Taylor Swift’s ‘Only the Young’: How Did Celebrities React To the Song’s Use in a Political Campaign Ad?
Musician Taylor Swift has always used her art to express herself. After years of remaining famously quiet on the subject of politics, she voiced support for Democratic party candidates across the board. Swift has since come out against U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly, most notably on Twitter.
Swift showed why she decided to be more politically active in her documentary Miss Americana. The film ended with an original song, “Only the Young,” which directly speaks to young voters. Ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the song was used in an ad for the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket. Discover how other celebrities responded.
Nina Dobrev
Actor Nina Dobrev is perhaps best known for her roles in the CW teen drama series The Vampire Diaries or the short-lived sitcom Fam. She and Swift don’t appear to run in the same (very famous) circles, but Dobrev did attend a concert of the singer’s in Los Angeles in 2015.
Like many other celebrities, Dobrev has been active in trying to get her fans to vote — and, specifically, to vote blue. She even appeared in a Funny or Die sketch mocking Melania Trump. Of the ad using “Only the Young,” Dobrev wrote, “If this doesn’t get you, i don’t know what will.”
‘Teen Wolf’ stars
Another actor with a supernatural credit on their resume, Dylan O’Brien, also joined the conversation. O’Brien starred in the MTV series Teen Wolf and is also known for his role in the Maze Runner film franchise. And while he and Swift aren’t friends, they do have a loose connection.
“THIS IS WHY WE STAN!!!!!!!” tweeted O’Brien. This came just one day after the actor tagged his reported longtime crush (and Swift’s close friend), Selena Gomez, in a challenge, which she responded to. Notably, Gomez can be seen in the video in question and has, like O’Brien and Swift, been actively encouraging her fans to vote in 2020.
O’Brien’s co-star on Teen Wolf, Colton Haynes, got in on the action. Haynes is also known for starring in seasons of the CW superhero series Arrow and his recurring role in American Horror Story: Cult. What a powerful video,” he tweeted of the ad. “I’m in tears & it’s not even noon yet.”
‘Glee’ actors
Another set of former castmates enjoyed the song’s use. Jenna Ushkowitz, who portrayed Tina Cohen-Chang in the hit musical dramedy series Glee, tweeted, “Oh boy. First cry of the day, 10:32am. @taylorswift13 It must’ve been so scary deciding to use your voice in this way, but its the best. THANK YOU.”
Also adding their voice to the chorus was Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams in Glee. “The good sis,” he wrote, tagging Swift. McHale and Ushkowitz host a Glee rewatch podcast together, and during an August 2020 episode, McHale noted that the cast “had hung out with Taylor a lot” during the show’s run.
