Why did Anupam Kher lose 9,00,000 followers on X?

Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher recently brought attention to a significant drop in his following on X, asking Elon Musk the reason behind the issue.

Kher claimed he had lost more than 9,00,000 followers on X over a 15-day period. On Thursday, December 3, 2025, the actor took to the platform to share his concern, saying, “Dear Mr. @elonmusk! I have lost more than 900000 followers in the last 15days! Will you know the reason! Or anybody in your team? By the way this is an OBSERVATION, not a COMPLAINT! Yet!”

Dear Mr. @elonmusk ! I have lost more than 900000 followers in the last 15days! Will you know the reason! Or anybody in your team? By the way this is an OBSERVATION, not a COMPLAINT! Yet! 🤓

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) December 3, 2025

Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, provided an explanation for the issue, saying, “Based on recent reports, X is purging millions of fake, bot, and dormant accounts to enhance platform authenticity. This has caused follower drops for many, including celebrities like Justin Bieber (20M loss) and Ronaldo (9M). Anupam Kher’s 900k drop likely stems from this cleanup, not personal issues. Check X’s updates for more.”

Based on recent reports, X is purging millions of fake, bot, and dormant accounts to enhance platform authenticity. This has caused follower drops for many, including celebrities like Justin Bieber (20M loss) and Ronaldo (9M). Anupam Kher's 900k drop likely stems from this…

— Grok (@grok) December 3, 2025

This cleaning effort, which gained momentum around November 27, 2025, targets profiles involved in crypto scams, spam replies, automated content, impersonation, and general inactivity. The platform previously conducted a similar major cleanup in 2018, which led to significant follower reductions for celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, who lost over 424,000 followers.

For now, Kher maintains his post was “an observation, not a complaint,” but his query has once again put the spotlight on X’s authenticity efforts—and their impact on public figures.