With awards season underway, influencers flood the red carpet, eager to find their spot on it. These content creators now increasingly take on the roles of traditional journalists, which has attracted some criticism in Hollywood. Red carpet interviews once allowed celebrities to share their stories and experiences with the public through thoughtfully curated questions from journalists. Now, they feel more like attempts to create a viral, artificial moment. Because both the interviewer and interviewee are often notable names within the media, many red carpet interviews seem like a fight for the spotlight and lack substance, according to ebony.com. Thus, event organizers must recognize the rising prominence of influencers in the world of entertainment journalism to assure that they don’t strip qualified journalists of the jobs they deserve. Audiences should also be able to discern quality journalism from engaging content when seeking information on pop culture.
Although content creators bring extra viewership to red carpet events, which proves to be economically beneficial, influencers also threaten the careers of entertainment journalists by filling the roles that have traditionally belonged to them. Because of the large online presence of many content creators, influencers have increased the demands that traditional journalists must meet to keep themselves in the game. A solid and insightful interview is not enough anymore. These interviewers must also account for virality, an online presence, and industry connections, according to ebony.com.
A frequent critique of many influencer interviews is a lack of preparation or interest by the interviewer in the interview subject. Whether this unenthused and awkward behavior is purposeful, as a way to catch the public’s attention, or not, many interviews by influencers lack integrity compared to ones conducted by professional journalists who have dedicated years of their lives to perfecting their craft, according to ebony.com. A recent instance occurred during the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Sunday, March 15, where influencer, Mr. Jake Shane, was one of three content creators who conducted interviews on the red carpet. He received backlash for his distasteful comments regarding the Oscar-nominated film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, a story about a mother desperately trying to find her way through the stress of parenting while taking care of her ill daughter, according to variety.com. Mr. Shane asked both actress Ms. Julia Fox and actor Mr. Damson Idris if they thought the sick child in the film was annoying. Ms. Fox shut down his comment using her own perspective as a mother, according to ew.com.
“It’s not that it’s the mother’s fault or the child’s fault, it’s society’s fault,” Ms. Fox said, according to ew.com. “It sets mothers up to fail. Even the fact that school gets out at three, but most jobs are done at five or six. All those little things are not conducive to mothering.”
This moment at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party further ignited the debate on influencers acting as journalists. Mr. Shane’s lack of professionalism became evident and his ignorant comments on a very poignant and meaningful film filled many with discomfort.
On the other hand, Mr. Shane’s podcast, Therapuss, featuring guests such as Mr. Dylan O’Brien and Mrs. Hillary Duff, has earned him respect for his flexibility in allowing his guests to cut out any part of the interview they wish, straying from traditional journalistic norms. Similar channels, such as Mr. Matt Rogers and Mr. Bowen Yang’s Las Culturistas share the same format, which gives celebrities more time and opportunities to respond to questions, according to variety.com.
These influencer-led podcasts are becoming drastically more prominent within the media, providing a creative outlet for content creators and a comfortable setting for celebrities to share their stories. Although these podcasts are positive spaces for content creators to thrive, they are not traditional journalism, which demands interviewers and interviewees to be able to curate appropriate questions and answers on the spot. Ms. Elizabeth Wagmeister, journalist and reporter for CNN, shared her thoughts on the growing prominence of influencers in the field of journalism, according to ew.com.
“Influencers make interesting and entertaining content,” Ms. Wagmeister said, according to ew.com. “But there is a time and a place for everything and the red carpet is not it. Red carpet reporting is a tough job and a specialized craft. To do it well, and to make it look easy, requires preparation, skill, and quite frankly, years of experience. This award season proved why red carpets should be left to entertainment journalists and studied hosts.”
While it is common for influencer interviews to feel shallow, creators like Ms. Amelia Dimoldenberg have been able to find balance between insightful, relevant questions and quick-witted humour that audiences can enjoy and learn from on social media. Unlike some other creators, she has a degree in Fashion Journalism, and her infamous show on Youtube, Chicken Shop Date, which premiered in 2014, is where she grew her online persona and presence in the media, according to theguardian.com. Throughout her career, “Chicken Shop Date” has become a massive hit online, bringing in guests such as Mrs. Jennifer Lawrence and Ms. Cheryl Sarkisian (Cher). She has been an interviewer on the Academy Awards’ red carpet for the past three years and has expressed her gratitude for these opportunities, emphasizing that preparing for these events is never a chore as she truly loves film. She expressed that she values taking time to prepare thoroughly in advance for these interviews which is evident in the interest and energy celebrities bring to her interviews. Although her style is still different from most traditional journalists, her questions consistently relate to the life and work of the interviewee and are also interactive, demonstrating how the growing landscape of journalism can still hold on to its integrity, according to latimes.com.
Ms. Dimoldenberg is a prime example of how important it is for influencer interviewers to conduct their interviews with great respect. The world of journalism is ever changing and while irresponsible creators, such as Mr. Jake Shane, negatively reflect his community of content creators, Ms. Dimoldenberg and others like her provide the craft of journalism with hope. The revenue influencers are able to bring to red carpets is very attractive and if events like the Academy Awards continue to hire content creators for interviews, they must do so carefully.
It is undeniable that content creators continue to dilute entertainment journalism. Influencer interviews tend to be more enjoyable than informative, and as a result, these forms of interviews have begun to take over. Red carpets have made the mistake of prioritizing content creators over qualified journalists, leading to ignorant comments and uncomfortable moments on the carpet. Although there can still be room for these light-hearted and entertaining influencer interviews, it is vital to ensure that event organizers give qualified journalists, who prioritize quality interviews, room to do their jobs in ways that influencers cannot.
Featured Image by Ruby Boeding ’28
