The death of celebrity culture: why Americans are sick and tired of rich, pampered stars

Remember when celebrities were gods? They walked the red carpet like deities, bathed in the adoration of the masses. We wanted their lives—the glamour, the luxury, the perfect Instagram feeds. But now? Now, it seems like we’re all watching the world’s most dramatic fall from grace in real-time, and we’re doing it with popcorn in hand.

Let’s be real: the age of celebrity worship is dead. And many are saying “good riddance.” These days, watching Blake Lively get dragged for tone-deaf comments on her movie about domestic abuse or seeing Jennifer Lopez get roasted for flaunting her wealth feels like karmic justice to many struggling Americans. But how did we get here? How did our obsession with celebs turn into the very thing that’s destroying them?

Once upon a time, we were all about that celebrity life. From the Golden Age of Hollywood to the MTV generation, stars were everything. They were the dream, the epitome of success.

Who can forget when MTV’s Video Music Awards were all the rage?

We plastered celebrity faces on our walls, we bought magazines just to get a glimpse into their glamorous lives, and we tuned into every award show to see what they’d be wearing. Remember the Jennifer Aniston haircut craze? Yeah, that was a huge thing. Women all over the globe wanted to be “Rachel.” 

But somewhere along the way, things changed and the cracks started to show. Maybe it was the relentless pursuit of “realness” thanks to the era of reality TV, or maybe it’s the lackluster economy that’s made flaunting wealth an insult instead of a road map. Whatever it was, the pedestal started to wobble, and celebs fell from grace. 

And then there’s social media, which became the great equalizer. Celebs were no longer “untouchable.” We now had front-row access to them 24/7. But in many ways, social media also became the great executioner for many stars. It’s both a blessing and a curse for the rich and famous. 

Suddenly, celebs could connect directly with fans—no PR team needed. But, guess what? That’s where everything started to unravel big time. Without the polished filter of a professional publicist, we started to see just how out of touch many of these stars really are.

Take Ellen DeGeneres, for example. Once the queen of daytime TV, her image took a nosedive when former employees started spilling the beans about what a toxic work environment she created. Ellen’s attempt to brush it off with a weak apology on Twitter went over like a lead balloon. 

Who can forget the time she insulted Celine’s Dion’s young son, and mama bear wasn’t having it? This was the “mean girl” vibe that goes beyond wickedly funny humor (which we love, for obvious reasons). 

And then there’s Blake Lively. Sure, she’s got her fanbase, but her tone-deaf handling of the domestic violence film It Ends With Us definitely raised some eyebrows. Instead of centering the conversation on the serious issue of abuse, Blake seemed more interested in turning it into a rom-com moment, all while casually pushing her new haircare line and hyping up Ryan Reynolds’ latest

It was definitely a bad look.

But it didn’t stop there. People started digging into Blake’s past and uncovered some “mean girl” interview moments that only added fuel to the fire.

And let’s not forget Gal Gadot’s infamous “Imagine” video—a cringe-worthy attempt to bring the world together that only highlighted how out of touch celebs really are. A group of multi-millionaires singing off-key from their mansions while the rest of us were panic-buying toilet paper? Yeah, no thanks, guys.

But one of the biggest recent celebrity crashes has to be Jennifer Lopez. She reportedly dropped over $20 million on her self-centered pet project, hyping up this “amazing untold love story” between her and Ben Affleck. Fast forward, and it looks like that fairy tale is heading straight for divorce court.

J-Lo even had to cancel her concert tour because, surprise surprise, no one was buying tickets. And just like that, she became the punchline of every internet joke.

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: why are women getting hit harder in this celebrity culture collapse? It’s no secret that female celebrities face a level of scrutiny their male counterparts can often dodge. Jennifer Lopez has been dragged for everything from her relationships to her Instagram posts, while someone like Leonardo DiCaprio can keep dating models half his age, and it’s just Leo being Leo.

The truth is, society loves to build women up just to tear them down. The same public that once adored these women now takes pleasure in watching them stumble. It’s a sick cycle, fueled by jealousy, double standards, and a dash of internalized misogyny. But honestly, is it even that surprising? Let’s be real: as much as we hate to admit it, we women don’t always play nice with each other. And maybe it’s time we flip the script on that.

That’s not to say men don’t get dragged as well. After all, in today’s world, flaunting wealth isn’t just uncool—it’s offensive, and men and women celebrities are guilty of showing off a bit too much. As economic inequality becomes more obvious, people are less interested in seeing celebs show off their private jets and more interested in seeing them be real and help others in need, and not just for the PR glory. The rise of influencers who connect with their audience on a real level has shown us that relatability trumps luxury. We don’t want to see your yacht; we want to see you struggle to get through a Monday just like the rest of us.

And to be totally honest, that’s been the final nail in the coffin for old-school celebrity culture. The stars who can’t adapt to this new reality—who keep pretending everything is peachy while the world is on fire—are the ones who will fall the hardest.

So, where do we go from here? The age of the untouchable celebrity is over, and in its place, we’re seeing a new kind of public figure—one who’s relatable, real, and, most importantly, aware. The world has changed, and the people we admire are changing with it. We’re no longer interested in the rich and famous just because they’re rich and famous. We want substance, we want honesty, and we want people who get it.

As we wave goodbye to the era of celebrity worship, the real question is: who will rise to take their place? Because one thing’s for sure—the days of blindly adoring stars are over, and honestly? We’re probably a lot better off for it.

Till next time, be wickedly wonderful.

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Steve
Steve
1 month ago

Why does anyone give a fart in a windstorm about celebrity vanity?

It’s all driven by women of both genders, apparently.

Joe_Los
Joe_Los
1 month ago
Reply to  Steve

Plus idiots off ALL genders

GreenLanternMD
GreenLanternMD
1 month ago

“Remember when celebrities were gods?”

Remember when celebrities were derisively referred to as “show people” with low morals and virtue, as in, “Ma, gather up the kids and get them inside, the show people are in town”?

Jack Fanning
Jack Fanning
1 month ago

Do I remember when celebrities were Gods. Are you kidding me! Absolutely not! Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone I know have always considered celebrities to be the most screwed up, egotistical, idiotic, immoral people in society. Their reputations were mud and their shenanigans were mocked.

Duties
Duties
1 month ago

The fat, pimply-faced kid at the Starbucks drive thru has an opinion about world events too and he has about the same knowledge as celebs. What he doesn’t have is a platform. Celebrities are only influential if you allow yourself to be influenced by them.

Duties
Duties
1 month ago

Sorry Blake. You’re yesterday’s news. Sidney Sweeney is far more interesting.

Reg
Reg
1 month ago

The tabloid culture has always been there– Rock Hudson barely escaped it at the expense of a lesser actor. But now it is more mainstream. Not just the poor, “Maybe I’m not so bad off after all” working mom. Or maybe more of us are in her position.

Rod Clamhammer and His Band of Renown
Rod Clamhammer and His Band of Renown
1 month ago

It’s all very simple:

The “People” feel the need to “belong” to something, whether it’s just a discussion around the watercooler or a night out with friends. They want a common bond to rally around and create connections through conversation. But first they need that common subject.

Enter Mass Media.

Mass Media, to be clear, is LAZY—but they need MATERIAL to feed to the little people who wait with their little beaks agape waiting for them to be puked into. Mass Media needs low hanging fruit because it’s so EASY and so readily available.

Celebrities are only too happy to provide that low hanging fruit. They’re celebrities for a reason: They crave attention. They crave publicity. They get their fix satisfied by a pusher who needs a lot of their product to feed to the masses. So it’s a symbiotic relationship.

All the publicity churned up creates a “buzz.” The buzz is almost always artificially created and reaches a pitch that catches the attention of a lot of people. The buzz tells us that it’s something “everybody’s talking about.” People feeling the need to belong don’t want to be left out. So they seize on the “next big thing that everybody’s talking about.”

But Media is becoming so atomized that it’s difficult to get the “mass hysteria” about a personality or subject going. And there are dissenting voices being heard

Hollywood used to have a “mystique” and we’ve discovered why: Many of the great stars of the past were pretty terrible human beings. The publicity machine knew this and they kept a tight lid on things.

But the publicity machine is so voracious and the personalities are so desperate for attention that the mystique has turned into a voluntary cavity search in Times Square at noon. The veil has been drawn away, and the “people” are becoming disgusted at what they see.

ArKayne
ArKayne
1 month ago

If you want to throw up in your mouth, go take a gander of this BS’ery:

https://www.gq.com/story/brad-pitt-george-clooney-gq-cover-story

They’re practically licking each other’s nether regions. The Whorrywood elitists are pretty much becoming grotesque clowns. Buffoons. Political jesters.
Outside of over-grown 14 year olds, who listens to celebrities opinions about ANYTHING?

They’re rich, politically connected and financially immune from the stupidity they espouse. That’s why CommieFornia is in the state it’s in…yet the rich, who Captained this Leftist Ship of Fools into the rocks, are now the abandoning ship and leaving the destitute crew to their financial demise.

That’s how Leftists roll.

run_dmc
run_dmc
1 month ago

It’s got much more to do with who seems to not be able to take a step from their bedroom to their kitchen without putting it online than gender. And, it does seem like women as well as women celebrities are more likely these days to live their lives online than men. If you do that, you are going to be open to the downsides of that as well. The Kardashian women – online constantly. Rob Kardashian and the Jenner boys – not so much. Di Caprio doesn’t get dragged because he’s not spending $millions making movies about his love life. J Lo does. Ben Affleck gets grief but not as much as J Lo b/c he clearly doesn’t want to be online or photogged. But, celebrity guys who are have “diarrhea of twitter” like Mark Hamill or Steven King or Rob Reiner get dragged too.

alano blanco
alano blanco
1 month ago

I quit these fools over 40 years ago when a concert ticket went form $25 general admission to $125. Haven’t missed them and never going back.

grembeng
grembeng
15 days ago

Your blog is a treasure trove of knowledge! I’m constantly amazed by the depth of your insights and the clarity of your writing. Keep up the phenomenal work!

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