Regrets? She’s got a few about a doomed activism reality show

Just when you think entertainment and celebrity culture cannot get any more surreal, it does. The last few days have seen: professional health officials in several countries feeling obliged to contradict a tweet by Nicki Minaj about her cousin’s friend’s swollen testicles; comedian Larry David being grumpy at unlikely public events; and “inventive” interpretations of the “American independence” theme at the Met Gala, from political slogans on backsides to Kim Kardashian’s head-to-toe black Balenciaga. (Her look reminded me of when the boys in my home town used to put black socks over their trainers to get past the bouncers at the local club, which had a strict shoes-only dress code.) After more than a year of lockdowns, and therefore limited opportunities to shine, famous people are putting themselves out there with gusto.

Nowhere has this chaotic energy been more apparent than in the saga of The Activist, which has been as compelling as a novel, albeit one that would be considered too far-fetched. To recap, US television network CBS announced a new reality show called The Activist, which would pit six political activists against each other in a competition format, measuring their “successes” by online engagement, social media metrics and the judgments of the panel: grassroots organisers Julianne Hough, Priyanka Chopra and Usher. The final challenge, a showstopper, if you will, would have seen contestants lobbying at the G20 in Rome.

Unsurprisingly, there was a backlash to end all backlashes and one that ended The Activist as it was supposed to be. Usually, I’d argue that you should see a show before you judge it, but this one defies all common sense. It’s as if The X Factor decided to to find Britain’s Next Top Doctor, with qualifications optional, so long as there’s a good sob story to carry the winner to victory.

I feel for the activists involved. Plenty of more thoughtful critics pointed out that the show was exploiting an underfunded arena and that enforced competition is not in keeping with community-minded work. Inevitably, the producers announced that The Activist would no longer air as planned, but would be reshot as a one-hour documentary, with each contestant receiving a cash grant. Chopra posted a message on Friday admitting that the show had got it wrong. Hough had posted a similar statement earlier in the week, saying she had listened to the criticism. “I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark,” she wrote. No doubt the online engagement and social media metrics were excellent.