There’s a reason they call it show business. Most celebrities exist to make a profit, and in today’s culture, that might mean rethinking how stars engage on hot-button issues. Just like major brands and corporations have had to overhaul their woke politics to avoid the swell of grassroots backlash, more big names are making a conscious effort to keep quiet about their political views. And the silence is golden.

Country music’s Kenny Chesney is the latest mega-star to urge his peers to ditch the controversial talk, telling Bill Maher on the “Club Random” podcast that he’s sick of celebrities believing that they have an outsized influence on the issues of the day. “I just refuse to do it,” he said of the times he’s been asked to reveal who he’s voted for. “I was very thankful when I came on your show in November that you knew I didn’t want to talk about that,” the Tennessee native explained. “I just never felt like it was my place [to talk about politics],” a sentiment Maher seemed to share, adding, “It’s not always everybody’s place. You’re right.”

As far as Chesney is concerned, “There’s a certain ego, I think, that lives in [a celebrity’s mind] and a certain box inside your head and your soul that you have to check, for some reason, to think that you can make a difference.” And frankly, Maher pointed out, “I think they’ve actually studied this [that] when celebrities talk, I think it has the opposite effect.”

He’s right. In a YouGov poll from 2024, the majority agreed that when stars take an outspoken position on politics, it actually makes them think less of them. “Beyond the impact that celebrity endorsements have had on them personally, more Americans say celebrity involvement in politics hurts American democracy than say that it helps,” the survey’s authors observed. Thirty-two percent of the people responded that “weighing in on politics generally hurts a celebrity’s career. Only 10% say it generally helps a celebrity’s career.” And of those who admitted that a big name caused them to rethink a position or support a candidate, most were Democrats.

“I’ve never [seen] it to be my place to use my stage or platform, no matter where I’m playing, to tell people how to think or how to vote. Like they hear that. They get that everywhere else. Everywhere on every device. Every network. They’re there as an escape from all that stuff,” the multi-platinum artist insisted.

Fellow singer John Mellencamp shared that sentiment in a separate conversation with Maher. “The Democrats … [have] got to cut [their] celebrities loose,” he urged. “You think they’re helping, and they’re actually hurting, because people don’t see celebrities in any way like they can relate to their life, and they can’t in any way.” The other “funny thing,” he smiled, is that “we don’t know s***. We don’t know what’s really going on. … And it’s always been that way ever since I can remember.”

Grammy winner Jelly Roll took a self-effacing stance, declaring, “You know, I’m a dumb redneck. I haven’t watched enough,” when he was asked to comment about what’s going on in our country right now. “I hate to be the artist aesthetic, aloof, but I’ve become so disconnected from what’s happening.”

And it’s not just center-right Nashville who’s backing away from the political limelight. Hollywood is also starting to wake up to the realization that Americans are fed up with actors on their leftist high horse. Jennifer Lawrence, the iconic Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games,” learned that lesson the hard way, telling The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast this year that she doesn’t know if she should speak out against the president. “During the first Trump administration, I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then, what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”

She called her current state a “complicated recalibration.” “I don’t want to start turning people off to films and to art that could change consciousness or change the world because they don’t like my political opinions,” she added. “I want to protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I’m doing. And if I can’t say something that’s going to speak to some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution, I don’t want to be a part of the problem. I don’t want to make the problem worse.” Lawrence shrugged. “I’ve always thought that it was a good idea to stay out of politics,” she said. “Twenty-five percent of America identifies as liberal, and I need more than 25% of America to go see my movies. It’s not wise, career-speaking, to talk about politics,” she acknowledged.

Neil Patrick Harris, who identifies as gay, chalked it up to wanting more people to connect with the storytelling. “I think we live in a strangely algorithmic and divided world right now,” he shared. “And so, as artists, I’m always interested in doing things that are apolitical, because we’re all as humans wanting to connect in some way. That’s why we experience things together.” When he was pressed by a journalist who asked, “Do you dare to criticize your government, and do you think democracy in the U.S. is in danger?” Harris seemed surprised. “Wow,” he exclaimed. “While I have my own political opinions, I think as a performer, especially in this kind of movie, [I’m] trying to be as inclusive [as possible].”

Too many actors, Mark Wahlberg has said, don’t understand what the average person is going through. “[The fans] might buy your CD or watch your movie, but you don’t put food on their table. You don’t pay their bills. A lot of Hollywood is living in a bubble,” he argued. “They’re pretty out of touch with the common person, the everyday guy out there providing for their family.”

And why should fans take entertainers’ word for it, Billy Bob Thornton wondered? “I don’t know anything about politics. I have no idea. And the stuff that I believe about it, I don’t want to force it down somebody else’s throat ‘cause I’m not an expert on that,” he underscored this year.

Comedian Kevin James wholeheartedly agreed. “Politically, for me to speak on it, there are experts who know much more than I do,” he stressed. “I’m just focusing on what I can do, delivering a fun, heartfelt break from the craziness of the world.” In so many ways, this is a stressful world, and people are looking for a “break” from all of the anxieties of life. “You’ve got to look around and find the good in things. Otherwise, you’re just not going to function. I want to make people have fun, have hope, and get a nice escape in their day.”

It’s also, Josh Duhamel pointed out in March, just really bad business. “I have real strong opinions about things, but I don’t really talk about it, because it’s like, 'Why would I alienate half my audience?’ Because I respect their views on things, but I’m not going to preach to them,” Duhamel emphasized. “They can believe what they want to believe. I’m just here to, you know, make cool stuff. … If I want to preach to you about what I believe politically, I will go run for office, which I’m not [going to do].”

Obviously, there will always be very outspoken people in all corners of stardom, but the growing self-awareness that Americans come to music, movies, and the arts to be entertained — not lectured — is a trend we can all get behind.

“It has been said,” the Heritage Foundation’s Stefan Padfield told The Washington Stand, “that ‘the personal is political,’ but we’ve seen what happens when that attitude is embraced across the board — and that is the elimination of any places where we can set aside our differences for even just a few hours and join together rooting for the home team or sharing some pure entertainment. To deny ourselves such rest,” he reflected, “or worse yet, to be denied such rest by virtue-signaling narcissists who want to sermonize on politics is maddening. Great credit is due to the entertainers who understand that their gift is bringing a few hours of joy or escape to those who need it,” Padfield agreed. “We need more of them.”

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

This article originally appeared here.