The rise of celebrity look-alikes in Nigeria: Impersonation or Parody?

In a content creator economy where daring creativity is at a premium, some celebrity look-alikes are cashing in on their resemblance to famous people by pretending to be them in return for fame.

These look-alikes are creating content using the imagery and brand identity of these celebrities to attract a social media following that they can leverage for financial gain.

Looking like a celebrity is not an offence, nor is parodying a famous person to create content. Nasboi is a renowned comedian and content creator who gained fame by parodying Afrobeats superstar Davido.

However, there's a point where imitation becomes impersonation, and flattery becomes a crime.

Impersonation is the act of pretending to be another person for entertainment or fraudulent purposes.

This is different from parody, which is the imitation with deliberate exaggeration for comedic effect. For context, Nasboi created content imitating Davido's voice and tattoos with deliberate exaggeration for the sake of making people laugh. This is a parody.

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Entertainment Lawyer Barrister Olarewaju Bello tells Pulse Nigeria that it's what these celebrity look-alikes do with the semblance that determines the legal implication of their actions.

"Generally, it is not the act of “looking like” a celebrity that it's the issue per se, it is usually what you do with the semblance that matters. For example, if you misrepresent to be them, or you pass off their brand to get commercial benefit, this could lead to civil liability under the law. Unlike when it's merely a parody or one-off thing."

Impersonation occurs when a look-alike of the street pop act Portable decides to dye his hair, dress, and act like the musician for the sake of passing himself off as the artist for the sake of entertainment and profit. It's largely irrelevant that the disclaimer "fake" is added to differentiate himself from the celebrity.

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The Portable look-alike goes by "Zazuloolalike" on TikTok, where he creates content with the musician's imagery and mannerisms. He also uses the musician's song in promoting his content, including a "Celebrity Look-alike Comedy Tour".

A Davido look-alike who goes by "Mini Back Up" on TikTok, where he has over 260K followers who engage with his content, where he pretends to be a version of the Afrobeats star.

Another Davido look-alike, Davoh Olobah, performs the musician's songs on social media, while a more popular look alike Twin OBO, performs Davido's songs in the club.

Wizkid, Burna Boy, Odumodublvck, Tekno, Timaya, and Rema are other musicians with look-alikes creating content using their identities.

Popular Pastor Odumeje, footballer Victor Osimhen, and activist Very Dark Man also have look-alikes. Even late Nollywood actor Junior Pope and late Afrobeats star Mohbad also have look-alikes cosplaying them for financial gain.

READ ALSO: In celebration of the remarkable Street-hop sensation Mohbad

These celebrity look-alikes are moving from imitation to pretence, which is a crime under Nigerian law.

Barrister Bello points out that under the Nigerian Legal System, the issue of impersonation has been established as a crime under the Cyber Crime Act 2024.

Section 22 (1) (b) of the Act criminalizes Identity Theft and impersonation, prescribing imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to ₦7 million, or both for convicted persons.

Bello added that civil actions can also be brought against impersonators who can be liable for damages.

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Although these look-alikes might not have the intention to convince people that they are the original versions of these celebrities, the act of deliberately copying their identity and using their songs can fool some undiscerning individuals. The monetisation of this content also constitutes a copyright breach that borders on impersonation.

In Nigeria, content creation is a viable means of income for the nation's huge youth population. Leveraging the resemblance to a famous person is a fast means to build a following.

Speaking on this trend, Award-winning content creator Chioma Anyawu, who goes by Anchi Vibes on TikTok, opines that the rise in the trend of celebrity look-alikes is motivated by people using their resemblance to celebrities as leverage on social media.

"People think when they look like a particular celebrity, they can use it to gain some sort of engagement and grow their page".

The trend of celebrity look-alikes is not a Nigerian phenomenon. Even in America, several look-alikes embrace the fame that comes with their resemblance to a famous person.

Recently, a Justin Bieber look-alike was handed a lifetime ban by a Las Vegas nightclub after he pretended to be the singer to gain access to the stage where he performed to the audience.

In 2022, Drake was reported to have sent a cease and desist letter to a look-alike who was creating content under the name "Fake Drake".

For what it's worth, imitation remains the highest form of flattery, and although in the case of Nigerian celebrity look-alikes, it's more of pretence, the actions of these look-alikes still flatter rather than harm the brand of these celebrities.

These look-alikes also act as some sort of amplifier for the brand and content of the celebrities they cosplay, which makes them useful even if they are essentially guilty of impersonation.

READ ALSO: Drake becomes first artist to reach 115 billion Spotify streams

There is also the cheerful side to celebrity look-alikes, like in the case of Oscar-nominated actor Timothy Chalamet, who, in 2024, crashed his look-alike contest in New York.

This contest that brought together hundreds of look-alikes is a fitting parody rather than sacrificing individuality to be a fake version of a celebrity.