PERFECT double! Ed Sheeran lookalike claims he was ‘banned from TikTok’ for looking too much like the popstar
An Ed Sheeran lookalike has claimed to have been banned from TikTok for looking too much like the hitmaker.
Ty Jones, 28, from Manchester, is known for his uncanny resemblance to Ed Sheeran, and has amassed over 100,000 followers on TikTok due to his hilarious impersonations of the singer.
However he has now told The Sun he was briefly banned from the platform for impersonating the Perfect popstar.
Unimpressed, Ty added: ‘Maybe TikTok should ban Ed for impersonating me as well given that we look the same. It’s my full-time job. I was keen to promote what I do and market my business.’
He said after his account was banned, he put an official appeal to the video sharing platform – who initially said Ty’s account violated Community Guidelines, before restoring the page.
According to TikTok, the platform uses a combination of technologies and moderation teams to review and moderate videos across its platform.
While the platform is open to reviewing its decisions, it is equally committed to protecting its users and will continue to invest in content safety.
The doppelganger – who once met the real Ed in 2012 – admits he has very little singing talent, and regularly informs his fans that he can’t sing and isn’t actually Ed Sheeran.
Ty said: ‘It’s quite obvious I’m a lookalike. I actually can’t sing. People always comment on my videos, saying, “Oh my God, it’s Ed Sheeran” and I’m always repeating myself saying, “I’m not Ed”.’
The deadringer called the short ban ‘discrimination’, adding that he couldn’t help it if he looked like the singer, nor could he change the way he looked.
He questioned the social media giant over its decision, and wondered why his resemblance to the real Ed, 32, would incite a TikTok ban.
His account has since been restored.
Ty hit headlines back in 2016, when he revealed he struggled to get a girlfriend because he was constantly bombarded by legions of female fans – who made his partner jealous.
Ty said he found it hard to tell if women were attracted to him or were simply looking for the next best thing to the pop star.
He added that he sometimes struggled to leave the house because people want to talk to him and know if he’s the real deal.
Growing up, he was shy and hated attention, but since the real Ed’s rise to fame, he has had to learn how to deal with a plethora of fans.
Ty said: ‘When Ed became really famous I had people always coming up to me and talking to me and wanting my picture – it was crazy.’
‘He’s such a big artist and I’m a massive fan of his but now it’s like I can’t escape it, people go mad when they think they’re meeting Ed Sheeran.’
‘It’s made my relationships worse I’d say because now I have to weigh up if they like me for me or are they’re just interested in me because I’m the next best thing to Ed if they really like him.’
‘When girls ask me for pictures in the streets it’s annoyed some of my girlfriends in the past and caused problems.
‘It’s hard to explain because it’s not like I can help it and I don’t like being horrible to people and deny them a picture if they want one.’