‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Hired a Human Artist to Make the Film's AI-Generated Meme
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Hired a Human Artist to Make the Film's AI-Generated Meme
Grace GalanteSun, May 3, 2026 at 10:25 PM UTC
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The Devil Wears Prada 2 is getting praise online for an unexpected creative decision.
The sequel begins with Runway Magazine, ran by editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), in trouble due to a poor editorial decision. As a result, Priestly becomes subject to intense online hate—one post being an AI-generated image of Priestly as a fast-food worker.
Though fans initially believed the image was made by an AI tool, artist Alexis Franklin revealed on Friday, May 1—the same day as the film's release—that she actually was the one to create the now-viral image.
“I got to paint this at the request of [director] David Frankel for The Devil Wears Prada 2 (it shows up in the movie),” Franklin wrote on Instagram. “Absolutely no disrespect to Queen Meryl, but this is something I would’ve painted in my free time, so when they asked me to do this, it was nothing but fun.”
In the comment section, fans praised Franklin's work and director David Frankel's choice to commission an actual artist for the piece.
"AI replacing artists 🙅🏻♀️ artists replacing AI 🙂↕️," wrote one fan. "so refreshing it not being AI." said another.
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"I am so so so glad it was actually a real drawing omgg!!" added a third. "So happy to find that this wasn’t AI!!! More companies/editorials need to reach out to you and other artists to keep this alive!!" said a fourth.
Franklin also took to X to share the news, writing, “I posted this on Instagram yesterday and got flooded with comments of relief that this gag in The Devil Wears Prada 2 was created by an actual human (me), so I figured I’d also post it here because I think these companies should get their flowers when they hire an artist.”
The Devil Wears Prada 2 sees the return of Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, with Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman also reprising their roles from the original 2006 movie.
The movie made $77 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office and earned another $156.6 million at the international box office, bringing global ticket sales to $233.6 million for its first weekend.
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This story was originally published by Parade on May 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
