A Personal Note • September 2026
Republicans Buy Sneakers, Too
A few famous people who've chosen not to spend their fame on our politics
Every election cycle, it feels like fewer musicians, actors, and athletes can resist telling the rest of us how to think and how to vote. So it's worth pausing on the ones who've chosen the opposite path — who've built massive platforms and, deliberately, declined to use them for political persuasion.
"Oh, I think we've had enough boobs in the White House."
That's Dolly Parton, asked whether she'd ever run for president — and it captures the whole spirit of this list better than a paragraph of mine could. Here are a dozen more, in their own words.
Music
Dolly Parton
"Everybody knows I don't do politics because my mother was a Democrat, my daddy was a Republican, so I'm a hypocrat."
Alice Cooper
"When musicians are telling people who to vote for, I think that's an abuse of power."
Pharrell Williams
"I don't do politics."
Vanilla Ice
"As a person that don't vote, I don't really have much of an opinion to say anything about it."
Garth Brooks
"Not a political statement in any way."
Said of performing "Amazing Grace" at the 2021 presidential inauguration — after a 40-year career of largely staying out of politics.
Sports
Michael Jordan
"Republicans buy sneakers, too."
The quote's origin is disputed — it surfaced secondhand in a teammate's 1995 book, and Jordan's camp has denied it outright. What's confirmed: in "The Last Dance," Jordan called it a joke, but stood by never seeing himself as a political activist or role model.
Peyton Manning
"I have no interest in the political world, but would like to continue serving communities."
Ben Roethlisberger
"Politics are not his thing."
Declined Donald Trump's invitation to speak at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Film & TV
Kevin Hart
"I don't speak on politics, never have."
Gillian Anderson
"I don't for a second feel like I have a right to that platform."
Josh Duhamel
"Nobody cares what I think politically."
Mark Wahlberg
Celebrities shouldn't express their political opinions publicly.
Paraphrased from a 2016 Task & Purpose interview — a stance he's held to since.
They all have a right to their own opinions — left or right.
These are just a few who've chosen not to spend theirs on ours.
These are just a few who've chosen not to spend theirs on ours.
Written September 2026, with AI research assistance — in keeping with my published AI Collaboration Manifesto.