2020’s top political celebrity moments
Celebrities waded into the world of politics many times this year, to support presidential candidates or the Black Lives Matter movement, or to engage in epic Twitter wars, a la Kirstie Alley vs. CNN.
Here are some of the most memorable and talked about stories involving celebrities from the last 12 months.
Kanye West’s presidential run
The famed rapper tried out a new title this year: presidential candidate.
West announced his bid for the Oval Office under the “Birthday Party” on July 4, after months of talking about a White House run.
Alongside running mate Michelle Tidball, a Christian preacher from Wyoming, West secured 60,000 votes in the 2020 election.
West’s campaign often looked like a joke, but it also led to serious concerns that his bid was intended to swing some votes away from Democrat Joe Biden to help President Trump eke out a victory in key states. GOP strategists helped West get on the ballot in some states.
But in the end, West wasn’t much of a difference-maker, even if it drew condemnations from other celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, who said: “It’s not funny to vote for Kanye. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Matthew McConaughey
McConaughey, a native Texan, made headlines toward the end of 2020 when he said he’d potentially consider running for governor of the Lone Star State.
The Texas native said the decision “would be up to the people more than it would me.” The political climate would have to change before his heart was truly in it, he said.
McConaughey criticized his left-leaning Hollywood peers, saying they can have “condescending” and “arrogant” attitudes toward Trump supporters.
While there is extremism on both sides of the aisle, some liberals don’t see that “they’re often being cannibalized by the illiberals,” he said.
‘Some liberals don’t see they’re being cannibalised by the illiberals.’ @McConaughey explains he thinks free speech and both sides of being political debate are ‘illegitimatised’ by the other side.@piersmorgan | @susannareid100 pic.twitter.com/fY5o4THqcs
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) December 15, 2020
Taylor Swift
After years of staying mum on political issues, Swift broke her silence ahead of the 2018 midterms and expressed strong support for the Democratic presidential ticket in 2020.
“I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election,” she told V magazine.
Swift took fire at Trump on various occasions throughout the year, accusing him of trying to “blatantly cheat” the election through “calculated dismantling” of the U.S. Postal Service in August.
The Grammy Award-winner supported other Democratic tickets as well, lending her song “Only the Young” to an ad for Rep. Eric Swalwell‘s (D-Calif.)’s campaign.
I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president. So apt that it’s come out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot. And I also have custom cookies
@inezandvinoodh pic.twitter.com/DByvIgKocr
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) October 7, 2020
LeBron James
The NBA star enlisted other Black professional athletes to create “More Than a Vote,” which joined forces with Michelle Obama’s voting advocacy group “When We All Vote” to encourage early voting and help combat voter suppression.
James trolled Trump after he lost the election, tweeting a photoshopped picture of Biden “blocking” Trump in a basketball game.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 7, 2020
The president has taken his fair share of swipes at James as well, notably at a pre-election rally in November. Trump claimed no one wanted to watch James play because of his political activism, prompting his supporters to chant “LeBron James sucks!”
Beyoncé
The megastar rallied behind Black Lives Matter activists after the police killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, which she said left her feeing “broken” and “disgusted.”
The singer-songwriter and her husband, performer Jay-Z, drew criticism when they sat during the National Anthem at the Super Bowl at the beginning of the year.
On the eve of Election Day, Beyoncé, a Houston native, took to Twitter to urge voters in the battleground state of Texas to rally behind Biden.
The singer posted a brief video to her 155 million followers (at the time) while wearing a Biden-Harris face mask and an “I voted” sticker.
“Come thru, Texas! #VOTE” she captioned the post.
Dolly Parton
The legendary country singer used her voice to support the protests against the deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor. During an August interview, Parton stated “Of course Black lives matter.”
“Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!” she added.
The “9 to 5” singer blamed the country’s divisive political climate on people wanting to find faults in one another.
“I think we’ve just become so divided because people just seem to love to hate,” Parton said in November.
Parton also became one of the top celebrity donors to coronavirus vaccine development.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The actor and former professional wrestler made his first-ever public political endorsement in 2020, throwing his support behind Biden.
“As a registered Independent for years now with centrist ideologies, I do feel that Vice President Biden and Sen. Harris are the best choice to lead our country,” Johnson announced in a September tweet. “Progress takes courage, humanity, empathy, strength, KINDNESS & RESPECT.”
As a political independent & centrist, I’ve voted for both parties in the past. In this critical presidential election, I’m endorsing @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris.
Progress takes courage, humanity, empathy, strength, KINDNESS & RESPECT.
We must ALL VOTE: https://t.co/rZi1mxh8DC pic.twitter.com/auLbc8xDBv
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 27, 2020
Chris Evans
The “Captain America” star took a more unique approach with his activism in 2020, taking advantage of a seemingly accidental nude photo posted to Instagram to encourage his fans to participate in this year’s elections.
“Now that I have your attention … VOTE Nov 3rd!!!” Evans tweeted after the not-suitable-for-work photo made its rounds on the internet.
In October, the “Avengers” star took part in the Biden fundraiser “Voters Assemble” along with other actors from the Marvel universe.
Jon Voight
The Academy Award-winning actor, a longtime Trump supporter, continued to advocate for the president as he geared up for this year’s election.
The “Midnight Cowboy” star narrated the introduction to this year’s Republican National Convention, during which he referred to Trump as “a man who cares, a man who loves America and all Americans.”
Kirstie Alley
In October, the actress doubled-down on her support for Trump in a tweet.
“He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks there you have it,” she wrote.
The Emmy and Golden Globe award winner also got into a spat with CNN ahead of the election after tweeting her disgust with the cable news network.
Among her grievances was that the network was over-reporting COVID.
“IF YOU TOO WANT TO LIVE IN TERROR WATCH CNN!! FEAR OF DYING IS THEIR MANTRA!” she tweeted.
In response, CNN told Alley she was “welcome to change the channel – just like countless viewers did every time ‘Veronica’s Closet’ came on TV,” citing the actress’s sitcom that ran between September of 1997 to December of 2000.
Kirstie, you are welcome to change the channel – just like countless viewers did every time “Veronica’s Closet” came on TV. But don’t downplay the loss of nearly 230K American lives. And please, wear a mask.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) October 30, 2020
Oprah Winfrey
The media mogul supported the Black Lives Matter movement in a big way, purchasing billboards in Louisville, Ky., in August that called for the arrest of the police involved in the March 13 killing of Taylor.
The 26 billboards, one to represent each year of Taylor’s life, were erected the same week Winfrey released the O magazine issue featuring Taylor on the cover.
Thank you @oprahmagazine for your work on these brilliant billboards.
Together, we will make sure no one forgets #BreonnaTaylor’s name and recommit to the fight for justice for her and her family.
We got this. pic.twitter.com/ZL2SxLpaK5
— untilfreedom (@untilfreedom) August 6, 2020
Eminem
The rapper, who has been vocal about his contempt for Trump in the past, lent his hit song “Lose Yourself” to a Biden campaign ad.
The move was notable considering that Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, sued a political campaign in New Zealand in 2017 over usage of the same song.
Kim Kardashian West
The reality star continued her prison reform activism, calling for Trump to put an end to the multiple federal executions he ordered for death row inmates before Biden takes office on Jan. 20. Kardashian West urged Trump to commute the sentence of Brandon Bernard, who was 18 when he was sentenced for his involvement in the kidnappings and killings of a Texas couple.
Kardashian West blasted the federal government’s execution of Bernard in a series of tweets, saying he was reformed.
I’m so messed up right now.
They killed Brandon.
He was such a reformed person. So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others.— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
In October, the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star, who is of Armenian descent, also urged Trump to take action in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
Despite her husband Kanye West’s failed bid for president, Kardashian West shared a photo of Biden and Harris celebrating their election win over Trump to Twitter, captioning it with three blue hearts.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) November 7, 2020
Sacha Baron Cohen
The comedic movie actor-producer returned with a surprise sequel to his famous “Borat” franchise in October, releasing “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” right before the election.
In the film’s most notorious scene, Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, is seen in a hotel room with an actress posing as a young journalist and playing the fictional daughter of the Borat character.
Giuliani was seen in the clip with his hand in his pants; he said he was tucking in his shirt and the footage is inconclusive.
(1) The Borat video is a complete fabrication. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment.
At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate. If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise he is a stone-cold liar.
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) October 21, 2020
Mike Tyson
The famed boxer cast his first vote in a presidential election this year, after previously not being eligible to do so because of a former felony conviction.
Nevada, where Tyson resides, passed legislation in 2019 that allows felons to vote given that they’ve completed their prison sentence.
Tyson took to Twitter to make the announcement that he would be voting, saying he was “proud” to be able to do so.
This election will be my 1st time voting. I never thought I could because of my felony record. I’m proud to finally vote. Go to https://t.co/7O281P87lE to register. #NationalVoterRegistrationDay
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) September 22, 2020
Lady Gaga
The singer engaged in a Twitter spat with Trump after he tweeted about her campaigning with Biden in the former battleground state of Pennsylvania in November.
Just learned that Sleepy Joe Biden is campaigning in Pennsylvania with Lady Gaga, a proud member of “Artists Against Fracking.” This is more proof that he would ban Fracking and skyrocket your energy prices…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2020
Gaga hit back at Trump, saying she was glad to live “rent free” in his head.
HEY TIM HEY @realDonaldTrump SO HAPPY IM GLAD TO BE LIVING RENT FREE in your HEAD. #BidenHarris https://t.co/k2ODfQNkF3 pic.twitter.com/Iy3Nj8aYMR
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) November 1, 2020
Jennifer Lawrence
Lawrence spoke about her past political inclinations ahead of the election, saying she was “a little Republican” before Trump took office.
The Academy Award-winning actress recalled voting for the late Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) when she first cast a presidential vote, and said that she grew up Republican.
In the 2020 election, however, Lawrence sang a different tune, voting for the Biden-Harris ticket.
“He does not represent my values as an American, and most importantly as a human being,” Lawrence said of Trump in October.
Cardi B
The rapper was awarded the title of Billboard’s Woman of the Year in December for her activism throughout 2020.
The “WAP” performer was presented with the award by Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, who called her “one of Breonna’s most outspoken advocates over the past few months.”
Cardi B, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, expressed her support for Biden throughout the year, saying she couldn’t “see the next step of America being ran by number 45.”
On Election Day, she posted a video to her Instagram encouraging her fans to vote.
Megan Thee Stallion
The rapper, widely known for her song “WAP” with Cardi B, used a “Saturday Night Live” gig in October to take a stance against Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s handling of a grand jury investigation in the Taylor case.
Despite some backlash, the rapper said she was “not afraid of criticism.”
“We live in a country where we have the freedom to criticize elected officials.”
Following the performance, Megan Thee Stallion penned a New York Times op-ed on why she’s using her platform to bring awareness to the plight of Black women.
Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.) sent the rapper a letter applauding her for her efforts, saying, “You are so right that Black women have paved the way and have done so by leading with courage and bravery.”
George Clooney
The Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning actor was among the many celebrities who issued calls for justice in the wake of the shooting of Taylor. Clooney slammed his home state of Kentucky for previously failing to bring any charges against Louisville police officers, saying he was “ashamed.”
Clooney also joined former President Obama for a virtual Biden campaign fundraiser in July.
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