Filmmaker Karan Johar has publicly expressed his disapproval of clickbait, which has become increasingly common in entertainment news reporting. Karan Johar took to his Instagram stories on March 23 2026, urging media organisations to stop using interviews and podcasts to engage in clickbait journalism.
Karan Johar became angry after multiple news stories linked his recent “talent loyalty” remarks to actress Janhvi Kapoor. Johar explained on the podcast that the film industry faces challenges in talent management because actors change their representation every 2 years out of fear of failure. The media quickly linked these statements to Janhvi Kapoor’s decision to leave Dharma Cornerstone Agency, which Johar co-founded and join Collective Artists Network.
Karan Johar used his statement to explain that his podcast remarks reflected broader industry trends and were not intended to target specific individuals. He explained that he still supports artists who leave his agency to pursue their careers, and he wants to collaborate with them again later. Johar explained that interview clips, which people use without understanding their context, lead to false speculation, which creates improper public interest and changes the original message.
Karan Johar spoke about media ethics, which extend beyond his study of media organisations. He argued that people should not use this method because it leads to broken communication between two parties through its presentation of single statements from their full dialogue. The industry faces problems because artists remain silent amid intense media coverage, which prevents them from expressing their thoughts, according to Johannes. He called for greater integrity in reporting, urging journalists to preserve the authenticity of public statements rather than prioritising clicks.
Karan Johar has publicly expressed his anger about sensational news reports about him multiple times before this event. He has previously criticised YouTube podcast hosts for using provocative language and unfounded predictions as clickbait to attract views.
