Our days are one way or another influenced by popular celebrities. We like their pictures on Instagram, we wear makeup they promote, we listen to music they create or watch television shows they act in. Some may be shaking their head, saying No, I don’t support celebrities in the slightest. Well, if you have Jergens moisturizer then you are somewhat influenced by Leslie Mann who has been in some of the company’s most recent commercials. Looking for a new house? Try realtor.com, courtesy of Elizabeth Banks’ commercials. While many of our everyday products are endorsed by celebrities, their activeness in elections and politics could raise some red flags. When should the line be drawn?
This election was by far no easy pick; Republicans were upset, Democrats were upset and there seemed to be no real winner for anyone. While many citizens of the country were torn about what to do, celebrities may have had enough influence to swing one person to one side or the other.
We will start by looking at those who supported President Trump during the election. Among the list Business Insider released about 29 celebrities who supported President Trump was John Voight (Transformers, Tropic Thunder), Kid Rock, Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman and Wayne Newton.
Dennis Rodman could’ve influenced fans when he tweeted “@realDonaldTrump has been a great friend for many years. We don’t need another politician, we need a businessman like Mr. Trump! Trump 2016.”
One the other we have celebrites who supported Hillary Clinton during the election. Newsday created a list of Clinton supporters including John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Lebron James, Jarron and Jason Collins, and Sarah Silverman, all who spoke at either the Democratic National Convention or during Clinton’s campaign.
Also on the list of supporters were Demi Lovato, Jay-Z, and Jennifer Lopez who supported Clinton through concerts and musical performances.
According to a report done by CNBC, Larry Hatheway, chief economist at asset management firm GAM and a joint American-British citizen, said that celebrity support of Clinton may have actually hurt her image and her chances of possibly winning the election.
“Hillary Clinton, the Democrats and Obama and so forth have been associated with what were called the cultural elite of the United States and…actually reinforce perceptions among those that feel disenfranchised that it is a little bit of ‘us versus them,” Hatheway said.
Could celebrities really have enough influence to impact a national election? Let’s take a look at Beyoncé, to show how much influence one celebrity could have on the U.S. population.
ELLE magazine published an article on Nov. 8, 2016, that was a complete timeline of Beyoncé’s engagement in politics. They titled it “The Politicization of Beyoncé”. It began in 2009, with her performance at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, moving into her support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and finally to her support of Clinton during the 2016 election. Beyoncé practically blew up the internet when she posted about her new coming twins on social media (Beyonce has 94.3 million followers on Instagram, 14.7 million followers on Twitter, and over 64 million likes on Facebook).
What do celebrities think about all this attention? Sure, those who spoke out on social media or spoke at the conventions of either candidate were proud to be active in the election. They have every right to, constitutionally. There are some, however, who believe that it is not the place of celebrities to be active in such a future-changing decision.
Mark Wahlberg told Task and Purpose that “A lot of celebrities did, do, and shouldn’t,” when it comes to voicing their opinions on politics.
Gene Simmons, of KISS, told Yahoo Music that, “I really believe democracy doesn’t work well when celebrities butt their heads into places they don’t belong…you’ve got influence…”
Maybe celebrities do play a role in politics, whether their followers choose to believe they are influenced by them or not. It is important, however, to recognize who is speaking at politically events, and to determine what we as citizens can positively take away from what they have to say.