The Spotify boycott is growing. 5 other celebrity boycotts forced businesses to change.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: NEIL YOUNG MIGHT BE A 76-YEAR-OLD ROCKER, BUT HE’S STILL STARTING TRENDS – WITH HIS DECISION TO PULL HIS CATALOG FROM SPOTIFY OVER JOE ROGAN’S PODCAST. DO CELEBRITY BOYCOTTS MATTER? HERE’S SOME THAT SPARKED CHANGE IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY. 

AT NUMBER FIVE, WE HAVE GEORGE CLOONEY’S BOYCOTT OF HOTELS OWNED BY THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI – WHICH INCLUDE THE FAMOUS BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL. HE WAS PROTESTING A CRUEL LAW IN THE COUNTRY – DEATH BY STONING AND WHIPPING FOR GAY SEX AND ADULTERY. WHEN THE BOYCOTT GAINED GROUND IN 2019, THE SULTAN EVENTUALLY ANNOUNCED A MORATORIUM ON THE EXECUTIONS.

COMING IN AT NUMBER 4, DANNY GLOVER’S 2010 BOYCOTT OF HUGO BOSS. GLOVER URGED CELEBRITIES TO BOYCOTT THE BRAND AT THAT YEAR’S ACADEMY AWARDS, FIGHTING A FACTORY CLOSURE IN CLEVELAND WHERE MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE WERE SET TO LOSE THEIR JOBS. THE PRESSURE EVENTUALLY WORKED, AND THE FACTORY STAYED OPEN FOR SEVERAL MORE YEARS. 

SPEAKING OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS, IN THE THREE SPOT, WE HAVE HASHTAG OSCARS SO WHITE. THE SOCIAL MOVEMENT TOOK OFF AFTER THE OSCARS AWARDED ALL 20 ACTING NODS TO WHITE ACTORS IN 2015 AND 2016. WILL AND JADA PINKETT SMITH WERE AMONG THOSE TO SIT OUT THE 2016 CEREMONY, AND THE ACADEMY VOWED TO BETTER DIVERSIFY ITS MOSTLY-WHITE VOTING BODY.

AT NUMBER TWO – WE HAVE MILEY CYRUS THREATENING TO BURN HER ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH. SHE AND OTHER CELEBRITIES WERE BOYCOTTING THE COMPANY’S SIZE EXCLUSIVITY. THEN THE COMPANY’S CEO CAME UNDER FIRE FOR OLD REMARKS ABOUT WANTING TO MARKET TO ONLY “COOL, GOOD LOOKING PEOPLE.” IN THE END, A&F OFFERED PLUS SIZES AND THE CEO WAS…FIRED.

IN OUR TOP SPOT, CELEBRITIES LIKE KIM KARDASHIAN BOYCOTTING THE ONE THING THEY CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT – SOCIAL MEDIA. FOR ONE DAY IN 2020 CELEBRITIES LIKE KIM K SIGNED OFF OF FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM FOR HASHTAG STOP HATE FOR PROFIT, AN EFFORT TO FIGHT MISINFORMATION. I GOTTA SAY, THE IMPACT ON THIS ONE – MINIMAL. 

BUT I GUESS THE PURPOSE OF ANY CELEBRITY BOYCOTT – IS TO MAKE NOISE WITH THE MEGAPHONE THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN. I’M SDR, IN NEW YORK FOR JB.  I’ll SEE YOU MONDAY.