Lifestyle Holiday Halloween Ed Sheeran Dresses Up as AI-Generated Meme of Himself Wearing Monkey Costume for Halloween "Haters will say it's AI," joked the Grammy winner on social media By Jack Irvin Jack Irvin Jack Irvin has over five years of experience working in digital journalism, and he’s worked at PEOPLE since 2022. Jack started in the industry with internships at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, and he worked as a freelance writer for publications including Bustle, MTV News, Shondaland, L’Officiel USA, Ladygunn, Flood and PopCrush before joining PEOPLE. In his current role, Jack covers daily music news and has interviewed both up-and-coming and established artists including Dolly Parton, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Normani, Carly Rae Jepsen and Coco Jones. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 31, 2024 03:15PM EDT Comments Ed Sheeran. Photo: Ed Sheeran/Instagram There are layers to the story behind Ed Sheeran's 2024 Halloween costume. The 33-year-old Grammy winner celebrated the annual spooky holiday on Oct. 31 by dressing up in a monkey costume — nodding to a specific AI-generated image of him that's become a popular online meme. In the photo, Sheeran is bent over on a table, looking directly into the camera and smiling while sporting the monkey costume and holding up the original AI-generated photo on his phone. Ed Sheeran Admits He'd 'Be a Virgin' if He Wasn't a Musician as He Plays 'Pokémon Stadium' in a Stadium Ed Sheeran. Ed Sheeran/Instagram "Haters will say it's AI," he wrote in the caption on Instagram Thursday alongside two hashtags: #halloweenbruv and #feltcutemightdeletelater. The original AI-generated photo in question is quite similar, as it features Sheeran wearing a monkey costume, holding an iPhone and smiling at the camera while on his hands and knees atop a table in an Apple Store. The doctored image is based on a preexisting popular photo of a young boy wearing a monkey costume while using an iPad in an Apple Store, which became popularized on the internet in the early 2010s. Ed Sheeran Reveals Why He Hasn't 'Had a Phone Since 2015': 'I Just Was Losing Real-Life Interaction' Ed Sheeran in Napa in May 2024. Jim Bennett/Getty In previous years, Sheeran has dressed up as Chucky from Child's Play, the gingerbread man, Austin Powers, Ron Weasley from Harry Potter and more characters for Halloween. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sheeran's knowledge of the Apple Store meme may come as a surprise to fans who know he doesn't spend much time online and "got rid" of his phone. During a June appearance on Therapuss with Jake Shane, he admitted, "I haven’t had a phone since 2015." Taylor Swift Joined by Ed Sheeran in London at First Eras Tour Show Back at Wembley Stadium Since Terror Threat Ed Sheeran in New York City in May 2024. Jamie McCarthy/Getty "I have something to like video stuff that would then go up on social media," he explained, "but it’s not like an active working phone." The "Thinking Out Loud" musician's choice to go without a phone came about in December 2015 — when he realized how many contacts he still had saved from before his career took off. "I had the same number from like age 15, I think," he said, "and I got famous and I had 10,000 contacts in my phone that would just… people would just text the whole time. And I was just constantly in touch with a lot of people." Close