Rapper Cardi B expressed her frustration over Donald Trump’s election win, posting on Instagram, “I hate y’all bad,” to her 165 million followers. In a now-deleted X post, she further commented, “This is why some of y’all states be getting hurricanes,” referring to the devastation in conservative states like Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Cardi B isn’t just a fringe voice; she spoke at a “Harris for President” rally in Milwaukee shortly before the election.
She’s not alone among liberal celebrities. In another deleted X post, Bette Midler took a jab at Trump supporters by quoting H.L. Mencken, who described the “plain folks of the land” voting for a “downright moron.” Actress Yvette Nicole Brown also chimed in, tweeting, “AmeriKKKa is showing out tonight. Just showing out.” Musician Billie Eilish, on Instagram, called Trump’s win “a war on women” and declared at a November 6 concert, “Someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be the president.”
Why do we tolerate this? It’s not just that the entertainment industry is predominantly left-leaning, which we already know. It’s the need these celebrities feel to ridicule and shame the large portion of Americans who disagree with them politically. America doesn’t just need new political leadership; it needs a new approach to celebrity culture.
In a recent Federalist article, M.D. Kittle highlighted the typical absurdity of celebrity reactions to Trump’s victory. Actress Christina Applegate took to X, urging her followers, “Please unfollow me if you voted against female rights. Against disability rights. Yeah, that. Unfollow me because what you did is unreal. Don’t want followers like this. So yeah. Done.”
Basketball superstar LeBron James “posted a photo with his daughter with a promise to ‘protect you.’” Actor John Cusack wrote: “The fact that the country would choose to destroy itself by voting in a convicted felon rapist and Nazi is a sign of deep nihilism.” He added: “A lot of Catholics voted for Trump. Why bother saying you adhere to any version of Christianity.” Singer and actress Ariana Grande wrote that she is “holding the hand of every person who is feeling the immeasurable heaviness of this outcome today.”
Actresses openly dismiss conservative fans (even though those fans have helped support their affluent lifestyles). Athletes accuse Republicans of posing a threat to their daughters (though it was Senate Democrats earlier this year who advocated for adding women to the draft). And in one of the most dramatic displays yet, some former Catholic celebrities have the audacity to lecture Catholics on their voting choices.
Our late-night hosts are just as ridiculous. “Today I wore my ‘I am questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of humanity’ sticker,” quipped Stephen Colbert, who I remember many years ago used to be funny. Jimmy Kimmel uttered banal Dem talking points in proclaiming: “We had the choice between a prosecutor and a criminal, and we chose the criminal to be the president of the United States.” Over at “The Daily Show,” Senior Correspondent Desi Lydic offered more lefty pablum: “He’s a dictator. He’s a fascist. He’s a malignant narcissist …”
The entertainment industry has leaned left for as long as any of us can remember. While it might be frustrating, few of us actually expect most actors, athletes, musicians, or comedians to express views that stray from the Democratic Party’s talking points. So when a conservative voice does emerge—like Clint Eastwood, Jason Aldean, or Bryson DeChambeau—it’s often a surprise, if not a pleasant one.
The dominance of left-leaning views among celebrities is a problem, but it isn’t the main issue. Like everyone else, celebrities are entitled to their political opinions. The real problem is that many have shifted from simply sharing their views to lecturing the American public at every opportunity. What, we might ask, makes them feel so superior to the average voter that they’ve appointed themselves our moral instructors, here to teach us the difference between democracy and fascism?
This behavior often comes across as little more than a tantrum over electoral outcomes. We may pay to watch their movies, attend their concerts, or celebrate their athletic achievements, but that doesn’t mean we’re looking to them for political advice. The assumption that their elite status grants them unassailable influence over us is misguided. And when we don’t comply, they react as though they’re toddlers in need of a nap.
Nothing illustrates this better than the over-the-top threats from celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Miley Cyrus, Amy Schumer, and America Ferrera, who claimed they’d leave the country if Trump won. We can only say, go ahead—we dare you.
Imagine having a friend or relative who constantly spoke to you with condescension and cruelty because of your political beliefs. Picture them calling you a bigot, racist, fascist, or an ignorant fool, deserving only of scorn. With any self-respect, you’d avoid that person until they showed genuine remorse and were willing to treat you with the decency every person deserves.
This, unfortunately, is how many celebrities—people whose talent we admire, whom we’d love to snap a photo with or spend just five minutes talking to—treat us. We spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to see their movies, shows, or games, yet they often have nothing but contempt for our political views. The fact that we continue to spend money on such self-absorbed, arrogant personalities shows just how much we’ve come to accept this culture of celebrity worship. Just as we wouldn’t tolerate such treatment from family or friends, we shouldn’t accept it from celebrities, no matter how talented they are.
What Americans need is to separate themselves from these immature, self-important stars and the broader celebrity culture. As citizens of this country, we deserve better. And, as recent elections show, we’re perfectly capable of deciding when enough is enough.
