It's pretty easy how the following scenario could appear to be lame: Famous actors - who aren't facing any current legal trouble - march to Washington, D.C. and appear before Congress to mindlessly spout off about their latest fave causes. Meanwhile, bona fide experts on the subject sit on the sidelines ignored and silent because, well, they're not famous Hollywood stars. When it comes to cred, it seems these days Congress will choose the lip service of a celebrity over an expert in the field every time.
But believe it or not, celebrity testimony before Congress in most cases is a very good thing. For starters, most celebrities who do appear before congress are actually bona fide experts and passionate activists for the causes they care about. It also doesn't hurt to have a famous face attached to something to raise awareness. In a best-case scenario, a popular celebrity can draw mass attention to an issue and actually create some real legal action in Congress. In some cases, celebs are actually invited by Congress to speak on behalf of a current issue that's being addressed.
Here's a list of 20 celebrities who have testified before Congress. You might be surprised at some of the names here.
http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-testified-before-congress/derrick920,
Ben Affleck
Lots of folks quickly dismissed it as a joke when the news recently hit that actor Ben Affleck is one of the experts scheduled to testify in front of Congress regarding the mass killings happening in the African nation, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But not so fast, folks. Affleck has long expressed a strong interest in the problems of Congo. His philanthropic organization Eastern Congo Initiative provides grants and funding for Eastern Congo populations affected by poverty and underdevelopment. While some may question Affleck's expertise, his testimony could prove to be valuable based on his organization's work in the troubled African nation.
Chuck D
Another well-known Congressional testimony by a celebrity, Public Enemy's Chuck D was the center of much attention when he testified in favor of peer-to-peer music file sharing back in 2000.
In 1999, Public Enemy released three of their tracks in the MP3 format; a time when the music industry was up in arms against Napster and similar platforms. Chuck D, along with other artists, saw the good in digital music - mainly because it meant larger payout for indie artists and smaller record labels.
While peer-to-peer file sharing may be a thing of the past, revolutionaries like Chuck D have helped indie artists find a place on the Internet to sell their goods without big brother labels helping themselves to a hefty slice of the profits pie.
Elizabeth Taylor
Probably one of the most infamous celebrity Congressional testimonies to date, the late screen icon Elizabeth Taylor testified in front of Congress in 1986 on behalf of AIDS research funding and to increase emergency care to those afflicted by the disease.
The first celebrity to come out publicly in the fight against AIDS, her testimony was invaluable in the support of the Ryan White Care Act, which served as the federal vehicle for providing healthcare for low-income people and the uninsured.
Elmo
Yes, folks, you read right: Elmo the Muppet testified before the United States Congress. In 2002, Elmo went to D.C. to support music education programs. Between trying to eat the microphone and constantly interrupting his fellow witnesses, Elmo delivered an engaging albeit comical pitch to the Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
George Clooney
Here's a question: why was it okay for George Clooney to testify in front of Congress on behalf of the internal strife occurring in Sudan, but a big joke when Ben Affleck does the same for Congo?
Guess Clooney's just got it like that. In 2012, George Clooney did indeed testify before Congress to raise awareness of violence in Sudan due to an ongoing civil war. He also met with President Obama and Hilary Clinton over the issue in an effort to create some kind of resolution in the African country.
Michael J. Fox
In 1990, actor Michael J. Fox went public about his Parkinson's Disease diagnosis. Makes sense that he would be considered an authority on the impact of the illness, especially after becoming an activist and creating the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which supports creating a cure for Parkinson's Disease.
Fox's appearance before Congress to advocate more Parkinson's Disease research, including stem cell studies, was not without controversy. He received some criticism for intentionally choosing not to take his medication for the occasion so that Congressional members could see firsthand the physical effects of the disease.
It also should be noted that Fox has appeared multiple times in front of Congress to advocate research for Parkinsons.
Oprah Winfrey
It's no shocker that the queen of talk shows has had her moment in the Congressional spotlight. Back in 1991, concerned about child abuse and child predators, Oprah appeared before Congress to help establish a national database for child abusers. Due to her efforts and her obvious wide range of public influence with her TV show, the National Child Protection Act was signed into law in 1993.
Thanks to Oprah, the federal government now maintains a national database for child abusers.
Seth Rogen
Hilarious Canadian Seth Rogen testified at a Senate hearing in February 2014, but not in favor of marijuana legalization. He spoke to promote funding for Alzheimer's research in a hearing called "Taking a Toll on Families and the Economy: The Rising Cost of Alzheimer’s in America." His mother-in-law, Adele Miller, suffers from the disease.
Stephen Colbert
Yes, Comedy Central talking head Stephen Colbert got his chance to share a thought or two with Congress as well. Invited by the United Farm Workers to appear with them before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration in 2010, Colbert, who'd spent a day working as a laborer on produce farm, helped to debunk the notion that immigrants were taking away good jobs from Americans. Because, well, so many unemployed U.S. citizens were desperate for a gig to toil out in the fields doing the back breaking and low-paying work necessary to provide the rest of America with fruit and veggies.
Colbert even stayed in character for his testimony. Republicans were not amused.
Ted Nugent
By now, everyone should know that rocker Ted Nugent suffers from no shortage of opinions when it comes to government and politics. A staunch conservative, Nugent is constantly in the news, either spewing hate at Obama or immigrants.
Believe or not, as vocal as he is, he's only appeared before Congress once. And that was back in 1997, when he appealed to Congress to ease up federal restrictions on hunters and others who violate the Wilderness Act. Cause, you know, those protected areas really don't need all that much protecting, well, according to Ted.