If you were to picture a celebrity, you’d probably also picture a trail of paparazzi or flashing lights at their heels. Fame and photographs have worked side-by-side ever since either existed.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so when a celebrity’s words fail, there’s nothing like a candid photo of them strolling the street, looking loved-up with their beau, or conveniently flashing some bling on that finger to sell a story… and redirect people’s attention away from whatever rumours may be swirling about them.
Of course, like most increasingly complicated relationships, the dynamic between celebrities and the paps is definitely a love-hate one.
Chappell Roan has received major backlash for constantly calling out the paparazzi since she was propelled into stardom. Justin Bieber has confronted paps many times – asking them to respect his space and boundaries – and Jennifer Lawrence has gone so far as to say that paparazzi should be “illegal.”
Although there are numerous instances of celebrities fighting back against the tabloid photographers who tail and taunt them, there are also many cases where the opposite is true.
That is, when the paps are actually wanted or called to the scene by the celebrity themselves — and fans are starting to notice.
Fans are calling out stars’ staged paparazzi photos
Recently, fans have gotten more ruthless with calling out photos that have obviously been staged, with stars like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds the most recent and clearest example.
After rumours spread that the pair’s marriage was on the rocks following the strain of Lively’s lawsuit with Justin Baldoni, the A-listers were spotted having a ‘piggyback date’ on the streets of Manhattan, which fans did not fall for at all, immediately labelling the photoshoot as “embarrassing.”
“It wasn’t staged at all; they were in such a remote area void of paps, enjoying their date,” one Reddit user sarcastically joked online at the time.
“They’re just so fun and whimsical and unique!” another quipped.
In January 2025, photos of Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster going out for dinner for the first time were immediately ripped apart by fans for how it was so obviously a “staged pap walk.”
“Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster photographed by People magazine in a totally candid and not at all pre-planned stroll in NYC this weekend,” one user wrote online.
“The more I learn about pap walks and such, the lamer I find celebrities who do it,” another wrote in response.
From A-listers to reality TV stars, staged paparazzi photos aren’t a scandal. They’re a strategy.
Now, more than ever, audiences are realising that they’re more common, and have been happening for much longer than most people think.
Do celebrities really call the paps on themselves?
Celebrity publicist Max Markson, who has worked in this side of the industry for five decades, spoke candidly to WHO about how the arrangement between celebrities and the paparazzi actually works.
“Everybody makes the first call,” he confessed. “Either the paps do the call, or the magazine does the call, or the PR [public relations] person does the call.
“Everyone does it. It’s not something that’s illegal. People want to get photographs. It’s a genuine tool.”
What’s the benefit of a staged pap shot?
Taryn Williams, founder of WINK Models and The Right Fit, told WHO that “staged paparazzi shots are a standard tool at every level of fame, not just A-list.”
“For emerging talent and influencers, a ‘caught by surprise’ shot does more for credibility than a posed one, because it signals organic relevance rather than paid promotion,” she explained.
But while this seems an obvious strategy for your local reality TV star hoping to stay relevant and credible, when it comes to A-listers, there’s often more at play.
Paparazzi pictures allow celebrities to control or shape narratives without having to say a word. While a podcast or interview has the risk of being edited or misunderstood, staging photos says exactly what they want to say without nearly enough room for error.
‘Audiences don’t mind image management; they mind being lied to about it’
Since this arrangement has been happening for longer than anyone in the industry can remember (and I bet historians would argue even longer if we were to look at commissioned portraits of emperors, royalty or those of high status, but that’s another topic entirely), then why are we talking about it now?
Well, simply because audiences have caught on.
“Audiences have got much better at spotting the tells: convenient timing near a project launch, camera angles & flattering looks that are too clean for genuine paparazzi,” Williams said. “Media literacy has caught up to the tactic faster than the industry has adapted.”
She also added: “It backfires hardest when the exposure contradicts the talent’s brand. If someone’s positioned as authentic or privacy-conscious, getting caught staging shots undermines the whole persona, not just that one moment. The damage is proportional to how much the brand relied on ‘unfiltered’ as a selling point.”
However, when arrangements like this are exposed, Williams also explains that “the fallout is less about the staging itself and more about the perceived dishonesty.”
“Audiences don’t mind image management; they mind being lied to about it,” she said.
The damage isn’t really about the staging, however cringe it may be. It’s about the lie.
Staged or not, the relationship between celebrities and their fans has never been more complicated. Social media may have given celebs more control over their image, but it’s given us something too: the ability to spot exactly when we’re being played.
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