Oh Lord! T.D. Jakes Going After Social Media Creators Linking Him to Diddy’s Bad Behavior

Over the past year, T.D. Jakes has been one of a handful of high-profile individuals who have been the subject of online videos attempting to link them to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged bad behavior. But now, Jakes’ legal team is fighting back against what they say is AI-generated misinformation and asking the courts to expose the identities of those responsible for creating (and getting paid) for the content.

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According to NBC News, Jakes’ attorney Dustin Pusch filed a motion in a California court on December 19 against YouTube’s parent company, Google, asking them to release information about accounts that appear to be located in Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines and Kenya, that have made false claims about the pastor using AI-generated images and voice-overs.

Back in January, NBC News reported discovering dozens of YouTube accounts using things like clickbait headlines and suggestive AI-generated content to link celebrities like Bishop Jakes, Denzel Washington and Steve Harvey to the Diddy scandal. The videos have attracted millions of viewers and have allowed the creators to monetize the traffic to potential advertisers.

In their motion, Jakes’ lawyers accuse these accounts of trying to capitalize on Jakes’ popularity, luring them into fake news stories.

“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. “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.”

If the court allows Jakes’ legal team to access information about the account holders’ identity, they’ll be able to move forward with defamation lawsuits against them.