Sorry everybody. Cardi B’s incredibly relatable speech about how the cost of living was getting too high, even for a multi-millionaire like herself, was not good enough to make Kamala Harris president. Nor was Eminem’s speech. Or Jennifer Lopez’s. Or any other non-political celebrity who spoke at Harris’s rallies during her presidential campaign.
It wasn’t just Harris who gained the support of dozens of previously apolitical influential figures. Throughout the 2024 Election season, both Harris and Donald Trump had their fair share of celebrities advocating for their cause, with Trump gaining the support of figures like Caitlyn Jenner and Jake Paul. One crucial example for the democrats was Taylor Swift, who shortly after the Presidential Debate back in September created a dedicated post on Instagram advocating for Harris. Her running mate, Minnesotan Governor Tim Walz, even reacted to her endorsement live on television, stating “I am incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift. This would be the opportunity, swifties. Kamalaharris.com, get on over there, give us a hand, get things going.” Gaining Taylor Swift’s vote was dubbed a huge win for the Democratic Party, who knew that her major influence would be the pushing factor for thousands of Americans nationwide. And indeed it was: within 24 hours of the post’s publication, nearly 340,000 swifties visited vote.gov, a voter registration site.
As both political parties witnessed the major outcome of Taylor Swift’s single moment of advocacy, pressure rose for other celebrities to do the same. Artist Chappell Roan, who had gained media attention in the past for her criticism of the U.S. government, faced especially high demand as a feminist and queer icon. However, in a September interview with The Guardian, she noted how “I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote—vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.” Instead of being met with praise over her decision to separate her career from politics, she faced mass criticism—mostly from her left-leaning fanbase—accusing her of secretly supporting Trump and being “too privileged” to not care about politics.
What these fans fail to realize is that Chappell Roan was always in the right: politics and civic engagement should always be about forming your own opinion without the intentional influence of others. Sure, the celebrities we choose to follow may unconsciously dictate the music we listen to or the clothes we wear on our bodies, but our political ideologies? Who we choose to cast our ballot for should be something that each individual works out themselves. Celebrities shouldn’t be the “final push” for people to vote for the future of America, and fans who vote solely for their idol only fuel politicians to take advantage of their ignorance.
Celebrity Endorsement Digital Tool by Shayna Dennet Migalang
And who’s to say your idol won’t go back on their word? Back in 2023, rapper Azealia Banks endorsed Trump, supposedly for his “entertainment value.” She then suddenly tweeted right before Election Day that she would be voting for Harris instead, citing disgust over Trump’s close ally, Elon Musk. Her democratic fans fully believed she was finally on their side… until she posted a picture of her supposed Trump-voting ballot a day later. While it’s true that Azealia Banks is an especially polarizing figure in the world of fame, it’s undoubtedly possible that she’s not the only celebrity who switched it up last minute. There is no telling which celebrities are actually on the same political side as us, and which ones are just doing it for the publicity stunt.
Ultimately, it’s a two way street: it’s not exactly the celebrities’ fault that every inch of our lives was suddenly infiltrated with politics these past few months, but the least they could’ve done is not engage with it. The singers and actors we love shouldn’t step foot into territory they are unqualified to participate in, and fans should strive to formulate their own political beliefs over mimicking their favorite celebrities. Voting Harris didn’t give anybody free tickets to Taylor Swift, and voting Trump didn’t give anybody an invitation to Joe Rogan’s podcast. Your favorite idol doesn’t even know your name, so why should they play a factor in your deciding vote?
