Nigel Farage has been caught in a humiliating sting after a prankster paid him to record a tribute to a man sharing the name of the notorious paedophile and Lostprophets singer, Ian Watkins.
The £98 video that backfired
The Reform UK leader filmed the 27-second clip on his Cameo account for a fee of £98. In the video, posted on January 15, 2026, Farage is heard saying: ‘This message is to pay tribute to Ian Watkins, a good man, a really good guy who is very much in contact with me.’ He adds that Watkins ‘loved his children’ and would be ‘sorely missed’, ending with a botched version of the disgraced singer's infamous catchphrase.
This is not the first time Farage has been tricked on the platform; he was previously duped into recording a supportive message for the IRA.
‘Paper-thin deception’ and a telling response
The prank was orchestrated by John Smith, who told Metro he expected the request to be rejected. He stated he was ‘blown away’ when Farage complied. Smith said the deception was ‘frankly paper-thin’ and expressed deep concern that Farage did not perform even a basic check.
‘I am concerned that he could not see through my frankly paper-thin deception and his willingness to do anything for money without even a rudimentary check,’ Smith said. ‘If he would do this for a small amount of money, what would he do for paymasters with deeper pockets?’
When confronted by Metro, Farage responded: ‘Thank him for the money. There are lots of Ian Watkins. Tell him to send more. I did alter his request.’ The nature of these alterations remains unclear, as Metro has sought further clarification.
Questions of integrity and ideology
Smith said his goal was to expose Farage as a politician without core convictions. ‘I hope to show the world that Farage is a man who will do and say anything for whoever is paying him,’ he explained. ‘I suspect he has no actual ideology and will follow the path to power that offers the least resistance.’
He posed a direct challenge to the Reform UK leader: ‘Will he blindly accept what he is told by the Kremlin, the White House or anyone with £70 going spare for a Cameo?’
Smith also defended the prank against accusations of making light of Watkins' crimes, redirecting criticism towards Farage’s own record. He cited Farage’s support for an AI platform known for generating obscene imagery and his behaviour in Parliament.
The original Ian Watkins was serving a 35-year sentence for 13 child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby, when he was murdered in HMP Wakefield in 2025.
This incident raises serious questions about the vetting processes used by high-profile figures on paid content platforms and the potential for such access to be exploited for political point-scoring or worse.
