The musician says he would “rather stay out of the way.”
Pharrell Williams speaks onstage at Storytellers – Pharrell Williams With Minya Oh during the 2022 Tribeca Festivalat BMCC Tribeca PAC on June 10, 2022 in New York City
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
Pharrell Williams offers his opinion that fewer pop stars should be adding their voice to politics amid a crucial election year. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the 51-year-old detailed his anti-endorsement stance.
The topic is introduced as Williams explains, “I’m more of a humanitarian. I like people trying to help people. Not sure I’ll ever vote far right. (Laughs.) I won’t do that. But I don’t really do politics.” He continued to elaborate, “I’m not an activist, but I believe in action. But I do believe in activists, and you need everybody.”
Clarifying his statements, he spoke more about his aversion to celebrity politics when asked if he would allow either party to use his music as part of their respective campaigns.
“I don’t do politics. In fact, I get annoyed sometimes when I see celebrities trying to tell you [who to vote for]. There are celebrities that I respect that have an opinion, but not all of them,” he detailed. “I’m one of them people [who says], ‘What the heck? Shut up. Nobody asked you.’ When people get out there and get self-righteous and they roll up their sleeves and shit, and they are out there walking around with a placard: ‘Shut up!’”
The hitmaker continued to share, “So, no, I would rather stay out of the way, and obviously, I’m going to vote how I’m going to vote. I care about my people and I care about the country, but I feel there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m really about the action.”
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (L) and performer Pharrell Williams look on during a campaign rally at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek on November 3, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The U.S. presidential general election is November 8.
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While he may not be politically involved now, in the past, the “Happy” performer has lent his platform to politicians and political issues. In 2014, he called on then-President Barack Obama to “come down” to Ferguson, Missouri after the violent killing of Michael Brown.
According to Rolling Stone he expressed, “What did I think of Ferguson? I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed in the way that it was handled from the government side. I think that that officer should be punished because that was excessive force.”
In 2015, he officially endorsed Hillary Clinton in her presidential campaign, saying, “I’m saying I’m happy to be a man, but I love women. The thing is, if we had somebody looking after our country that thought about things as a whole, I just feel like it just would be different,” per The Guardian.
