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François Picard is pleased to welcome Ellis Cashmore, sociologist, professor and author of "Celebrity Culture". Cashmore argues that contemporary celebrity culture has fundamentally altered the relationship between entertainment and politics. There was a time when public figures retained the option of political neutrality.
Whereas, today, even silence or refusal to engage can be interpreted as a political act. He traces this shift historically, from the explicitly political counterculture of the 1960s, through an era in which commercially minded stars could distance themselves from contentious issues, to the social-media age, where audiences increasingly expect access not only to celebrities’ performances and private lives, but also to their political convictions. Movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter accelerated this transformation by making public expressions of solidarity increasingly normative across entertainment and sport.
On issues such as racism or equal rights, celebrities and institutions could often present themselves as speaking with one voice. Wars and deeply contested geopolitical conflicts offer no comparable consensus. Yet the expectation to take a position remains.
The result, Cashmore suggests, is a celebrityculture, and a veritable minefield, in which speaking, taking a stand, or remaining silent, all carry political consequences, Rapper Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour after pro-Palestinian remarks The 'authenticity' of Celine Dion: 'She appeals to the Boomers and the Zoomers' Down to Earth## Countries turn to coal to avoid shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz Focus## Climate catastrophe leaves Nepal mourning while the search for the missing continues Press Review## Who is Iran's 'influential spymaster' Hossein Taeb and does he pull the strings? Truth or Fake## Yemen: Fact-checking videos claiming to show Houthi rebel attacks The Debate## Where is the kill switch? AI doomsday warnings trigger calls to regulate Spotlight## 'Revolutionary change in US foreign policy: MAGA does not see itself as leader of democratic world' Sports## Mbappé, Yamal, Dembélé, Kane: Ballon d'Or campaign is in full swing © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved.
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