Source: ETIENNE LAURENT / Getty
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Americans absolutely love their celebrities. This is apparent by the large followings the celebrities have on social media, the endorsement deals they pick up and by the way they’re approached and treated in general. There are countless celebrities in the world that people stan…but who are the names at the top of the list? Who do the people love the most?
A new study has uncovered the celebrities that Americans are most obsessed with. The study, conducted by the online casino comparison website OnlineKajino, examined over 100 celebrity names on Google to determine those with the highest average monthly searches between January 2024 and September 2024. Additional data was scraped on the states with the highest searches per 100,000 residents for each top celebrity, as well as comparing the average number of searches this year to the average for all of 2023.
“The study highlights just how fascinated we are by public figures, with Americans making millions of Google searches related to celebrities each month. These searches help keep stars relevant, and it’s interesting to see how the world’s relationship with celebrities evolves. For instance, after this year’s Met Gala, many people began unfollowing influencers, leading to stars like Kim Kardashian losing hundreds of thousands of followers. While most audiences remain captivated by celebrities still, we may be entering a new era in how we approach them and the parasocial relationships we develop with them online.”
“People often search for relatability in celebrities – they want to know about their daily life, their heartbreaks, love stories, and more. But it is important to remember that celebrities are paid to maintain an image. Even when they share regular updates or when news outlets claim to reveal their ‘real’ lives, much of it is carefully curated and the whole picture is never seen. While it’s fascinating to peek into their world, it’s key to remember our own lives are just as interesting too.”
Regardless of if we’re in for a new era or not, currently we are still in a space where celebrities reign supreme on the minds of Americans. Check out the full list of the most talked about celebrities of 2024!
1. Taylor Swift
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 1,057,785
Biggest Searchers: Nevada
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -1.4%
Taylor Swift is the talk of the town this year, ranking as the most Googled celebrity in every state. Swift averages over 1.05 million monthly searches, with the highest search volume for her being in Nevada, where residents search for all things Swift-related at a rate of 3,403 searches per 100,000 residents.
The most popular search phrase is related to her net worth, with over 572,000 average monthly searches for ‘Taylor Swift net worth’ on Google. Swift has managed to keep her popularity with roughly the same average monthly searches this year compared to last year, seeing only a small drop of 1.6%.
2. Kanye West
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 389,877
Biggest Searchers: New York
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -8.2%
The next most popular celebrity is Kanye West, with over 389,800 monthly searches so far this year. Kanye’s biggest fans are in New York, with 1,344 searches for all things Kanye per 100,000 people. According to the data, though, interest in Kanye has dropped by 8.2% this year compared to 2023.
3. Elon Musk
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 374,496
Biggest Searchers: Nevada
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -9.4%
The third most popular is Elon Musk, who averages over 374,400 monthly searches, a high figure still, but a 9.4% drop in searches this year compared to last. Musk is searched most often by Nevadans. Musk’s largest peak in searches was back in January 2023, when he was searched over 558,000 times.
4. LeBron James
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 299,577
Biggest Searchers: Georgia
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +1.2%
In fourth place is LeBron James, with an average of over 299,500 monthly searches. His biggest fans are in Georgia, and LeBron has managed to marginally increase his interest, with searches rising 1.2% since average searches in 2023. So far this year, LeBron’s peak searches were in July, amassing an average of over 412,800 Google searches then.
5. Selena Gomez
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 265,162
Biggest Searchers: California
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +16.3%
Selena Gomez ranks fifth most searched-for this year, gaining an average of 265,162 monthly searches, an increase of 16.3% since 2023. Selena’s biggest searchers are in California where there are over 1,100 searches per 100,000 residents for her.
6. Drake
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 260, 441
Biggest Searchers: New York
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +41.0%
After beefing with Kendrick Lamar earlier this year, Drake ranks as the sixth–most searched-for figure. The rapper saw over 264,400 searches on average each month this year, a rise of 41% compared to 2023’s average number.
7. Tom Cruise
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 249,042
Biggest Searchers: Colorado
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -22.8%
Following him is movie star Tom Cruise, with over 249,000 monthly searches on average.
8. Ariana Grande
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 233,359
Biggest Searchers: Hawaii
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +14.0
Cruise is followed by upcoming Wicked star Ariana Grande with over 233,300 searches – an increase of 14% compared to last year.
9. Keanu Reeves
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 229,906
Biggest Searchers: Hawaii
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -41.6%
Finishing off the list are Keanu Reeves, with over 229,900 monthly searches.
10. Rihanna
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 226,676
Biggest Searchers: Maryland
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -46.8%
& Rihanna, with over 226,600 average monthly searches. Her and Reeves have both seen a dramatic drop of over 40% in searches compared to last year.
11. Justin Bieber
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 219, 301
Biggest Searchers: Nevada
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -12.0%
12. Beyoncé
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 216, 153
Biggest Searchers: Georgia
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -22.3%
13. Ryan Reynolds
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 215,280
Biggest Searchers: Nevada
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +30.3%
14. Jeff Bezos
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 194,098
Biggest Searchers: Washington
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +20.6%
15. Margot Robbie
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 183,687
Biggest Searchers: New York
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -40.4%
16. Kim Kardashian
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 178,563
Biggest Searchers: Nevada
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -7.8%
17. Kylie Jenner
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 177,293
Biggest Searchers: California
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -4.1%
18. Nicki Minaj
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 176,618
Biggest Searchers: Georgia
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +28.4%
19. Leonardo DiCaprio
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 168,276
Biggest Searchers: New York
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -12.3%
20. Post Malone
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 167,643
Biggest Searchers: Utah
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +33.1%
21. Miley Cyrus
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 164, 958
Biggest Searchers: New York
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -11.2%
22. Brad Pitt
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 145,993
Biggest Searchers: California
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +28.7%
23. Shakira
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 135,452
Biggest Searchers: Florida
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: -35.6%
24. Zendaya
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 133,610
Biggest Searchers: New York
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +39.6%
25. Hugh Jackman
Source:Getty
Average Monthly Searches: 130,600
Biggest Searchers: Utah
Change In Interest Since ’23 Average: +40.9%
