Taylor Swift lookalike Ashley Leechin is KICKED OUT of LA store after posing as the singer and sparking CHAOS among fans in twisted ‘social experiment’ – months after she was accused of ‘lying’ about being invited to the Grammys

A Taylor Swift lookalike was escorted out of a Los Angeles store this weekend after her appearance caused a stir among shoppers.

Ashley Leechin, 29, of Nashville, Tennessee, was swarmed by fans on Saturday as she arrived at The Grove mall in Los Angeles, flanked by a pair of security guards.

Dressed in blue baggy jeans, a cream crochet sweater and a burgundy leather bakerboy cap, Ashley sure looked the part and sported a bold red lip while pretending to be the Shake It Off singer.

Ashley – who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok – completed her look with black sunglasses and a red handbag as she posed for photos with fans, who clearly thought she was 33-year-old Taylor.

However, it seems that the hustle and bustle has gotten out of hand as a video shared on social media showed Ashley being led out of the department store by black-clad men.

A caption on Twitter read, “TikToker and Taylor Swift lookalike Ashley Leechin was escorted from a Los Angeles store after being mistaken for the singer by fans,” but Ashley has since maintained she was conducting a “social experiment.”

YouTuber Victor Galvan took to Instagram on Saturday and uploaded a behind-the-scenes video of their “experiment.”

He started the video by saying, “We found Taylor Swift’s twin brother, It’s Just Ashley!” It’s a Saturday night and I don’t know what to expect, I really don’t.

“We made a joke to see what it’s like to be Taylor Swift for one day and that’s how our day went,” Victor continued, as footage of Ashley in The Grove played out.

“In general, what do you think of the day?” Victor asked Ashley as they sat together in a car.

‘Awesome! I feel like it’s gone way better than I expected,” Ashley replied as Victor told her, “Here we start ramping it up now, we’re going to Downtown Disney!”

Once she arrived, Ashley was once again inundated with fans and one was even heard to say, “Hi Taylor!”

Ashley re-shared the video to her Instagram Stories and captioned it, “What a way to show what it’s like to live in the shoes of a famous celebrity.

“I think that’s why they hire decoys so they can go to private events and have a good time without being overrun by fans,” she added.

However, many people were unimpressed by the prank and slammed Ashley and Victor in the comments on Instagram.

“This is weird behavior,” the person said, while another wrote, “This is just pure delusion.”

A third person claimed, “this is so disgusting, but this could be evidence for Taylor to sue them.. Ashley especially needs to get help.”

And a fourth Instagram user added, “Taylor should sue them or get a restraining order against that Ashley,” and another person simply wrote, “This is horrible.”

Ashley responded to the “angry” backlash by posting a lengthy statement on her Instagram Stories.

“Please don’t expect me to turn off my comments, stop making content or disappear for that matter,” she wrote.

‘It’s 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 that are popping up have been taken way out of context and I just want to say to those who messaged me and said very kind things: I see you and I thank you,” Ashley continued.

“I just hope those who are upset about speculation don’t dwell on this and can finally enjoy their day,” she added.

Meanwhile, the real Taylor Swift spent the weekend in New Jersey with friends where she attended Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley’s wedding.

Jack, a music producer, and Margaret, an actress, tied the knot on Saturday in the picturesque beach town of Beach Haven, New Jersey.

A slew of famous faces attended the big day, including Taylor, who has worked on more than 50 songs with the groom.

Taylor looked stunning in a baby blue lace dress with a corset-style top and ruffled skirt.

The Bad Blood hitmaker wore her hair straight down and completed her look with jeweled heels and a bold red lip as she partied with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Lana Del Rey.

Earlier this year, Ashley was slammed by some of Taylor’s fans after she claimed she wasn’t invited to the 2023 Grammy Awards.

In a TikTok posted on Jan. 31, she told her followers that she was partnered with a media company called Sweety High, which supposedly got her an invitation to the prestigious ceremony.

However, when people went to the comments section, they accused Ashley of lying.

After making several videos about her outfit and her trip to Los Angeles, Ashley returned to TikTok claiming that she was not invited to the Grammys at the very last minute, even though she had already spent $2,000 on “clothes, shelter, to travel’. and) childcare’ for her two children.

“I feel like it was whiplash,” she told Insider, before adding that she had to deal with a lot of people “telling me that I’m a pathological liar” and that she “should be locked up in a psychiatric ward’.

A few weeks later, Ashley did an interview with Rolling Stone and attacked Taylor’s fanbase for their comments.

In addition to accusing her of having plastic surgery to look like the singer, some “Swifties” accused Ashley of “stealing” Taylor’s favorite song by putting “13” in her username.

Discussing the wave of online abuse, Ashley told Rolling Stone, “Many of the Swifties I’ve come across don’t hold to what Taylor Swift stands for.

“Random bullying (someone) – I feel like Taylor Swift wouldn’t approve of that kind of behavior.”

As a result of the trolling, Ashley created an anti-bullying petition on Change.org, addressing some of the most common criticisms leveled at her.