Stars Who Hate Talking Politics

As the old saying goes, you should never discuss politics or religion at parties if you want to keep things calm and ensure that feelings don't get hurt. Political views are a matter that many people prefer to keep private or confined to their closest friends and family. However, with the country as galvanized as it is today, it appears that the majority of Hollywood celebrities are willing to speak out about their political views. From Amy Schumer to Cher to George Clooney, numerous celebrities are making their positions known through tweets, donations, speeches, and more.

And yet, there are a select number of famous holdouts who have expressed little desire to talk politics in public — some for years. The following celebrities prefer to stay mum when it comes time to let it rip in interviews about the state of the nation and their preferences at the polls. 

During the 2012 presidential election, musician Taylor Swift stayed notably quiet about her political leanings, telling Time magazine, "I follow it, and I try to keep myself as educated and informed as possible. But I don't talk about politics because it might influence other people. And I don't think that I know enough yet in life to be telling people who to vote for."

However, in 2018, Swift was moved to make a rare political statement following the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Via an Instagram post, she revealed that she'd donated to the March for Our Lives campaign (a movement in support of gun control spearheaded by survivors of the school shooting.) "No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence," she said. "...I'm so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again." 

As Vox noted, Swift's social media message was a notable departure for Swift, who has "studiously avoided weighing in on anything remotely political." 

Actor Mark Wahlberg got a lot of attention in November 2016 when he told Task & Purpose magazine that he felt strongly that celebrities should not express their political opinions. He told the mag, "A lot of celebrities did, do, and shouldn't [publicly endorse candidates] ... a lot of Hollywood is living in a bubble. They're pretty out of touch with the common person, the everyday guy out there providing for their family. Me, I'm very aware of the real world. I come from the real world and I exist in the real world." Good to know.   

Wahlberg did share with the press in September 2016 that he'd once played golf with Donald Trump at a celebrity golf event, telling The Guardian that, "He's an OK golfer ... He was very Donald Trump-like, talking about the things that he does, things that he has, business interests, properties, stuff like that." Wahlberg briefly added, "Yeah, it's a little crazy where we are now." 

Since then, however, he has stayed silent on Trump and politics in general. 

Gillian Anderson is best known for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files, and she's also been involved in a number of not-for-profit initiatives worldwide. Despite her activism, however, Anderson told The Guardian in March 2017 that she prefers to avoid discussing politics in interviews. "I generally have a tendency to steer away from outright political discussion in interviews, because I am an actor, and there's so much that I don't understand, and I don't for a second feel like I have a right to that platform," she said. "I don't want to get into a discussion about Trump or about Brexit or any of that ... I don't really know what it is that I'm talking about." 

She did note to the Evening Standard, however, that she thinks The X-Files is a political show. She also broke her own interview code for a moment when she told the Associated Press at the unveiling of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2018 that Oprah Winfrey would have "200 of [her] votes" if she ran for president. 

Country music star Carrie Underwood hosted the 2016 Country Music Awards with musician Brad Paisley, and prior to the show, she the duo would be staying well away from political content. "I prefer to stay away from politics," she said (via The Boot). "I feel like we'll have lots to talk about, but I think it will be more geared to just us and what we do." 

She also told Rolling Stone in 2016 that she had no desire to sway music fans in the direction of a certain political candidate. "I don't want people to vote for somebody because I told them to. I want them to find out about things that they are passionate about and what's important to them and look at different candidates and policies. And try to make their own decisions on that."

Cut to the 2017 CMAs, and things were looking a little different. As Vanity Fair reported, Underwood and Paisley did indeed get political as co-hosts of the event, performing numerous parody songs obviously directed at Donald Trump and his administration (and prompting a spirited response on Twitter.)