CHICAGO — When Barack Obama accepted his presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Jennifer Lopez was in town, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attended the proceedings together, and Kanye West performed at an Obama campaign party.
Four conventions later, many things are different in Hollywood – but the A-list enthusiasm for the party’s presidential ticket remains the same.
Not since the Obama years has celebrity enthusiasm been so high, merging the world of pop culture and politics as the race to kicks into high gear with this week’s Democratic convention in Chicago.
John Legend – who performed at the 2008 and 2020 conventions – is set to headline a show Tuesday for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. On Wednesday afternoon, “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hosting a panel with the country’s eight female Democratic governors. And on Wednesday night, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will perform at a benefit concert thrown by the Creative Coalition, a Hollywood advocacy nonprofit. Notable actors expected to attend include Tim Daly, Uzo Aduba, Anthony Anderson, Iain Armitage, Yvette Nicole Brown, David Cross, Jon Cryer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Danai Gurira, Richard Kind, Busy Philipps and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
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High-profile speakers are still being finalized, multiple sources told CNN, adding that a slew of actors will speak on the convention’s main stage. But speculation has run rampant on two stars in particular: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
With no major performer announced, fans of both Beyoncé and Swift are hopeful that the women – who both endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 – will show up in Chicago.
Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not respond to CNN’s numerous requests for comment.
Spokespeople for the DNC and the Harris campaign would not comment on the rumors surrounding the two megastars.
CNN previously reported that Beyoncé gave Harris an early stamp of approval by signing off on the vice president using her song “Freedom”in Harris’ campaign – so it’s not implausible that Beyoncé might perform the song in person.
Beyoncé has a history of performing for Democratic politicians. In 2013, she sang the national anthem at Obama’s inauguration. In 2016, along with her husband, Jay-Z, she headlined a preelection concert for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland with her backup dancers dressed in blue pantsuits to honor the woman who could have been the first female president.
Now, with another potential first female president on the ticket, will “Queen Bey” take the stage?
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Swift – who has yet to make a presidential endorsement this election cycle – is in the midst of a five-night run of shows in London to cap off the European leg of her “Eras Tour.” The superstar wraps at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, or Day 2 of the convention, meaning she could theoretically be in Chicago by Wednesday for the final two nights.
Swift recently fueled fan theories that she had already endorsed Harris when a woman’s silhouette pictured onstage behind her appeared to depict the vice president. But CNN debunked that theory last week, reporting that the silhouette in question was one of Swift’s background singers.
Swift’s army of fans – the Swifties – never miss a beat, and this week’s convention will be no different. Even without Swift, her presence will be felt through her fans in Chicago.
As part of the convention’s “DemPalooza” – public events and trainings – the Democratic National Committee announced there will be spaces where attendees can make friendship bracelets. Beaded bracelets are often traded between Swift fans at her concerts – inspired by the lyrics to “You’re on Your Own, Kid” from the singer’s album “Midnights.”
There’s also Swifties for Kamala, a substantial coalition of Swift fans who organically mobilized online on the night that President Joe Biden dropped out of the race endorsed Harris in July. Swift is not affiliated with the group.
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Irene Kim, a co-founder of the group, said the Harris campaign has been in touch. “They reached out to us asking how they can support in our initiative,” Kim told CNN. Kim said the group was invited through the DNC’s content creator initiative but that she won’t be able to make it to Chicago.
Carly Long, the group’s external communications director, told CNN it is “looking forward to partnering with the campaign moving forward to continue to harness that excitement and help new folks volunteer or even vote for the first time.”
Earlier this month, convention organizers announced they would credential more than 200 content creators to cover the event, marking a strategic effort to reach younger voters across social media – and a recognition by the Harris campaign of how the landscape of political influencers has dramatically changed.
While A-listers (especially of the stature of Swift or Beyoncé) make noise, the definition of celebrity is evolving. The high-profile attendees will be starry, but perhaps more importantly, the crowd will likely break a record for social media follower count on the convention room floor.
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