Doja Cat vs. Her Dad on Instagram: The 2026 Family Feud Explained (and How to Track It)

This week's biggest Instagram drama involves one of the platform's most unpredictable stars. Doja Cat and her father, South African actor Dumisani Dlamini, are in a very public feud that is playing out almost entirely through Instagram follows, unfollows, Stories, and comments. Here is everything that happened and why Instagram follow tracking is now central to celebrity drama.

What Happened This Week

The feud between Doja Cat and her father has been simmering for years. Doja has spoken publicly about her estranged relationship with Dumisani, who she says was largely absent during her childhood. But this week, things escalated dramatically on Instagram:

• Monday, March 17: Dumisani posted an Instagram Story appearing to reference Doja's recent album, which many interpreted as an attempt to capitalize on her success
• Tuesday, March 18: Doja unfollowed her father's Instagram account, a move that fans spotted almost immediately
• Wednesday, March 19: Dumisani responded with an Instagram post defending himself, tagging Doja directly
• Thursday, March 20: Doja posted a cryptic Story that fans interpreted as a response, followed by mass unfollowing of accounts connected to her father's circle
• Friday, March 21: Multiple family members appeared to take sides, with follow and unfollow activity creating a visible map of the conflict

By Saturday, the hashtag #DojaCatDrama had over 40 million views on TikTok, and Instagram spoiler accounts were tracking every follow change in real-time.

Why Instagram Follows Are the New Celebrity Feuds

Ten years ago, celebrity feuds played out through diss tracks and paparazzi photos. Today, they play out through Instagram. Here is why:

The Follow Is the Statement

Following or unfollowing someone on Instagram is a deliberate action. When a celebrity with millions of followers unfollows someone, it sends a message. Fans and media interpret these actions as public declarations.

The Timeline Tells the Story

Unlike a vague interview quote, Instagram follow activity has exact timestamps. When you can see that Doja Cat unfollowed her father at 2:47 AM on a Tuesday, it adds emotional context that words cannot provide.

The Ripple Effect Is Traceable

When Doja unfollows her dad, her friends and collaborators often follow suit. Tracking these ripple effects reveals alliances and loyalties in real-time.

How to Track Celebrity Instagram Drama

If you want to follow celebrity feuds as they unfold rather than reading about them days later, here is how:

1. Use Lurk to monitor the public accounts of both parties
2. Enable push notifications to get alerted the moment someone follows or unfollows
3. Track mutual connections to see who is taking sides
4. Watch Stories anonymously through the Lurk Story viewer to catch content before it gets deleted

This is exactly how fan accounts and entertainment reporters are staying ahead of the story. The Doja Cat family feud was first reported by accounts that were tracking her following list changes, hours before any media outlet picked it up.

The Bigger Picture: Instagram as a Relationship Map

The Doja Cat situation illustrates something important about modern social media: your following list is a public relationship map. Every follow is an endorsement. Every unfollow is a statement.

This applies to celebrities, but it applies to everyone. When someone unfollows an ex, when a brand unfollows a controversial influencer, when a politician unfollows a former ally, these are all meaningful signals that tell a story.

The challenge is that Instagram does not make this information easy to track. Following lists are sorted randomly. There are no notifications when someone unfollows. Changes are invisible unless you happen to check at the right moment.

What Instagram Follow Tracking Reveals About Feuds

Using Lurk's tracking data, here are the patterns that typically emerge during public feuds:

Phase 1: The Unfollow

One party unfollows the other. This is usually the first visible sign of conflict. It often happens late at night or early in the morning, when emotions are high.

Phase 2: The Alliance Check

Friends and associates of both parties start making their own follow/unfollow decisions. This phase reveals who is loyal to whom and often expands the conflict.

Phase 3: The Mass Purge

One or both parties go through their following list and remove anyone connected to the other person. This is the most data-rich phase and often happens over 24 to 48 hours.

Phase 4: Resolution or Escalation

Either the parties reconcile (re-follows start appearing) or the feud deepens (more unfollows, blocking, and public statements).

Lurk tracks all four phases automatically. You can read more about how this works in our complete guide to tracking Instagram follows.

How to Track Doja Cat Right Now

The Doja Cat family feud is still unfolding as of this writing (March 23, 2026). If you want to watch it play out in real-time:

1. Go to getlurk.app/username
2. Enter Doja Cat's Instagram username
3. See her recent follows and unfollows instantly
4. Subscribe for push notifications on every change

You can also track her father's account, her close collaborators, and anyone else involved. Lurk works with any public Instagram account, completely anonymously.

For more on how follow tracking works, check out our guide to seeing who someone recently followed and our anonymous Story viewer.