An Ed Sheeran lookalike claims to have been banned from TikTok for being too similar to 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 for his hilarious impersonations of the singer.
But he’s told it now The sun he was briefly banned from the platform for posing as the perfect pop star.
Unimpressed, Ty added, “Maybe TikTok should ban Ed for impersonating me too, given that we look alike. It’s my full time job. I wanted to promote what I do and market my company.’
He said that after his account was banned, he made an official appeal to the video-sharing platform – which initially said Ty’s account was in violation of Community Guidelines, before reinstating the page.
According to TikTok, the platform uses a combination of technologies and moderation teams to rate and moderate videos across the 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.
Ty Jones, 28, from Manchester, claimed he was banned from TikTok for looking too much like pop star Ed Sheeran
Known for his uncanny resemblance to Ed Sheeran, Ty has over 100,000 followers on TikTok
The doppelgänger – who once met the real Ed in 2012 – admits he has little singing talent, regularly informing his fans that he can’t sing and isn’t actually Ed Sheeran.
Ty said: ‘It’s pretty obvious that I’m a lookalike. I can’t actually sing. People always comment on my videos and say, ‘Oh my God, it’s Ed Sheeran’ and I always repeat myself by saying, ‘I’m not Ed.’
The deadringer called the brief ban “discrimination” and added 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 about its decision, questioning why his resemblance to the real Ed, 32, would lead to a TikTok ban.
His account has since been restored.
Ty made headlines in 2016 when he revealed that he struggled to get a girlfriend because he was constantly bombarded by legions of female fans – who made his partner jealous.
Ty said he had a hard time telling if women were attracted to him or were just looking for the best alternative to the pop star.
He added that he sometimes struggled to leave the house because people want to talk to him to know if he is real.
Ty has a hard time telling if women really like him for who he is or are just looking for the best alternative to the pop star
Growing up, he was shy and hated attention, but since the real Ed became famous, he had to learn how to deal with a plethora of fans.
Ty said, “When Ed got really famous, people would always come up and talk to me and want my picture – it was crazy.”
“He’s such a great artist and I’m a huge fan of his, but now it’s like I can’t escape it, people go crazy thinking they meet 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 if they’re just interested in me because I’m second best to Ed if they really like him.”
He sometimes has trouble even leaving the house because people always want to talk to him to know if he is real.
“In the past, when girls ask me for pictures on the street, it annoyed some of my girlfriends and caused problems.
“It’s hard to explain because I can’t help it and I don’t like being horrible to people and denying them a picture if they want it.”
Although he cannot sing, he is often asked to go to parties and gigs to mimic Ed’s songs and says his similarities come in handy when trying to get into clubs.
And his dream came true in 2012 when he had the chance to meet the singer himself – and said it was like looking into a mirror.
It came after being tagged in a viral post saying that Ed Sheeran was at a rave in Manchester – when it was actually Ty.
Ty met Ed after being tagged in a viral post saying Ed Sheeran was at a rave in Manchester – when it was actually Ty
Ty was even pulled onto the stage by DJ Ben Pearce who thought he was Ed when he was out for a night out in the Northern Quarter, Manchester.
Ty said: ‘Ben actually thought I was Ed Sheeran and started introducing myself as him, it was kind of funny – when I told him I just look like him he couldn’t believe it.’
“It comes in handy sometimes on a night out and stuff, and people really go crazy when they’ve had a drink — they don’t hold back.”
“Meeting Ed was the highlight of it all, he was so down to earth and just so shocked at how much I looked like him, it was really funny.”
“A few photos of me have gone viral because people thought they were Ed Sheeran, which is crazy because I’m not expecting it and my friends and family tag me in these photos all the time.”