Celebrity Influence

Abstract

Celebrity influence is the ability of a prominent person or public figure to impact a noncelebrity's beliefs and behaviors. Two areas of celebrity influence within health communication are health disclosures and celebrity‐based appeals. Celebrity health disclosures are public disclosures of a celebrity's illness or death. Celebrity appeals are messages that feature a celebrity to advocate for a health issue or behavior. No singular theory explains celebrity influence. Nevertheless, several theoretical concepts are associated with celebrity influence.