FACT CHECK | Viral TikTok photos of Duterte with Jeffrey Epstein are AI-generated

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /02 March)  – Photos circulating on TikTok that supposedly show former President Rodrigo Duterte with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have gone viral, prompting strong reactions and speculation among social media users.

These photos are fake and AI-generated.

MindaNews fact-checked these posts after the images circulated widely and drew strong reactions from social media users, many of whom appeared to believe the photos were authentic. 

Metropolitan News Channel, an account which claims to provide “critical and in-depth analysis of the issues shaping the Philippine nation,” first posted on February 10 a photo of Duterte beside Epstein with the overlay text: “Litrato ni Duterte at convicted s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, natagpuan sa inilabas na Epstein files ng US Justice Department”

The following day, the account released another social media card showing a different image of Duterte with Epstein, bearing the text: “RODRIGO DUTERTE, DAWIT SA MGA KASO NG CONVICTED S*X OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN.”

Some netizens wrote, “Birds of the same feathers flock together,” while another said, “Duterte is still around. Maybe we should ask him… I wouldn’t be surprised if he admits having had a good relationship with Epstein and be proud about it! He’ll wear it like a badge of honor.”

The February 10 post has since garnered over 297.5k views, 1.7k reactions, 1.3k comments, and 400 shares as of March 2, 2026.

The February 11 post has also reached around the same level of virality with around 258.2k views, 3.8k reactions, 1.4k comments, and over 800 shares, as of March 2, 2026. .

The images spread on social media following the US Justice Department’s release of another set of documents tied to the investigation into Epstein, who was found dead in a New York detention facility in 2019 while awaiting trial over allegations of trafficking underage girls.

Previous disclosures from the case have outlined his associations with a number of high-profile personalities from the worlds of business, entertainment, academia, and politics.

However, a reverse image search on Google shows that Epstein’s image in the circulating posts was taken from a well-known photograph of him with US president Donald Trump. 

The original image was published by Getty Images and was taken by Davidoff Studios at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on February 22, 1997.

In the manipulated versions, Trump’s figure appears to have been digitally replaced with Duterte’s likeness.

In a separate reverse image search, MindaNews also found that Duterte’s face, hand gesture, and overall appearance in the altered images appear to have been taken from an archival photograph by Davao City-based photojournalist Rene B. Lumawag for Reuters. 

In the original Reuters photo, Duterte is seen pointing with one hand while speaking to a police officer during his time as mayor of Davao City in the early 1990s. 

The posture and visual details in the viral images closely resemble this archival shot, indicating that his likeness was digitally extracted and inserted into a different scene.

Further visual inconsistencies in the fabricated images indicate the use of AI.

In one version of the circulating image, Duterte appears to have six fingers on one hand. 

His hairstyle also varies unnaturally across the images.

In one picture he is shown sporting a bowl cut, but in another he appears to have a more natural, layered style.

Such distortions are common indicators of heavily manipulated content.

The viral TikTok posts also provide no verifiable evidence that Duterte appears in any authentic photograph with Epstein or that he is mentioned in the released files.

By presenting AI-generated images as factual discoveries from official documents, the posts risk misleading the public and fueling unverified allegations.

As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public for potential fact-check stories. (Allizah Keziah Manulat / MindaNews)