Bishop T.D. Jakes isn’t backing down on his claims that AI bots played a major role in spreading false allegations about him concerning Sean “Diddy” Combs. The pastor was the latest guest on John Hope Bryant’s Money and Wealth podcast. During the episode, which dropped on July 14, Jakes spoke about dealing with the rumors about his participation in Combs’ infamous “freak-offs.” The accusations started swirling around ahead of Combs’ sex trafficking trial.

T.D. Jakes says 44,000 AI bots were behind false rumors connecting him to Diddy

As Bryant noted that clickbait needs to stop, Jakes interjected, saying, “When that first broke out, it was 44,000 bots that were released on me.”

Jakes claimed that 98 percent were AI-generated, stating, “We have got to stop getting our information on TikTok.”

He added, “If there were anything there, the FBI would’ve been in it. There’s no hiding it.”

Jakes used his medical issue that occurred in November 2024 during a sermon as an example of how facts presented in real life differ from fictional narratives.

“It’s like when I had my health scare—within seconds, it was all over the world, you wouldn’t have to find it on Instagram, you wouldn’t have to find it on YouTube,” he said. “You would find it in the six o’clock news.”

T.D. Jakes sued Google over false allegations about his participation in Diddy’s ‘freak-offs’

The accusation of fake profiles posting misinformation isn’t new. As Blavity reported in December 2024, Jakes took legal action against Google and YouTube, filing a motion in California federal court to reveal those behind AI-generated videos falsely linking him to Combs.

Jakes’ team argued that these misleading clips, which claimed he resigned over sex abuse allegations, have spread widely and amassed millions of views. They also claimed that it has damaged Jakes’ reputation, and the creators have financially benefited from the misinformation.

The motion seeks a subpoena to compel Google to release account information that could reveal the perpetrators, who are suspected of operating from countries like South Africa, Pakistan, the Philippines and Kenya. YouTube’s embrace of AI content is under scrutiny by Jakes as he and his legal counsel confront the platform’s role in enabling and monetizing digitally manipulated defamation.