Summary:
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An AI trend swaps Quavo and Takeoff in “Hotel Lobby” performances with public figures and fictional characters.
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Barack and Michelle Obama, Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and even Donald Trump are featured in different versions.
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Easy-to-use apps allow creators to generate these AI edits, but not all uses of public figures are harmless.
If your feed feels like it’s stuck on one orange wall, you’re not imagining it. An AI trend is taking Quavo and Takeoff’s 2022 A COLORS SHOW performance of “Hotel Lobby” and swapping in just about anyone, from former presidents to tech billionaires to TV antiheroes.
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The latest version to catch fire features Barack Obama in a navy suit and shades opposite Michelle Obama in a pinstripe suit and wide-brim hat.
Before them, Elon Musk and Sam Altman got the treatment. Another version pairs Donald Trump with Musk, and some variations add braids, gold chains or a Vladimir Putin swap.
Fans are casting fictional duos too. TikTok is full of versions starring Dexter and Doakes, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, Rick Grimes and Spider-Man.
Quavo and Takeoff released “Hotel Lobby” in May 2022 as their first track under the Unc & Phew name, amid rumors that Migos was breaking up. The COLORS session became a fan favorite, and a COLORS repost of it on TikTok has passed 900,000 likes.
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Part of why the trend is spreading so fast is how easy it’s gotten. Apps now let you upload two photos and drop both people into the orange COLORS booth, with each performer animated separately. Starrd charges about $5 for a 15-second vertical clip, and plenty of creators are sharing free CapCut templates.
Not every AI edit of a public figure lands as harmless fun. In February, Trump shared a since-deleted video that depicted the Obamas as apes, and Barack Obama later called it deeply troubling.
The Hotel Lobby version is the opposite in tone, playful rather than cruel, but it’s still their likeness used without their say.
