After a star-studded summer of campaigning, it seems that even a call from the Avengers was not enough to secure the presidency of Kamala Harris in the last American elections.

The vice president had been trolled online for months and publicly endorsed by the likes of Cardi B, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jane Fonda. But did these celebrity messages ultimately make a difference to voters?

Today on Hustlecultural critics Pablo The Don, Scaachi Koul and Rad Simonpillai join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the role that celebrity endorsements and social media may or may not have played in this year’s presidential race.

We’ve included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favorite podcast player.

WATCH | Today’s episode on YouTube:

Elamine: Scachi, we talked about this idea of ​​whether celebrity endorsement is important or not. Kamala had Beyoncé, Taylor (Swift), Charli XCX and the whole kid thing. Trump, in his corner, he had Elon Musk, Hulk Hogan, Dr. Phil, he had Kid Rock. But one of the (people) he had was Theo Von and Joe Rogan. The presence of Joe Rogan and Theo Von in this conversation makes me think about what levels of celebrity support actually matter or can make a difference right now.

I think Joe Rogan and Theo Von reach a different audience in a particularly effective way. We can’t, I think, dismiss the idea that even though Joe Rogan’s endorsement came on the eve of the election, he played a role in this cocktail of energy towards Donald Trump. So when you think about it, does it make you rethink the celebrity pyramid that we think of?

Scachi: Yeah, maybe. I mean, I feel like we don’t yet know enough about why people voted the way they voted to be able to say anything about it yet. I had a deep fear of Joe Rogan for many years, so I’m glad everyone’s catching up, I guess. But I don’t know if that’s what did it, or if the people who listen to this show were already going to vote for him anyway.

I think it’s nice to think about how fame may or may not have had an impact on that, and I think it’s definitely a factor. But I think a lot of this country has a hatred for minority groups writ large, and they’re happy to vote that way. It doesn’t matter who supports them. I think Taylor Swift is a very powerful billionaire, but I think Elon Musk is a more powerful billionaire. So she effectively lost in the race for billionaires.

Elamine: Rad, you can take out Beyoncé all you want. That won’t be enough to convince someone who’s worried about money to do something else. Do you think the way Democrats focus on celebrity endorsements ends up working against them?

Rad: Well, I don’t know if that works against them, because if someone were to blame them, that person would never vote for Democrats anyway. But I think it certainly supports the idea that the Democrats are part of this coastal elite with Hollywood trying to infect the world with the woke-mind virus and all that. And again, if you’re someone who believes that, you never voted for them anyway. Of course, I see the benefit of wanting celebrities like Taylor Swift because they’re trying to reach these younger voters. You know, you ask Sabrina Carpenter to list all these places to vote. But at the same time, there’s a certain void because it’s like, great, I’m voting for my espresso. Like, really?

But the thing is, of course Joe Rogan is going to have more influence because Joe Rogan talks about real things with them all the time, whether you like it or not. These are the people they talk to. They don’t have conversations with Queen Bey. They exalt Queen Bey, but sometimes they don’t actually engage in real issues with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. So I think when you did the Avengers conference call for Kamala, I was like, well, no, we never really look to you for opinions on our real lives… do we? This isn’t really going to change things. Maybe the alternative to Joe Rogan would be when The Breakfast Club came out and had these conversations. If there was someone as big as that, maybe it would move the needle more.

Elamine: Pablo, in 2008, when Barack Obama became a candidate, I think he used social media in a different way to engage voters. Now let’s look at the legacy of this situation and 16 years later the role social media plays in all of this has clearly changed. What do you think about the role social media plays in shaping the political zeitgeist? Because it’s a much more powerful tool than it was in 2008, and I’m not entirely sure that’s for the best.

Paul: I think what I keep coming back to is this idea of ​​perceived authenticity – what we, as voters, consider to be authentic. Unfortunately, I don’t see Beyoncé releasing a clip telling us to go vote as being authentic. I look at it as, okay, thanks. You’re not talking to us. You don’t give us interviews. You don’t even release visuals for your own albums. And now you want me to believe that when you’re trotting yourself…? No, I’m mad at that one.

Elamine: Always crazy about visuals!

Paul: She needs to ditch the visuals.

Scachi: She does it, she does it.

Paul: Yeah. Then you come on Halloween and you dress up as Pam Anderson and then you’re like, “Hey, and by the way, vote because Kelly Rowland and I are here.” Girl, you haven’t talked to me in months. Last time you talked to me, you tried to get me to buy a $95 bottle of whiskey! Please go now. So it’s just this idea that people follow what they perceive to be authentic, whether it’s Joe Rogan’s tweets or Elon Musk ranting on Twitter. I’m telling you, I think the random person posting constant viral tweets on Twitter might have more power than Beyoncé to swing the election at this point. This is definitely a theory in my head. But when these celebrities are the ones we look to for endorsements, but we also stay online all day talking about how we don’t believe anything that comes out of their mouths, we know they’re billionaires trying just to make money. of us – so what makes it seem like when they throw out an endorsement via a tweet or via a video, I’m suddenly going to believe that person is 100% genuine?

Elamine: I really appreciate that in a conversation about the role of pop culture and elections, you’re like “Beyoncé, where are the visuals?” It’s the range and it’s the talent.

Scachi: That’s a good point.

Paul: I have my foot on his neck waiting to get them.

Elamine: And talk about it.

You can listen to the entire discussion of today’s show at CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Ty Callender.