Renowned Hollywood celebrities like Katy Perry and Chris Pratt have come under fire on social media for their controversial political votes and views this #ElectionDay. And they’re not the only celebrities of influence casting questionable votes; Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and other wealthy Hollywood stars have all been seen supporting controversial billionaire real-estate mogul Rick Caruso.
As expected, social media users are slamming those celebrities brave enough to publicly showcase their votes for Caruso, saying stars like Perry and Pratt are “out of touch” with the 2022 midterms.
“It should tell you something that white celebrities whose net worths are in the 8-9 figure range are backing rick Caruso lol,” said one person via Twitter.
“If you are not worth at least $10 million you can bet that your interests probably don’t align with Chris pratt and Gwenyth Paltrow.”
This week, Perry posted a photo on Instagram of her support for Caruso.
“I am voting for a myriad of reasons (see the news) but in particular because Los Angeles is a hot mess atm. #letsgocaruso #yestomeasure28 #yestomeasure1 #doyoubutjustuseyourvoteok,” the pop star captioned.
Marvel star – and perhaps the least likeable of the “Hollywood’s Chrises” – Pratt also took to social media to urge fans to vote for Caruso.
“I’ve lived in LA for over 20 years. It’s been great to me. In that time I’ve seen what many residents here have seen, the city’s gradual decline into pain and utter disarray,” he wrote.
“If you’re an LA voter, I urge you to vote for @rickcarusola. He’s a builder. He knows how to get s*** done. He’s the guy for our city. Rick Caruso for LA Mayor.”
It will come as no surprise that other persons of interest pledging their support for Caruso include Elon Musk and Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.
Caruso, who has no experience holding an elected office, joined the race to become the next mayor of Los Angeles in February this year. In his time associated with politics, he has switched parties multiple times; first, he was a Republican, then an independent, before announcing he had become a Democrat only this year.
The businessman also dedicated USD$100m of his own money to fund his campaign against fellow Democrat Karen Bass. And, while Bass is in good stead with a large population of Los Angeles, as it currently stands, Caruso is leading the votes with 186,110 to Bass’ 184,151. However the race shapes up, we know it’s going to be a close one.
This year’s midterms are being described as one of the most consequential in recent history, with many pressing issues on the line, like abortion access, voting rights and climate change. In other states, celebrities have been seen taking to the streets in support of their independent electorates.
Will Ferrell, Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Lin Manuel-Miranda plus many other notable names all played their part in urging fans to place a vote, and to do so with consideration.