Politics has all the time been a reputation contest, so it’s no shock that celebrities have tried to transform their fame into political energy.
Some leap in with real intentions, hoping to make use of their affect and sources to assist their communities. Others… effectively, it’s exhausting to not see the ego at play.
And this phenomenon isn’t distinctive to america. All over the world, beloved entertainers, athletes, and media personalities have stepped out of the highlight and onto the poll, aiming to disrupt the established order or reinvent themselves fully.
Beneath is an inventory of 19 celebrities who’ve run for workplace. Some gained large, others crashed spectacularly, however every one reshaped how we bear in mind them,
1.
Let’s begin with the obvious one: Donald Trump. The previous Apprentice host and actual property tycoon had just a few makes an attempt to enter workplace, however none of them had been as historic as his 2015 victory in opposition to Hillary Clinton, the place he gained the electoral school however misplaced the favored vote. And whereas he ended up dropping to Joe Biden within the 2020 election, he defeated Kamala Harris in 2024, and now, we’re caught with one other 4 years of Trump.
3.
Earlier than Donald Trump and Schwarzenegger, there was Ronald Reagan–a film star who ascended the ranks of U.S. politics. Funnily sufficient, he paved the best way for each celebrity-turned-politicians and held workplaces that each Trump and Schwarzenegger occupied. Reagan’s political ambitions began taking form within the mid-Sixties, nevertheless it was his 1966 run for Governor of California that proved he wasn’t simply dabbling. Per NYT, he gained in a landslide and served two full phrases. That success set the stage for his 1980 presidential marketing campaign, the place he defeated Jimmy Carter and later gained re-election in a large 49-state sweep.
4.
Intercourse And The Metropolis star Cynthia Nixon did not find yourself in workplace, however her influence was so sturdy that they dubbed it the “Cynthia Impact.” Nixon ran for the Democratic nomination for the Governor of New York in 2018, the place she confronted off in opposition to Andrew Cuomo. She took on extraordinarily progressive insurance policies, reminiscent of greater taxes on the wealthy, that her supporters claimed compelled Cuomo in direction of appeasing the extra deeply left-leaning Democratic voters. Thoughts you, Cuomo’s group has denied it on the marketing campaign path, although there have been sure coverage bulletins that felt like responses to Nixon’s assaults.
5.
Ye, f.okay.a. Kanye West, additionally tried working for president however failed miserably. He first introduced his intention to run throughout the 2015 VMAs however made it official on Independence Day in 2020. He ran outdoors of the two-party system, launching the Birthday Occasion with a primarily faith-based platform. In the end, he was solely certified on 12 state ballots and solely obtained 60,000 votes out of 160 million.
6.
Former NFL star and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker entered politics by working for the U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2022. His athletic background, together with an endorsement from Donald Trump, helped propel his marketing campaign, although he finally misplaced to the Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock. Nevertheless, he nonetheless discovered himself in a political place just a few years later, with Trump nominating Walker because the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas.
7.
Melissa Gilbert grew to become a family title by her function as Laura Ingalls on Little Home On The Prairie. However in 2015, she introduced that she was working for Congress as a Democrat. Gilbert’s marketing campaign centered on serving to working households in Michigan. Nevertheless, she later ended her marketing campaign as a result of well being points.
8.
Dr. Oz ran for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 as a Republican. Backed by Donald Trump, he gained the GOP major following a recount. Nevertheless, he later misplaced to Democrat John Fetterman within the normal election.
9.
There is a clear sample of actuality tv stars working for workplace, and it is actually not restricted to the Republican Occasion. American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken noticed some success in 2014 in his bid for Congress when he gained the Democratic nomination, although he misplaced the final election shortly after. In 2022, he ran as a Democrat once more in North Carolina’s sixth Congressional District, however as soon as once more misplaced.
10.
Jesse Ventura went from the WWE (then WWF) to creating historical past because the Governor of Minnesota. His political profession started in 1990 when he ran for the Mayor of Brooklyn Park, MN, which he gained as an impartial. He then served because the thirty eighth Governor of Minnesota, changing into the Reform Occasion’s solely candidate to win any authorities workplace ever.
11.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s tenure because the president of Ukraine couldn’t have been any extra making an attempt. He developed a reputation as a comic in Ukraine who starred within the satirical TV sequence, Servant of the Individuals, during which his character by accident turns into the president of Ukraine. However after profitable the election in 2019, he really grew to become the president and has since been navigating the nation by its battle with Russia.
12.
Though one of many best boxers of all time, Manny Pacquiao additionally has an completed profession as a politician. He was elected to the Home of Representatives of the Philippines in 2010 till 2016, when he was elected as a senator. In 2022, he ran for the Philippine presidential election and misplaced earlier than bowing out of politics altogether in 2025 after a failed marketing campaign for the Senate election.
13.
Again in 2010, Wyclef Jean tried to run to develop into Haiti’s president, although his efforts had been thwarted by election officers. Born in Haiti, the musician and rapper carved his path within the U.S. by a fruitful solo profession and as a member of the Fugees. He finally grew to become a United Nations goodwill ambassador for Haiti. Nevertheless, and not using a motive, he was disqualified from working as president. Jean cited electoral legal guidelines within the nation because the potential motive for his disqualification since Haiti requires any candidate to be a resident within the nation for 5 consecutive years, as reported by The Guardian.
14.
Former grownup movie star Ilona “Cicciolina” Staller transitioned into politics in Italy. She was elected to the Italian Parliament in 1987 with the Radical Occasion, and continued to construct a formidable political resumé afterward, though considerably controversial, too (i.e., she provided to sleep with Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Putin to realize peace). She launched the Love Occasion with Moana Pozzi in 1991 and, in 2020, launched DNA (Democracy, Nature and Love).
15.
Former Unhealthy Boy rapper Shyne (Moses Michael Levi Barrow) reinvented himself in Belizean politics. After serving jail time within the U.S. for a nightclub capturing involving Diddy and J.Lo, he was elected to the Belize Home of Representatives in 2020 for the United Democratic Occasion. He later grew to become the Opposition Chief in Belize’s Home. Nevertheless, he has since misplaced his seat within the Home of Representatives following the 2025 election.
16.
Roseanne Barr’s political opinions have been nothing wanting controversial in recent times, however at one level, she had plans to run for the Oval Workplace. Per LAist, She misplaced the bid for the Inexperienced Occasion to Jill Stein in 2012 after which ran on the Peace & Freedom Occasion ticket with a socialist platform that centered on healthcare, hashish legalization, and abortion rights.
17.
Shirley Temple Black was considered one of Hollywood’s most profitable youngster actors, however how she maneuvered her approach right into a political profession afterward is simply as spectacular. In 1967, she ran for Congress in California in a marketing campaign that might’ve made her the primary lady within the state’s congressional delegation.
18.
In 2021, Caitlyn Jenner introduced plans to run for the Governor of California as a Republican in an try and problem Gavin Newsom. Jenner misplaced by a landslide with only one.1% of the vote, although she hasn’t dominated out one other run within the political realm.
19.
And eventually, earlier than Jerry Springer’s title was connected to paternity checks, he made strides in politics. First, he ran as a Democrat within the Home of Representatives. He misplaced however was later elected because the Cincinnati Metropolis Council in 1971, then resigned in 1974 as a result of he was concerned in a prostitution investigation. And whereas he returned to the Council afterward, he later served because the mayor of Cincinnati for a 12 months.
