakes have accumulated millions of views.
“These YouTubers are purportedly using the sordid and sensational allegations revolving around Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to attack, humiliate, degrade, and defame Bishop Jakes — and many other prominent black celebrities — with manufactured claims that he is guilty of the same crimes and other lewd and repulsive conduct as Mr. Combs,” the motion reads, per Complex. “In other words, YouTubers are using Bishop Jakes’s prominence as clickbait to attract unwitting users to view their knowingly false videos for their (and possibly other foreign companies’) financial gain.”
Jakes, who recently suffered a medical emergency during a live-streamed sermon, has been the subject of incessant misinformation since allegations emerged against Diddy in late 2023.
Trending online searches involving Jakes’ name speculate on his retirement and even death, as a result of his alleged involvement with Diddy. As Faithfully Magazine previously reported:
The attempts to connect Bishop Jakes’s supposed resignation to Diddy’s legal troubles are baseless and speculative. There is no evidence to support such a connection to Diddy’s alleged acts. Jakes himself has called his accusers “liars” for linking him to Diddy’s abuse allegations.
The rumors emerged after Jakes was briefly mentioned in a lawsuit brought by Rodney Jones Jr, who accused Diddy of sexual harassment, illegal drug use, and sex trafficking. In his lawsuit, Jones claims that Diddy “planned to leverage his relationship” with Bishop T.D. Jakes to “soften the impact of his public image” amid a lawsuit brought by Cassie Ventura. Ventura, who eventually received a settlement, said Diddy had physically and sexually abused her for years, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Jakes’ legal attempt to hold Google and YouTube to account underscores the growing alarm surrounding the ethical implications of AI technology, particularly the creation of deepfakes. These highly realistic manipulated videos can be difficult to distinguish from authentic content, making them a powerful tool for spreading false information and manipulating public perception.
Can you spot a deepfake video?