Taylor Swift lookalike causes chaos as she’s escorted out of shop in public prank

Tiktoker Ashley Leechin causes chaos as she pretends to be Taylor Swift while walking around Los Angeles hotspots surrounded by bodyguards.

On Saturday, August 19, crowds of Swifties approached Taylor Swift lookalike and viral TikTok star Ashley Leechin at two locations in the Los Angeles area.

She first arrived at The Grove outdoor shopping area in Los Angeles alongside a few men wearing all-black outfits with sunglasses while appearing to have earpieces in, leading people to believe that they were security for her.

Almost instantaneously, people flocked to her attempting to get selfies with Leechin and videos of who they believed was the “Anti-Hero” singer.

Leechin later arrived at Downtown Disney, the shopping district of Disneyland in Anaheim with her bodyguards. She donned a burgundy beret, sunglasses, a black, long-sleeved shirt, and jeans, giving fans a Red-era-inspired look.

She pulled the Swift-inspired look off well, so well that some people believed that it was Swift in the flesh. Almost immediately, people shared photos and videos of Leechin on TikTok and Twitter, questioning if it really was Swift there.

Taylor Swift fans hit out at Ashley for the prank

Despite the innocent prank, Swifties have hit out at Ashley for pretending to be the famous singer.

In response to seeing one video posted on Twitter, one person commented: “You can’t replicate our swiftie!!!!”

Another said: “Oh she wants her 5 minutes of fame so bad.”

“Omg she’s sick!! All this bad press Taylor has been getting!! And she’s making it worse!!!” a third person wrote.

Ashley responds to backlash after lookalike prank

That evening, Leechin took to her Instagram Story to clarify why she seemingly had bodyguards with her.

“What a way to show what it’s like to live in the shoes of a well-known celebrity. I think this why they hire decoys so they can go to private events & enjoy themselves without being swarmed by fans,” she wrote alongside an image from YouTuber VicInTheGame.

As the videos of her went viral across most major social media platforms, Ashley took to Instagram Stories to respond to the backlash she was getting.

She wrote: “Please don’t expect me to turn off my comments, stop making content or disappear for that matter. It is called freedom of speech for a reason and you have as much air as you want to say what you need to say.

“The videos surfacing are taken way out of context & I just want to say to those who have messaged me and have said very kind things, I see you and I thank you. I just hope those who are angry over speculation do not dwell on this and can eventually enjoy their day.”

This is not the first time someone has pranked the public by dressing up as a celebrity. An Ed Sheeran lookalike has gone viral multiple times for pranking the public by pretending to be the hit singer.