High profile celebrities have something in common: they have power. Millions of people look up to them, listen, and regard what they say as valuable—sometimes even as gospel. Celebrities often use this advantage to leverage their platform and support what they believe in. This year’s presidential election is not off limits. Many celebrities have come out on social media and shared which candidate has their vote. While endorsements do garner a lot of attention and may be well-intentioned, they end up doing more harm than good.
Many celebrities have immense self-interest. They will launch multiple brands, advertise for companies, do everything they can do further their image and profit. Due to this, it’s not a good idea for them to endorse a candidate. One concern is that celebrities will no longer fit the image they have presented to their fans. Every person has their own biases, and since the fans don’t really know the celebrity, they are likely to have biased guesses about what that celebrity is really like. Finding out these internal biases are incorrect can be alarming for some, especially if they implicate very sensitive topics being discussed in the election. Another concern is that picking a side could cause the celebrity to lose money. Sharing political views makes it difficult for a fan to separate the celebrity’s artistic content from their policy preferences. In our extremely politicized world, knowing which candidate a celebrity supports can affect sales, views, and other metrics of popularity. Think of the richest man in the world, Elon Musk. The entrepreneur and businessman has publicly announced his support for Donald Trump, even hugging him during a rally. As a result of his extreme support, his company Tesla has significant problems, with sales decreasing. There was an 8.5 percent sales decrease in Q1 and a 5 percent drop in Q2 of 2024. Many blamed it on increasing competition or the disappointing Cybertrucks, but it’s more likely due to the CEO himself.“A CEO or brand aligning with anything political is taking a risk,” the CEO of Interbrand, a brand consultancy, noted. “It can be polarizing, and the business or brand could risk losing customers as a result.”
Celebrities lead fans to join together as a community. Unfortunately, because of the tensions and hostility between opposing sides in the upcoming election, many fan bases are also politically divided. A celebrity endorsement destroys fan unity as fans will focus on what divides them instead of the art that used to unite them. Recently, popstar Taylor Swift announced her support for Kamala Harris on Instagram following the presidential debate. As a result, her fanbase, also known as the “swifties”, have become politically divided. Thus, this has created opposing groups: “Swifties For Kamala” and “Swifties For Trump”. A famous person who usually stands for overcoming our differences, Swift’s fans are not following their artist’s goals due to her actions.
Plenty of deliberation precedes any celebrity’s decision to do something so impactful. Millions of people will gobble up any morsel of content celebrities provide, including who they are voting for. While I know celebrities can have an impact on this election, I don’t think they should. Celebrities connect people in shared experiences. They entertain us, provide us with relief during long days. A professional athlete may not be able to change the tax rate, but they can connect you with a whole fanbase of people, or with your family cheering on your team. A model probably won’t change how immigrants are treated, but they can provide a distraction and bring beauty into our lives. A movie can just be a simple break from our everyday troubles, giving us a dose of humor, love, and action. Songs are a window into our emotions, carefully crafted concoctions of storytelling and music. They fill up the car and bus rides with music. Problems with our world are the topics this election is centered on. A celebrity can help us with our problems, and make the world a better place. Little bits of joy, happiness, and entertainment will bring us together this November, while politically our country remains divided.