I’ve been behind the camera since 2001 and shot more than 2,000 scenes, so I know an edited photo when I see one. One of the two pictures in the Sam Smith post doing 7.7 million views isn’t new at all. It’s a 2022 street photo with a different shirt.
A one-line post is telling millions of people that Sam Smith has “finally begun his transition from male to female.” Sam hasn’t said that. Sam came out as non-binary in 2019 and uses they/them pronouns, The Guardian reported at the time, and in August 2026 they told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that there is “no more coming out for me now,” per Them. We found no interview, post or statement from Sam announcing a transition.
Below: what the viral post claims, what Sam has actually said in their own words, where the two photos really come from, and my take on why this keeps happening.
See it: the post making the claim
Label: false as stated. The post below, from the account @hlggprst, went up on Oct. 30, 2026 and passed 7.7 million views. It has two photos and one sentence. Embedded so you can see exactly what is being shared:
What Sam has actually said
March 2019: in an interview with Jameela Jamil, Sam said: “I’m not male or female, I think I flow somewhere in between. It’s all on the spectrum,” per The Guardian.
September 2019: Sam announced on Instagram that they were non-binary and changing their pronouns to they/them: “After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out.” They asked fans to be kind and to try not to misgender them (The Guardian).
August 2026: promoting the album “Hazel Eyes” (out Aug. 21), Sam, 34, told Zane Lowe: “The whole time, I’ve always been nonbinary. It’s always been who I am; I just found the vocabulary for that when I was like 27.” And: “I’m fully out the closet, and there’s no more coming out for me now, which is a really freeing thing,” per Them. The album is about love, much of it inspired by their fiancé, fashion designer Christian Cowan.
That’s the record. Nothing in it says “transition from male to female.” The viral post also calls Sam “his,” which isn’t the pronoun Sam asked for seven years ago.
My take: I’ve got no problem with people talking about how a star looks. That’s half of what we do here. But “has finally begun his transition” isn’t a look, it’s a claim about someone’s body and identity that the person never made, stapled to a photo somebody edited.
Sam has been clear for seven years: non-binary, they/them, dresses how they like. That’s the story, and it’s out in the open. If Sam ever announces anything new, they’ll say it themselves, on Instagram or to Zane Lowe, not through an account posting an edited 2022 street photo.
Check before you share. That’s the whole lesson.
— Nico
Where the two photos really come from
Photo 2, the street photo, is from 2022 and appears to be edited. It shows Sam in denim cut-offs, white sneakers and a green crossbody bag, holding a coffee outside a shop with a red “For Lease” sign, next to a friend in a lilac T-shirt checking a phone. That is the same moment photographed on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, Sydney, the day before New Year’s Eve 2022 by the agency Media-Mode, published by the Daily Mail, Metro and news.com.au on Dec. 31, 2022. In those original photos Sam’s T-shirt is bright yellow and knotted at the waist. In the viral version it’s pink, untied, and the chest looks digitally reshaped. Same door, same sign, same friend, same bag, same pose. We compared the frames side by side.
Photo 1, the selfie, shows Sam with a moustache, a navy head wrap and a loose navy blouse, making a peace sign in what looks like a recording studio. It looks like a casual selfie, not anything medical. We couldn’t trace the original post or date, so we’re not putting a date on it. Nothing in the picture backs up the caption.
Why the claim spread
The post went up on Oct. 30. Within hours, clickbait sites ran the same line as a “BREAKING” headline. Read past the headline on one of them, Allamericatoday, and the article admits that Smith “has not announced a transition from male to female” and is just retelling the Zane Lowe interview. Same headline, opposite facts.
It fits a pattern. Sam’s style has changed a lot since the suits of 2014, from drag-inspired stage looks to the long sea-blue dress they wore at the London Coliseum this fall, as The Music Man described. A new look is not an announcement.
How we got here
- 2014: debut album “In the Lonely Hour”; Sam comes out as gay the same month (Them).
- March 2019: “I’m not male or female” in the Jameela Jamil interview.
- Sept. 13, 2019: Sam announces they are non-binary, pronouns they/them (Guardian).
- Dec. 30-31, 2022: the yellow-shirt Oxford Street photos in Sydney.
- Aug. 2026: “Hazel Eyes” comes out; Sam tells Zane Lowe there’s “no more coming out.”
- Oct. 30, 2026: the @hlggprst post with the pink-shirt edit goes viral, passing 7.7 million views.
Viral claim vs. what’s true
Claim: “Sam Smith has finally begun his transition from male to female.” Status: not supported. No statement from Sam; no credible outlet has reported it.
True: Sam is 34, non-binary since their 2019 announcement, uses they/them, and released “Hazel Eyes” in August 2026.
Photo 2: a December 2022 Sydney paparazzi photo, recoloured and apparently reshaped. Photo 1: a selfie we couldn’t date; it shows nothing about a transition.
Photos: Sam Smith on the record
What to watch next
Watch Sam’s own Instagram, not reposts. If Sam addresses the post, or says anything new about their identity, we’ll update this page with their words. Until then, the honest headline is the one from 2019: non-binary, they/them.
FAQ
Is Sam Smith transitioning from male to female?
There’s no credible report or statement from Sam saying that. Sam came out as non-binary in 2019 and uses they/them pronouns. In August 2026 they said there’s “no more coming out” for them.
What are Sam Smith’s pronouns?
They/them, since Sam’s Instagram announcement on Sept. 13, 2019 (The Guardian).
Where is the pink T-shirt photo of Sam Smith from?
It matches Media-Mode photos taken on Oxford Street, Sydney, before New Year’s Eve 2022, published Dec. 31, 2022 by the Daily Mail, Metro and news.com.au. In the originals Sam’s T-shirt is yellow. The viral version has been recoloured and appears digitally altered.
How old is Sam Smith?
34. Sam was born in May 1992.
What did Sam Smith tell Zane Lowe in 2026?
“The whole time, I’ve always been nonbinary” and “I’m fully out the closet, and there’s no more coming out for me now,” per Them (Aug. 24, 2026).
— Nico. Viral isn’t the same as true. When Sam has news, Sam will tell it, and you’ll read it here.
Fact-check: Scandal Planet Desk
Follow Nico on X @NicoGrey_XO for my takes before they hit the site.
What do you think? Did you believe the post before you saw the 2022 photo? Tell us on X @celeb124.
Photos: cover and card use Sam Smith on Broadway, 2025 by PhilipRomanoPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0. Gallery: Ronan Park, CC BY-SA 4.0; Nuță Lucian, CC BY-SA 2.0; all via Wikimedia Commons. We did not republish the viral photos or the 2022 agency photos; links to the originals are above.
