Karan Johar reveals why he unfollowed Shah Rukh, Ananya Panday, Alia Bhatt on Instagram: 'This can't be national news'

Filmmaker Karan Johar recently sent social media into overdrive after fans noticed that he had unfollowed several close friends and industry colleagues on Instagram, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ananya Panday, Kartik Aaryan, and longtime friend-designer Manish Malhotra. Amid the mounting chatter, Karan has now reacted to the frenzy and clarified the reason behind his unexpected social media clean-up.

Karan Johar clarifies

On Thursday, eagle-eyed social media users were quick to notice Karan’s sudden unfollowing spree on Instagram, sparking a wave of curiosity and speculation online.

Fans soon noticed that the filmmaker had unfollowed several celebrities. Interestingly, Priyanka Chopra continues to remain on his following list.

But friends like Kareena Kapoor and Malaika Arora, and his proteges Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, and Alia Bhatt don't figure on the list of people he is following. At present, Karan Johar’s Instagram account shows that he follows just 78 people.

The unexpected social media move sparked widespread speculation online. Later, Karan took to Instagram on Thursday to address the chatter and explain the reason behind his unfollowing spree.

“It's a DIGITAL DETOX!!!! Am unfollowing everyone to reduce my time and energy spent on the gram!!!” Karan wrote on his Instagram Stories.

The filmmaker also urged people not to turn the matter into “national news” or sensationalise his social media activity.

“This can't be national news for gods sake ...please clickbait something else! This is irrelevant,” added the filmmaker.

Karan’s recent work

Earlier this year, Karan made a striking debut at this year’s Met Gala 2026, wearing a lavish creation by Manish Malhotra titled “Framed in Eternity.” Fully embracing the theme “Fashion is Art,” the ensemble transformed the works of Raja Ravi Varma into a moving, wearable tapestry.

Karan recently produced Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, and Chand Mera Dil under his Dharma Productions banner. The film was released in theatres on May 22. It opened to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and viewers alike. According to trade tracking website Sacnilk, Chand Mera Dil collected around ₹2.90 crore net in India on its opening day from 4944 shows.

This year, the production house is bringing out Udta Teer starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, and Naagzilla starring Kartik Aaryan. As a director, Karan's last film was Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani in 2023. The film, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, was a box office success.