The Danger of Mixing Politics and Entertainment

Over the years, entertainment culture has evolved in both expected and surprising ways. Entertainment is regularly transformed by new media, and vice versa as the needs of the marketplace inevitably leads to new types of entertainment. In recent years, the Internet has revolutionized content delivery, drastically shrinking the market share of movie theaters and basic television, among other forms. However, entertainment culture has recently taken a troubling and distorted turn.

While in the past actors and other “stars” would weigh-in during a given election cycle with varying degrees of influence, few consumers typically avoided consuming entertainment because they objected to a star’s political leanings. In recent years, this has changed.

During the last election, "Hollywood" coalesced around one of the two major-party candidates. Many celebrities made endorsements and even performed at political rallies. This has prompted significant portions of the public to shun content associated with these figures.

This pattern of political alignment extends beyond elections. Most late-night talk shows have effectively become platforms for relentless Trump bashing. This shift arguably interferes with the comedic abilities of talented hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and undeniably silos entertainment audiences. Alternative programs have emerged in response, further reinforcing divisions. While some see this as the marketplace at work, I view it as a cultural negative.

Entertainment media serves not just to entertain but - crucially - to foster a shared sense of reality. People with divergent sensibilities can be equally thrilled and amused by the same movies, shows, and music artists. But the siloing of entertainment culture disrupts that shared sense of reality and is thus antithetical to why entertainment culture exists in the first place.

It seems logical that artists could expand their audiences by avoiding contentious political discourse. Yet the entertainment industry's incentive structures work against this. With limited opportunities and fierce competition, even established stars often conform to idealogical “norms” to stay in the good graces of the kingmakers, reinforcing a culture of groupthink.

This is why the few celebrities who endorsed the "unpopular candidate" during the last election were either late in their careers, such as Dennis Quaid and Jon Voight, or catered to audiences already sympathetic to their views, like Kid Rock and Joe Rogan.

I offer no immediate solutions to this issue. I imagine the entertainment industry would have to bottom out before seeing the inherent flaw in wading into the dark waters of our current politics. But recognizing the danger of siloing entertainment media – of depriving people of a shared sense of reality – represents an important step toward change.