Australian actress Katherine Langford has gone viral on social media over footage appearing to show her supporting the Socceroos at the FIFA World Cup, with fans launching into a debate about whether the images are AI.
Footage of Langford, who is best known for her role on the smash-hit Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, supporting Australia in their match versus Egypt was shown on the big screen during the match.
Although some fans immediately recognised the popular actress, others claim footage from the moment that was later posted on social media isn’t real, and is instead AI-generated.
‘Guys…… this is AI. Please tell me you know this,’ one person wrote in the comments section of a TikTok video of Langford at the match, which has been liked 4.7 million times.
‘How don’t you see this is AI,’ another said.
‘She looks too perfect… is this real or another AI stadium cam edit?’ a third asked.
Footage of Katherine Langford (pictured) has gone viral on social media with one TikTok post getting 4.7 million likes
The footage appearing to show the star of 13 Reasons Why at the World Cup set off a debate about whether the clip is AI-generated
Langford (pictured) is one of Australia’s most popular actresses after starring in the Netflix smash and the critically acclaimed hit movie Knives Out
Many other commenters were certain the footage was real and said words to the effect of ‘that’s Hannah Baker’, referring to the character Langford plays in the show.
‘That is literally Katherine Langford, how do you not know?’ one wrote.
‘This may be a wild theory, but hear me out. I think she may be an Australian who has gone to watch her country play a match in the World Cup,’ another said.
The Daily Mail has run the footage from social media through an AI detector, which found a 97 per cent probability it was AI-generated.
Langford, 30, has starred in numerous productions, but 13 Reasons Why was her breakout role.
Her work on the show saw her be nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series in 2018.
Langford then appeared in the films ‘Love, Simon’ and also the critically acclaimed 2019 movie Knives Out.
The 30-year-old has recently pivoted to theatre, and made her stage debut in late 2024 as Sally Bowles in the West End musical ‘Cabaret’.
Throughout her childhood in Perth, she considered becoming a doctor or other medical professional before making a decision to pursue acting.
She has since become one of Australia’s most popular stars, and now boasts 39 million followers on Instagram.
