Do Celebrities Owe Their Fans Anything?
No matter how true a fan, no matter how strong you believe your connection for said celebrity to be, they don’t owe you anything more than the entertainment their profession provides. While it is important for celebrities to appreciate and acknowledge the support of their fans, their private lives are not indebted to you.
When promising fans a performance, them then spending time and money to support you as an artist, it is crucial for you to show up. Unless giving fans a far in advance cancelation and refund, it is unprofessional to not provide them with what they paid for. Greatly anticipated musical talent set to perform both weekends of coachella, Frank Ocean, dropped out of the headlining slot after weekend one. Though his dropping out of the famous music festival was due to an injured ankle, many fans are agreeing that the show must go on. With him being the sole reason many Coachella goers attended the event, he has left fans disappointed. Though I believe fans of Ocean are wanting him to swiftly recover from his injury, there seems to be a mutual opinion that when an artist promises their followers a performance, you need to perform.
With this being said, as a public figures your favorite celebrities don’t owe you anything more than showcasing their talents and hardwork. Just because you might show you undying love and admiration for said celebrity, that does not mean you deserve more than what they are sharing with you. Celebrities are just like the rest of us, in which they have their own personal lives which they deserve to keep what they please private. They are entitled to make decisions based on what is best for themselves and their families without considering the opinions of fans. Whatever a celebrity might be contributing to societysocietiety via music, movies, art, etcetera, is all that they signed up for. They do not owe fans any additional favors or obligations outside of what they offer through their profession. Meaning that they are not obligated to share anything private with their fans, if they themselves choose to keep their private and professional lives separate. Back in early November, young actor Kit Conor was faced with backlash from Heartstopper (LGBTQ+ teen television series) fans, claiming a straight actor should not be playing a queer character. Little to the public's knowledge Conor never previously disclosed his sexuality, ultimately leading to him coming out as bisexual due to the hate he was receiving online.
“Twitter is so funny man. Apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do,” stated Connor.
Another time in pop culture where we see fans eagerness to pry into public figures private lives having a negative outcome, is back in 1978 when due to the release of her book, Brooke Shields was bombarded with questions of her sexuality and virginity. Ultimatly adding to the oversexualization of the young actress. Though in Shields’ novel, “The Brooke Book,” there was all but one page dedicated to her sex life, or lack thereof. Fans seemed to find this as their only takeaway, leading to Shields, years later, elaborating on how being so open about her personal life was a regret of hers.
“I mean, I think it was, in hindsight, a bit of a mistake for me to be so open about my virginity because it never left me alone”, stated Shields.
You might be spending hundreds of dollars on merchandise, tickets, and product endorsements, to support your favorite celebrities. This does not equate to them owing you anything in return. Though many celebrities are endlessly grateful for your individual contribution to their fame and fortune, as a fan you can’t expect nor deserve anything more than what you paid for.