It’s no question that celebrities have a bucket load of influence over the minds of their fans and non-fans alike. The ability to influence gives them power to explore other opportunities outside of their fields. It’s more common when social media influencers become musicians like Shawn Mendes, Jojo Siwa, The Paul brothers, and so on. If the music is not agreeable with the public, they could easily dismiss and move on to other virtues. With politics, it takes a heavier toll and creates an impact that can be more complex and potentially harmful. The actions of an individual in entertainment could influence our futures and views.
My belief in celebrities promoting a party, or candidate is that it’s certainly okay to do. They have their own opinions, and should voice them. However, I believe it can affect their audience’s perception of them, damaging their credibility and the causes they support. Stated by Jamie Krenn Ph.D. in Psychology Today, the “creation of echo chambers, where fans adopt their idols’ political views without critical examination.” An easier way to describe echo chambers as a domino effect, the influence of a celebrity can blind an audience simply because it’s who they look up to, and want to fully support no matter the cost.
Famous singer Taylor Swift tweeted in support during Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign during the 2024 elections. In retaliation, conservative media personality Megyn Kelly stated that it would cost her support among Republicans.
“You can kiss your sales to the Republican audience goodbye, Taylor. Hope you enjoyed them while you had them,” she said on The Megyn Kelly Show.
On the contrary, endorsing a candidate could also be beneficial to the growth of said party or candidate. In this case, CBS News outlet reported that Taylor Swift’s post endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris had driven more than 400,000 users to the vote.gov website to register to vote.
There is a major difference between a celebrity promoting a candidate compared to the likes of an actual career in politics. I think that actors and singers don’t have experience, but they certainly have the audience. When Arnold Schwarzenegger, an actor in predominantly action films, became governor of California in 2003, he vowed to “tear up the credit cards” and “end the crazy deficit spending.” The Week reported that when Schowarzengger left office, he also left California with a twenty-eight billion dollar deficit. And according to Ballotpedia, California’s debt had tripled from $34 billion in June 2003 to $91 billion on June 30, 2010 under his administration.
Another example of a celebrity attempting a political career poorly is when rapper Kanye West tweeted, “I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.” He received major backlash, and people underestimated his ability to run for president. And they did underestimate correctly. According to the BBC, he ran in favor of the Republican party; he appeared on the ballot in twelve states, missing the filing deadline in most. He gathered the most votes in Tennessee with 10,188 total votes. Throughout his public appearances and speeches, West received more backlash due to his widely regarded anti-semitic statements. In Rolling Stone’s article on Kanye West’s presidential campaign, he stated his views changed after watching Jonah Hill’s performance in 21st Jump Street. He stated, “Made me like Jewish people again.”
What makes a good politician is someone with experience. As a politician, it’s their responsibility for making decisions on behalf of the public. From a county, city, state up to federal level. Growing into a respected politician takes decades of work, but celebrities have their strong fanbase. It’s an unknown phenomenon as to why there is a need to execute a political role when they are already an established artist. The most recent example of this happening is actor Vijay Thalapathy, who recently announced his departure from the film industry into politics in Tamil Nadu, India. His new political party called “Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam” reportedly had their first state conference on October 27, 2024. In The New Indian Express’s article on this new political party, an estimated 1,200,000 million people showed up in person to see Thalapathy deliver his speech.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released an article written by Paul Staniland explaining how India’s political systems had long been corrupted by figures in the film industry, the underworld connecting with politicians, and untrustworthy candidates who have come and gone. Major instability with rebellions and political violence has been surging in the country for a long time. It is unknown why Vijay Thalapathy shortened his beloved and successful career for politics, many of which have theorized that he wanted to capitalize off the political vacuum with his celebrity status at the forefront.
Ultimately, celebrities’ involvement in politics should be approached with caution, considering the potential for negative impacts on public and political outcomes. There is fault on behalf of the audience as well. It’s better to do research on our political position and the trustability of who we pledge or vote for. There should be stricter criteria for changing the future of thousands of lives.
