‘I don’t know any of these people’: Meet Hollywood’s new A-List, all of whom are complete strangers and have nothing to do with Hollywood

The Hollywood Reporter has named a new class of fifty A-listers. And it’s not what you’d usually think of. We reserve a spot on the A-list for the best of the best. Normally, models, actors, musicians, and the occasional athlete are at the tippy top. The A-list is full of household names. The best of the best.

But Hollywood Reporter has decided to expand the notion of what an A-lister really can be. And in this day and age, why not? We’ve seen the Kardashians skyrocket to A-list fame, an accomplishment no reality star has ever dared. Maybe it’s time to update our view of the elite.

Or maybe not.

People aren’t exactly on board with the latest list of A-listers, which exclusively consists of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other internet stars. To the entertainment magazine, this list represents a new age of media, entrepreneurship, creativity, and controversy that drove forward a promising new industry. To the people of X, the list represents a group of strangers they could not care less about.

The list of fifty content creators contains influencers on different platforms, of widespread niches, and with sparkling diversity. Names include beauty and lifestyle influencer Alix Earle, internet talk show host Amelia Dimoldenburg, lawyer, Kennedy, and Vogue correspondent Jack Schlossberg, and soft-spoken foodie Keith Lee.

For the chronically online, the list contains widely recognized names, but for everyone else, pictures of the next class of influencer A-listers aren’t ringing any bells. The picture posted by Pop Crave on X consists of several influencers on the top 50 list, including Anna Sitar, Rhett & Link, Drew Afualo, and Brittany Broski.

But, people responding to the photo are saying the group isn’t even on the C-list. Some claimed they only recognized one or two, and other names Brittany Broski and Rhett & Link as the only notable influencers in the image. Naysayers are right to point out that many of these people have absolutely nothing to do with Hollywood, the realm where the A-listers traditionally live.

Most of them have graced one or two red carpets or premieres but aren’t breaking into the acting or singing industries in any way. However, Hollywood Reporter was never claiming that to be true. Instead, they were honoring and recognizing a new type of celebrity that has emerged in recent years.

Influencing and content creation have only been a viable career option for about a decade. First on YouTube, and then Vine, then Instagram and TikTok. Although The New Yorker, claims that the art of influencing has been around for hundreds of years, it wasn’t until the rise of the blogosphere that social media influencing really took off. According to Forbes. Mommy Bloggers were the first influencers in the early 2010s and after that, YouTube took ahold of the influencer space, then Vine, and now TikTok.

Sure, the A-list is full of actors, musicians, and models, crafts that have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. But to the younger generation, admiration for YouTubers and TikTokers is just as legitimate as it is for rock stars and movie stars. Many millennials and Gen-Xers may not recognize anyone on The Hollywood Reporter’s new A-list. But, the list represents a new age of A-listers, one that reflects the innovation and bright future of Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha.