Opinion: Fans are not entitled to celebrity endorsements of political figures

Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift singing. Art by Samantha Lang.

As Election Day came and went, big-time celebrities endorsed candidates through social media, with fans eager to know where their icons stood on the political spectrum. Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift, two of the most influential music artists right now, were swarmed by overzealous fans as they expressed their political standpoints and views with their communities. Because they are public figures, they have had no control over the criticism they’ve received. Through an Instagram post, like Swift, or in Chappell Roan’s case, a TikTok video, they articulated their concerns and reasoning. However, these artists are just as ordinary as we are and should not have to explain the reasoning behind their endorsements. They are entitled to have privacy when it comes to politics, but because they are public figures, they lack that privilege. 

“The Childless Cat Lady,” Taylor Swift’s adopted moniker, posted an image of herself and one of her cats after the second presidential debate of 2024 concluded. After years of staying silent on the matter, Swift opened up about her political beliefs after Donald Trump was elected, saying in an interview with the Guardian in 2019, “It’s really shocking and awful. And I just wanna do everything I can for 2020. I wanna figure out exactly how I can help, what are the most effective ways to help.” As a public figure, Swift was expected to share her private political beliefs with the world because of her influence — in a way, having to take unfair responsibility for the political decisions of her fans.

This year, Swift only decided to announce her endorsement of Kamala Harris after Trump shared an AI-generated image of her endorsement to his site. In the image, Swift wears a cowboy hat with the American flag displayed on it, Swift pointing her index finger toward the viewer. The words “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump” are written above and below the image. “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift said in her Instagram post. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.” But Swift and other known artists shouldn’t be the only ones that need to be aware as voters. While it’s time-consuming to read the dense voter pamphlet, it’s necessary for voters to fully comprehend the topics candidates are focused on. 

In order to “combat the misinformation,” Swift wrote in her second-to-last paragraph, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election ...  because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” Swift concluded her post by saying, “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”

Humans analyze situations based on what we perceive and what knowledge we possess, and use that information to guide the choices we make. Research is a significant part of the voting process. People need some kind of knowledge to better understand the candidate before filling in the circle, and we shouldn’t exclusively rely on celebrities to tell us how to think.

Chappell Roan, a queer-identifying artist — whose unique fashion taste and epic synth-pop music helped win her the 2024 VMA for Best New Artist  — has a different stance on endorsing Kamala Harris, or in fact, endorsing anyone. In her three-minute, 27-second TikTok video, she commented on how she refuses to endorse anyone, as she disagrees with both left and right policies. Throughout her statement, she pounds her intertwined hands or fist against a marbled desk to enunciate the different points she tries to explain. 

Roan begins the video by saying, “Endorsing and voting are different,” and later comes back to that idea by somewhat defining endorsement: “If someone is publicly endorsing a political figure, that doesn’t even mean that they’re gonna fuc*ing vote for them.” Her tired and “I’m-done-explaining-myself demeanor,” as well as the turned-off comments section, illustrates the demand from her fans for a more in-depth answer on where she stands on the political spectrum and the fact that she’s done having to clarify her views because of her choice to not endorse Kamala. She later admits to “voting for fuc*ing Kamala.” 

Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan are not the only public figures that have outwardly announced their support for a certain candidate, and it’s certainly their right and choice to not have to publicize which side they are supporting. The gruesome part of being an artist or a public figure is dealing with fans that are too eager for information, such as their favorite artists’ political beliefs. Someone who is famous should not be forced to explain their views because their fans believe that they are entitled to that kind of information. Moreover, they should not be held responsible for their fans’ political decisions, and rather, fans should make their own informed decisions based on research. Overall, celebrities should not have to be so public with their endorsement of political figures.