Ed Sheeran embraces AI-inspired meme with monkey costume for Halloween

Ed Sheeran dressed as an AI-inspired meme of himself in a monkey costume for Halloween, poking fun with fans online.

Grammy-winning singer Ed Sheeran surprised fans on Halloween by dressing up as a meme of himself, referencing a viral AI-generated image.

His monkey suit nods to a doctored image of him in a similar costume holding an iPhone in an Apple Store. Sheeran added a playful caption: “Haters will say it’s AI,” with hashtags #halloweenbruv and #feltcutemightdeletelater.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

The original meme, which Sheeran recreated, was based on a popular internet image from the early 2010s depicting a young boy in a monkey costume, hunched over an iPad in an Apple Store. Sheeran’s recreation included him holding up the AI-generated image on his phone, smiling at the camera while in costume. His familiarity with the internet trend may surprise fans, as Sheeran has been open about his limited online presence, having stopped using a phone altogether in 2015. In an appearance on Therapuss with Jake Shane, Sheeran explained, “I haven’t had a phone since 2015,” noting his decision came after realizing he had “10,000 contacts” and was “constantly in touch with a lot of people.”

Over the years, Sheeran has embraced Halloween with a range of costumes, previously dressing as characters like Chucky, Austin Powers, Ron Weasley, and even the gingerbread man. His humorous and nostalgic choice this year adds to his history of inventive costumes for the holiday.