Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack has taken his ongoing joke about band identity one step further. This time, he claimed to be Ghost’s Papa Perpetua, as captured in a fan’s video shared on X.
The comment came after Biersack faced backlash from Sleep Token fans, who were upset over a joke he made during a live show. In it, he claimed Black Veil Brides were actually Sleep Token performing in disguise. Biersack later explained how the situation escalated far beyond what he intended.
“My current very funny accidental beef with Sleep Token fans,” Biersack said. “This is very funny. I didn’t mean to. I like Sleep Token. I don’t understand how this happened. A couple nights ago, we’re in Atlanta and it was just the silliest little thing. There’s a couple in the front row in the pit and the girl having the best time ever singing along. And the guy has a very upset look on his face. The amount of sad on this dude’s face was funny.”
“And he’s wearing a Sleep Token shirt,” he continued. “So I go up to him, just making a joke and I go, ‘Look, I’m not picking on you, but I noticed that you’re wearing a Sleep Token shirt. Would it help you enjoy the experience if I told you we actually are Sleep Token?’ It was silly. He laughed. We moved on with the show. The next week of my life is, I mean, I’m talking I have a meeting with our Universal Music Group representatives. And the first thing in the meeting was, ‘Ah, I saw that Sleep Token video. It’s really funny.’ And then I see the comments and it’s f*cking people losing their shit going like, ‘You couldn’t possibly be Sleep Token. You’re not talented enough. F*ck you!'”
Responding to the backlash with further humor, Biersack then pivoted to a new joke — this time targeting Ghost’s masked frontman Papa Perpetua.
“I wanna change it up tonight and we’re never going to talk about this again, okay? It’s the last time,” Biersack said. “Because I have to come clean with you.”
“Have you heard of that band Ghost?” he added, pointing to himself. “I’m Papa, b*tch!”
Rather than backing away from the controversy, Biersack has consistently leaned into it. He has treated the whole episode as an extended bit rather than a genuine dispute. His comments about Ghost appear to be the latest escalation in a running joke that has taken on a life of its own.
In a Black Veil Brides interview, Biersack made clear that the situation was never meant as a real feud. He described it as “backwards beef” and reiterated that he genuinely likes Sleep Token. He said the original joke started simply when he told a fan, “What if we were Sleep Token?” — a throwaway comment that unexpectedly went viral.
Rather than walking it back, Biersack admitted he was “leaning into it” because he found the reaction amusing. The controversy, in his view, was more entertaining than anything else. He appeared to enjoy the absurdity of the situation spiraling far beyond a single offhand remark at a live show.
He also extended the joke further during a separate interview. He claimed that a friend of his who works for Sleep Token was actually a band member. “He’s actually a member of Sleep Token, and you can’t disprove it,” Biersack said, doubling down on the bit with characteristic humor.
The remarks appear to be Biersack’s way of poking fun at the controversy rather than escalating it further. No official response from Ghost or Sleep Token has been reported at this time.
