Pharrell Williams faced backlash for saying he doesn’t “do politics” and that celebrity endorsements are “annoying.”
After the “Happy” musician’s comments in a recent interview went viral, fans flooded the comments section of his latest Instagram post, in which he promoted Tiffany & Co. pearl earrings.
“Weren’t you endorsing Hillary [Clinton] back in 2016 on Ellen?” wrote one user.
“I was shocked that you told the Hollywood Reporter that celebrities should shut up about who they are endorsing!! After Taylor Swift endorsed [Kamala] Harris,” added another.
“Must be nice to ‘not do politics.’ Some of us have no choice! Your lineage had no choice. Yet here YOU are pissing on them,” commented a third fan.
“Not ‘doing politics’ is so incredibly privileged and out of touch,” wrote one more netizen.
Williams, 51, spoke candidly about his thoughts on celebrity political endorsements during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published last week.
“I don’t really do politics,” he said, adding that there are “some policies” he leans into, such as education.
“I’m not an activist, but I believe in action. But I do believe in activists, and you need everybody.”
The “Frontin’” emcee then said he gets “annoyed” when stars try to sway people to vote for a certain candidate.
“There are celebrities that I respect that have an opinion, but not all of them. I’m one of them people [who says], ‘What the heck? Shut up. Nobody asked you,’” he shared.
“When people get out there and get self-righteous and they roll up their sleeves and s–t, and they are out there walking around with a placard: ‘Shut up!’ So, no, I would rather stay out of the way, and obviously, I’m going to vote how I’m going to vote,” Williams added.
“I care about my people and I care about the country, but I feel there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m really about the action.”
Several celebrities have already endorsed candidates for the 2024 presidential election.
Last week, Swift, 34, threw her support behind Harris, 59, and running mate Tim Walz.
The “Bad Blood” singer said she believes the vice president “is a steady-handed, gifted leader” who would lead this country “by calm and not chaos.”
Swift also said she was “impressed” by Walz, 60, who has been “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Other stars who have endorsed Harris include George Clooney, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé, Charli XCX and Barbra Streisand, while Republican nominee Donald Trump has the support of Elon Musk, Kid Rock and Amber Rose.