People, including celebrities, often change their political beliefs over time.
During Obama’s presidency, optimism was easy to find, and it was possible to disconnect from politics while listening to Kanye’s new album on your iPod and watching Russell Brand’s stand-up shows.
Today, things are a lot different due to the extreme divisiveness of our time. Silence on controversial political topics is sometimes seen as a tacit endorsement of the worst possible scenario. Because of this, many celebrities with large fan bases, such as pop stars with mass appeal, have had to pivot or break their silence on their political beliefs, or face backlash for seemingly betraying their audience due to their stance.
Taylor Swift
Throughout much of her early career, Swift remained apolitical, presumably to maintain her unassuming “girl-next-door” image, which she was known for from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s. Because of this specific silence ringing true during the 2016 election, and how well she fit into White-American beauty standards of being fairskinned with light hair and blue eyes, it became easier for the wrong type of people to pigeonhole her into specific ideologies.
According to NPR, groups of online white supremacists and publications like the Daily Stormer started calling her an “Aryan goddess.” They were seemingly waiting for her to claim this status once Trump won the 2016 election.
After a career mostly filled with silence about political matters, Swift finally used her voice to endorse Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper during the 2018 midterm elections when she was 28 years old, stating, “In the past, I’ve been reluctant to voice my political opinions publicly. I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.”
When asked if she would still indulge in Swift’s music if she suddenly converted to a conservative one day, self-proclaimed “Swiftie” Maika Walker from North Atlanta High School stated that one of the main reasons she listens to Swift is because of how she “publicly expressed her hatred for Trump.” Atlanta native and current University of Missouri student Jennie Matos said it would be “dumb as hell” if she ever pivoted to the right.
She has since been more vocal about her politics, endorsing both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the 2020 and 2024 elections, respectively. Former Vice President Harris thanked Swift when she supported her, stating to Wired that she was “very proud to have the support of Taylor Swift.”
But Swift has been the center of right-wing conspiracy theories, such as her being involved in the “alleged” rigging of the 58th Super Bowl. They claimed that it would enable her to promote a liberal ideology during the game, a theory promoted by politicians such as Vivek Ramaswamy and Laura Loomer. Swift has also had pornographic AI images generated of her by common alt-right spaces like 4chan and X (formerly known as Twitter), typical hotspots for alt-righters.
According to the BBC, Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 election reportedly encouraged over 340,000 people to vote, a testament to the indirect yet significant influence that celebrities have on the individuals chosen to pass legislation that affects every American’s life.
Addison Rae
Addison Rae’s past as a seemingly basic influencer, who was part of manufactured content houses like the Hype House, included making “cringey” videos at 19. But at 24, her former politics have proven to be another thorn in the road for an otherwise budding sensation.
Rae’s problematic politics have resurfaced recently, coinciding with the growing critical and commercial success of her music. Rae had to make a public apology for reposting a video that referred to the Black Lives Matter movement as a “cult” during the pandemic. She was shockingly giddy when introducing herself to President Donald Trump back in 2021, and dated fellow influencer and Hype House Member Bryce Hall, a fervent Trump supporter, despite her collaborations with artists who are progressive both musically and politically, like Charli XCX, Arca, and Troye Sivan.
Rae has pivoted her image and politics sharply. Rae publicly endorsed Harris during the 2024 election and, in an interview with “Vogue France,” criticized Trump for his “abuse” of “newly acquired power” and how she feels that freedoms are being stripped from the American public. Rae has also been seen sporting a pro-trans rights “Protect the Dolls” shirt during Coachella 2025 and has denounced ICE, supporting the protest against the organization via Instagram, stating, “This country would be nothing without immigrants.”
“It’s tricky … but I wouldn’t say it affects my listening experience that much,” says Samuel Satterwhite, a 17-year-old music head who divides his time between Northwest Florida and Atlanta for concerts. He added that if Rae ever made statements that contradicted her current presentation, he could simply “avoid listening” to her, but commented on how much is “interpreted and rumored” nowadays.
Gwen Stefani
The pop icon Gwen Stefani appears to rapidly change the ethnicity she appropriates for aesthetic purposes. Stefani has been seen wearing the traditional Indian bindi and hairstyles like cornrows and bantu knots during the 1990s (most notably at the Billboard Music Awards and during her tour with No Doubt in 1997 when she was around 27), which are cultural cornerstones for both Indians and the African diaspora, respectively. During the rollout for her debut album in 2004, she adopted a Harajuku persona and imperceptibly used four Japanese women as props, who were always around her and never uttered a word — their likenesses being used for the designs of the chair on the cover of the album that Stefani sits on.
Similar to Swift, Stefani was noticeably apolitical. Still, occasionally she made liberal-leaning gestures, such as supporting Barack Obama’s presidential state dinner in 2016, attending Democratic fundraising events, and openly supporting the LGBTQ movement and women’s rights. However, unlike Swift, her politics as of late are much less defined by what she has actively said about politics, but by what she has done.
Now in her 50s, Stefani had endorsed a Catholic prayer app called Hallow in 2024, which, in itself, is not a political statement. However, she has actively supported the main figureheads of the app, Jonathan Roumie, who is known for his anti-abortion stance and has been featured on the Tucker Carlson Network for an interview, the latter of which Gwen Stefani praised on Twitter. Stefani also followed right-wing commentator Candace Owens, but as of now, she has unfollowed her.
Stefani has never outright stated her political views. Still, in a Paper Magazine interview, she stated that she doesn’t attach herself to labels like Republican or Democrat, saying, “It’s pretty obvious who I am.”
