5 celebs who ran for president or discussed a potential campaign: From Kanye West to Matthew McConaughey
From Roseanne Barr to Howard Stern, 5 celebrities who have made or considered a presidential run
Several celebrities have made the move from the silver screen to public office throughout the years. Notably, President Ronald Reagan worked for thirty years in the film industry, holding contracts with Paramount Pictures, RKO Pictures, and Universal Pictures, per Remind Magazine. Reagan campaigned for governor of California in 1966 and won "by a margin of a million votes," according to the White House, before being elected president in 1980. Here are 5 celebrities who have run for president or discussed a potential campaign in more recent times.
1. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
In an interview with Trevor Noah for his podcast 'What Now?' on November 9, 2023, Dwayne Johnson addressed the speculation about an impending announcement of candidacy for president. He stated, "I got a visit from the parties asking me if I was going to run, and if I could run." Johnson added, "It was one after the other, and they brought up that poll, and they also brought up their own deep-dive research that would prove that should I ever go down that road (I’d be a real contender)."
2. Kanye West
On July 4, 2020, rapper and fashion designer Kanye West, now known as Ye, declared his candidacy for president, according to Ballotpedia. A few months later on November 3, he was defeated in the general election. In the middle of his presidential campaign, West explained his decision to run for office during an interview on Joe Rogan's show. "Something that God put on my heart back in 2015," he stated.
3. Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey said he was considering a Democratic candidacy for governor of the Lone Star State in 2021 but eventually backed out. The following year, he hinted at bigger ambitions during a San Francisco event. While he didn't mention a specific timeline, the actor said he would consider a presidential candidacy in the future and noted it would be "arrogant not to."
4. Howard Stern
In June 2022, longtime radio broadcaster Howard Stern declared on his SiriusXM program that he would run for president if former President Donald Trump is selected as the Republican nominee in 2024. He said, "The problem with most presidents is they have too big of an agenda. The only agenda I would have is to make the country fair again."
5. Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr, a member of the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party, entered the 2012 presidential race. She was in favor of legalizing marijuana at the time, and according to Fox News, her campaign website stated that legalizing the substance would put an end to the drug battles and break the monopoly of funded prison systems. Barr has moved to the right in her political beliefs since her 2012 presidential campaign. She captioned a photo of herself with Trump on Instagram in 2023, calling it 'The new American gothic'.
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