Influencer tricks people into believing she's Morgan Freeman's niece
In today's lesson on why you shouldn't believe everything you see on the internet...
Oscar winner Morgan Freeman has one of the most recognisable voices in Hollywood, so you can imagine the frenzy a TikTok influencer created when she got him to narrate one of her videos.
A woman named Justine caused a stir online recently when she shared a vlog on TikTok about a day in the life of a "nepo niece". The video showed her lounging by the pool, trying on outfits, and going out for drinks with her friends. You know, the average living-my-best-life influencer content.
However, Justine's video stood out because her "Uncle Mo" narrated the entire thing.
"Welcome to my niece's 'day in the life' narrated by me, Morgan Freeman. Justine begged for money for what she said would be a cultural experience in Spain... She asked for my credit card to book what she claimed was a little activity for her birthday. Imagine my surprise when I was charged for a yacht. Basically, she embezzled," Morgan's voice could be heard saying.
Justine's video received 30,000 views on TikTok but went viral after it was shared on X (formerly Twitter).
"Her uncle is Morgan Freeman and she gets him to narrate her day in the life vlogs. She wins at life and content creating. This is such a flex," X user @JahelisWasHere wrote.
That video has been watched more than 16-million times!
Her uncle is Morgan Freeman and she gets him to narrate her day in the life vlogs. She wins at life and content creating. This is such a flex. pic.twitter.com/muIh62Vvg2
— Jahelis. (@JahelisWasHere) June 25, 2024
However, Justine's video was only meant to be a joke. She used an artificial intelligence (AI) voice generator to imitate the actor's vocals.
She apparently also used Morgan's voice to narrate a trip to South Africa.
"Being a nepo niece has its perks, apparently. Because why did she use money I gave her to go to South Africa? Being in South Africa, surely she's getting ready for something cultural. Nope," the voiceover said, according to the Daily Mail.
@justinescameraroll POST THE DRAFTS. #macroinfluencer #microinfluencer #tiktokgrowthtips #instagramgrowthtips #traveltiktok ♬ water (instrumental) - no/vox & karaokey
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The videos no longer appear to be on her social media pages.
Her little joke turned out to be a big deal on the internet, with people accusing her of clout chasing.
"Just me or is it not extremely bizarre to use an actor's AI voice to make content claiming you as blood family and using their AI voice to narrate made up stories about how they're related to you... Like I get it's supposed to be "obvious" that this is trolling, lol but like...??" one X user commented.
Justine is defending herself against the haters. She told her followers that she was just having a little bit of fun and thought using Morgan's voice would be funny.
"I’m sorry, but I think I’m so funny. It’s an obvious joke but people don’t have discernment," she said in response to a comment on a follow-up video she posted on TikTok about the drama.
Many people came to Justine's defence, saying that it was clearly an AI voice. Some even blamed X users for taking things too far.
"Twitter ruins all the laughing and carrying on we do over here lmao, seriously."
ALSO READ: Duo spend R114,518 on alcohol at Umhlanga restaurant
@justinescameraroll well, that was fun while it lasted. #unclemo ♬ original sound - Justine’s Camera Roll 📸✨
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Main image credit: Instagram/@justinescameraroll_