Asheville drag performer Nova told WLOS that her boyfriend alerted her to a congressional attack ad using her likeness. The video placed her at an event she said she had never attended.
The 30-second spot shows Democrat Jamie Ager, who’s running in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, at a barn dance with drag queens. In one shot he appears to dance with someone who looks like Nova. “Jamie Ager talks like you and me on TV, but he’s dancing with they/them,” the narrator says.
“None of it was real,” Nova told WLOS. She said she had never met Ager or attended a barn dance.
Who Made the Jennifer Balkcom Ad Against Jamie Ager
The ad was approved by Ager’s Republican opponent, state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom. The National Republican Congressional Committee paid for it, according to WLOS and the Raleigh News & Observer, and the North Carolina Republican Party shared it online. Balkcom’s campaign told WLOS the ad was produced in coordination with the campaign.
The video uses AI and appears to rework footage from one of Ager’s own campaign ads, adding a Pride flag and drag performers, reporter Kyle Ingram found in a News & Observer fact check. There’s no disclaimer saying any of it was generated.
NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson defended it in comments to the News & Observer. “Ager owes North Carolina voters answers for why he’s trying to push sexualized performers onto kids,” he said. The NRCC told Breitbart it “stands by the ad.”
Jamie Ager’s Oct. 26 video response to the ad, posted to his official Instagram account.
The 2019 Hickory Nut Gap “Fantasy Festival” Behind the Claim
The “barn dance” claim traces back to an Oct. 16 Breitbart story about a May 2019 “Fantasy Festival” at Hickory Nut Gap Farms, the Ager family’s farm outside Asheville. According to the News & Observer, it wasn’t billed as a drag event. It had puppeteers, fire dancers, stilt walkers and a costume contest.
The Beer City Sisters were among the groups listed for that festival. But Ingram reported that the News & Observer could not verify whether the two members named in the attack ad, Sister Domina Trix and Sister Helen Bedd, had attended. The NRCC did not provide evidence that they had.
Sister Domina Trix posted her own cease-and-desist to the state GOP. “Everything and everyone in this video is a 100% fake Ai generated video,” she wrote.
Blue Ridge Pride, Divine Holeburn and Will Pounder Push Back
The ad also goes after Ager for giving $5,000 to Blue Ridge Pride, the group that runs Asheville’s Pride festival. FEC records show the campaign made that donation in July. But Blue Ridge Pride said in an Oct. 23 statement that Ager’s application to sponsor this year’s festival was denied and the money was sent back. Its board president, Madison Root, sent Balkcom a letter demanding the ad come down, saying it used the group’s logo and made false claims about the donation.
The ad names two Asheville performers as part of that festival. Drag artist Divine Holeburn said her name and an AI-generated likeness were used without permission. “I have issued a cease-and-desist notice,” she said. Drag king Will Pounder performed at the 2025 festival but wasn’t on this year’s main stage lineup, the News & Observer reported.
Can an AI Political Ad Use a Drag Queen’s Face Without Permission?
Unlike many states, North Carolina doesn’t require campaigns to disclose AI in political ads, Chris Cooper, who chairs Western Carolina University’s political science department, told WLOS. Lawmakers have tried and failed several times to pass rules, according to the News & Observer.
That doesn’t mean Nova is out of options. Mike Tadych, a First Amendment lawyer who represents the North Carolina Press Association, told WLOS she could bring a misappropriation claim for using her likeness if the campaign ignores her letter. Courts are wary of ordering political ads off the air, he said, but keeping it up after being told she didn’t consent could raise any damages.
WLOS reported Oct. 26 that the ad remained on TV and YouTube. The station said Balkcom’s campaign did not respond to its latest request for comment. Earlier, it told the station Ager had hosted events with “inappropriate performances” and didn’t address the AI.
“Our opponent is attacking Jamie with 100% fake, AI-generated ads,” Ager campaign manager Grayson Barnette said in a statement reported by WLOS and the News & Observer. “She can’t win on the truth, so she is using AI to lie.”
The seat is open because Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped his reelection bid in August after a House Ethics Committee report. Early voting in North Carolina ends Saturday, Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
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