“‘Ice Out’: Are Celebrity Political Statements Powerful or Performative?”

Image Credit: Padeepak via Wikimedia

Politics has become the latest A-list accessory, one that can bring about a self-inflicted downfall as quickly as it delivers the esteemed activist status that celebrities strive for. Faced with the turbulent political climate of 2026, celebrities seem to be fighting a losing battle to balance a socially sufficient level of political support with the constantly shifting requirements of their fans. 

The 2026 Grammy Awards saw a number of celebrities speaking out against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Artists such as Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and Kehlani were photographed sporting ‘ICE OUT’ pins on the red carpet. Billie Eilish, winning the Song of the Year, and Bad Bunny, winning Album of the Year, used their time on stage to speak out against the current US administration’s treatment of immigrants, with the former simply declaring ‘Fuck ICE.’

In the lead-up to the awards, public outrage and resistance against the Trump regime were only escalating, particularly in Minneapolis, after the detainment of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father and the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of immigration agents. 

Billie Eilish, in her acceptance speech, proclaimed that “no one is illegal on stolen land”, and that “we just need to keep fighting and protesting.”

While such statements at these highly publicised events undoubtedly gain media attention and provoke public interest, it’s difficult to feel the impact of these statements outside the realm of celebrity news. I feel led to question whether viewers feel sincere empathy for these tragic news stories, or if they simply enjoy the performative show of togetherness brought forward by such idealised celebrity demonstrations.

In a society where every word and action of those in the public sphere is intensely scrutinised, these remarks become less about advancing a progressive agenda and more about meeting expectations. The truth is that any celebrity who went onstage at these Awards during such a politically tense moment and failed to recognise the context would be publicly shunned, cancelled and verbally slaughtered. Society is less interested in the meaning behind what they are saying or wearing, and more in the simple fact of whether they are saying anything at all, which leads us to the real question: do celebrities and artists have an obligation to involve themselves in matters of politics?

We can look to Taylor Swift for the perfect example of the blurred line that threatens artists who step into the political arena. Over the last decade, Taylor Swift has actively called out Trump’s corrupt administration in favour of Kamala Harris, alongside campaigning for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights both onstage and across her social media. In 2024, however, Swift was seen hugging a known Trump supporter (Brittany Mahomes) and fans were quick to turn on Taylor for her hypocritical spinelessness. The ever-growing demand for political purity reflects the unreasonable expectations placed on celebrities regarding their activism. They are artists and performers, not legislators or elected leaders.

The threat of public ostracisation surely acts as one of the main motivations for celebrity interventions in political issues, including immigration, signifying their performative function and reducing the real danger faced by immigrants and people of colour in the US to a measure of popularity. 

After Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent in January of this year, celebrities attending the Golden Globes took to wearing ‘Be Good’ pins in protest against the 37-year-old-mother’s killing. The ‘ICE OUT’ pins at the Grammys represent the same message of insurgency, yet do they truly stand for anything beyond their function as a political accessory? 

By turning to celebrities in such times of political turbulence, do we confuse their roles with those of our politicians and institutions? Are we fighting against corrupt, anti-immigrant administrations or reducing politics to mere glamour? I, for one, think that we need to stop turning to celebrities and idolising their glorified political proclamations and fashion statements, and turn our attention to the real governing forces shaping our lives.