Karan Johar Unfollows Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt On Instagram But Not Priyanka Chopra
Karan Johar sent Instagram into a meltdown after unfollowing the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt among others.
The internet loves a good mystery, and filmmaker Karan Johar just served one up on a silver platter. On Thursday, eagle-eyed netizens were sent into an absolute tailspin when they noticed a dramatic shift on the filmmaker-producer’s Instagram profile. Karan Johar, who boasts over 17 million followers, had abruptly slashed his “following” list down to a mere 78 accounts. The purge wasn't just random; it included some of the biggest names in the industry and his closest friends.
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The list of this massive unfollowing spree reads like a who's who of Bollywood royalty. Karan Johar hit the unfollow button on his closest friends and proteges, including Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, and Ananya Panday. Even longtime friend and frequent collaborator, designer Manish Malhotra, wasn't spared. Other notable omissions from his feed now include Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Malaika Arora, and Kartik Aaryan – who, ironically, headlines Dharma's upcoming film, ‘Naagzilla’.
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Amidst the chaos, netizens quickly pointed out the few who survived the cut. Interestingly, global sensation Priyanka Chopra remains on Karan Johar's exclusive following list. Joining her are Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta and business associate Adar Poonawalla. Currently, Karan Johar is following exactly zero Bollywood actors.
With fan theories running rampant and rumours of industry fallouts dominating timelines, Karan Johar quickly stepped in to extinguish the fire. Taking to his Instagram Stories later on Thursday night, the director brushed off the drama as a personal social media cleanse.
"It's a DIGITAL DETOX!!!! Am unfollowing everyone to reduce my time and energy spent on the gram!!!" he wrote. Taking a sharp dig at the media frenzy, he added, "This can't be national news for gods sake… please clickbait something else! This is irrelevant!"
The timing of the detox is particularly interesting, given that Karan Johar just celebrated his 54th birthday on May 25. The occasion was marked by a starry bash hosted by Manish Malhotra just a couple of days prior, attended by the likes of Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, and Janhvi Kapoor. Manish Malhotra even shared a heartfelt tribute celebrating their 30-year friendship, accompanied by a video of Karan Johar’s spectacular Met Gala 2026 debut in a Raja Ravi Varma-inspired ensemble titled "Framed in Eternity."
This isn't Karan Johar's first time stepping back from the digital glare to protect his peace. In 2022, he quit X (formerly Twitter) to make space for "positive energy." The filmmaker has often been at the receiving end of severe cyberbullying. During a past interaction with Barkha Dutt at We The Women Asia, Karan Johar recalled a heartbreaking comment that accused him of depriving his kids, Yash and Roohi, of a mother – a remark that left him crying in his room and second-guessing his decision to be a single parent.
On the work front, Karan Johar remains as busy as ever. He recently produced ‘Chand Mera Dil’ starring Ananya Panday and Lakshya, which opened to mixed reviews on May 22, pulling in Rs 2.90 crore on its opening day. With upcoming projects like ‘Udta Teer’ starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, and his last directorial hit ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ (2023) still fresh in memory, the filmmaker clearly has plenty on his plate beyond Instagram algorithms.
