‘Self-aggrandizing,’ ‘absolute horseshit’: Robert Downey Jr. has strong words for social media influencers

Few people know fame like Robert Downey Jr. The Oscar-winning actor has done everything from critical darlings like Oppenheimer to pop culture juggernauts like The Avengers. While Downey took a more traditional path to celebrity, many up-and-coming stars got their starts on social media. Two of this year’s Grammy nominees for Best New Artist, Addison Rae and Alex Warren, were known for their Tik Toks before they were known for their music. Several of the biggest new names in filmmaking, including directors Danny and Michael Philippou of Talk to Me and Kane Parsons of the upcoming Backrooms, went viral on YouTube before breaking into Hollywood. But according to Downey, it’s “absolute horseshit” to assume that influencers will be “the stars of the future.” In a recent appearance on the podcast Conversations for our Daughters, Downey sounded off on influencer culture, saying that while fame has become more accessible thanks to social media, that doesn’t mean influencers will usurp true celebrity status. “Nowadays, people can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves,” Downey said. “I don’t look at that as a negative thing. I just look at it as more like the challenge for individuation is being upped.” “When I hear people talk about, ‘Oh, the stars of the future are going to be influencers,’ I go, ‘I don’t know what world you’re living in, but I think that that is absolute horseshit,’” he added. Gen Z’s influencer aspirations Downey may not be wowed by influencers’ collective cult of personality, but younger generations tend to disagree. In a 2023 survey, 57% of Gen Zers said they want to be influencers. Downey shared that he saw his own 14-year-old son get “caught up in this whole influencer thing.” “Next thing you know, it’s like, ‘Hey, if you like the way I’m playing this video game, do you wanna send me a donation?’ And really, it becomes a religion,” Downey said. “The influencers today are almost like the Evangelical