Jan. 18, 2025
By Chloe O’Donnell
Staff Writer
Celebrities including model Bella Hadid, singer-songwriter John Legend and actor Mark Ruffalo have used their influence to share their political beliefs with their fans. Even if their fame has nothing to do with politics, they still address political issues, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Some people think that, if politics is not a celebrity’s main area of expertise, they should not talk about it. The problem with this assumption is that it is human nature for people to want to voice their opinions.
It is especially important for celebrities with a large following of young people to inform their fans about political issues that may affect them. Few young people go out of their way to research politics, but almost all of them pay attention to what celebrities are saying.
For example, on National Voter Registration Day in September 2023, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift made a post on Instagram urging her fans to register to vote. That post drove record-breaking web traffic to vote.org, which registered over 35,000 people and caused 115% more 18-year-olds to register compared to the previous year, according to ABC News. Without Swift’s influence, far fewer people would have registered, so her post had undeniably positive effects.
Swift remained vocal about politics in 2024, encouraging her fans on Instagram to register to vote on Super Tuesday.
In 2020, actor Chris Evans created A Starting Point, an organization that informs people about politics. Its website features short videos of politicians addressing issues including civil rights, the economy and immigration. The videos, which are organized by topic, provide different perspectives and offer meaningful insights.
Few young people go out of their way to research politics, but almost all of them pay attention to what celebrities are saying.
Actor and film producer Leonardo DiCaprio has also used his fame for good. In 2021, DiCaprio spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where he supported plans to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. For most of his career, he has tried to bring attention to climate change.
Not all celebrities want to discuss politics and polarizing issues, and that is fine. However, celebrities who have done their research and have honest intentions should not hesitate to enrich national and international political discourse with their insights and calls to action.
