Celebrities’ Voices Have an Immense Impact on our Political Culture

Since celebrities have been around, they’ve been faced with the same backlash whenever someone speaks on politics; “Stay in your lane” “Dribble the Ball.” The message is clear, fame is treated as a reason to stay silent. As if being famous or having a large following cancels out the right to have an opinion. But in today’s political climate, with misinformation, and disengagement, it is more important now more than ever to actively work against these responses. Sparking such serious conversations isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

Celebrities are citizens before they are any brands. They pay taxes, vote, raise families, and are affected by the same laws just like everyone else. Saying they should not speak on their political views because of their professions sets up a dangerous precedent. It is important to speak out on what resonates with you, especially when it is affecting people’s identities, safety, and communities.

Co-president of Elmhurst University’s Political Club, Hector Herrera says, “I respect our first amendment and believe unless there was true incitement to violence, there should be no criminal or civil prosecution brought to the influencers as a consequence.”

Critics often argue that celebrities are “uninformed” or “oversimplify” complex issues. Sometimes that can be true, but that’s also true for plenty of politicians. The solution to bad speech isn’t silence, it’s more speech. Just like everyone else, celebrities can be questioned, challenged, fact-checked, and debated. Herrera says, “Celebrities are very much attached to the trending topics in today’s political landscape… But when those celebrities pitch in on these issues, they tend to forget the other angle of those issues, and they avoid expressing how tragedies have context behind them, and that context includes perspectives.”

Voices don’t become weaker because a famous person joins in, it just becomes more widespread. And when celebrities get it wrong, the public response often ends up sparking a deeper conversation that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

More importantly, celebrities have platforms that reach people traditional politics often fails to catch. Many individuals who feel alienated from political conversations still follow musicians, YouTubers, actors, or sports figures. When a celebrity talks about voting, civil rights, climate change, or social justice, they can act as a bridge between disengaged audiences and issues that considerably affect their lives.

“They must recognize multiple perspectives, and should do the due diligence to not call the other side evil and share what the other side believes from the celebrity’s good faith understanding,” says Herrera.

There’s also the moral aspect of the conversation. Silence is not neutral. In these times of attacks on minority rights and threats to freedom of press, choosing not to speak is itself a political choice, one that often benefits the status quo. Celebrities profit enormously from public attention.  

Of course not every celebrity needs to comment on every issue, authenticity matters. Forced statements and performative activism is a problem and audiences can quickly sense it. But that is an argument for sincerity, not silence. When a celebrity is speaking on a topic they truly care about, the impact is immense.

Telling celebrities to “stay out of politics” often masks a deeper discomfort, not with the celebrity speech itself, but with the content of that speech. In this moment with the political culture being as fragile as it is, the stakes are high and we don’t need fewer voices. We need louder and imperfect voices. Asking celebrities to stay quiet when they have these huge platforms seals one thing, a smaller, weaker public conversation, when in today’s times we cannot afford it.