TikTok trend wants Taylor Swift and Kim K and other celebrities blocked. Here’s why

A new viral trend is emerging on TikTok — and not only are celebrities uninvited, they’re blocked.

Recent videos uploaded to TikTok, some gathering millions of views apiece, are urging social media users to block celebrities including Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and others on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Spotify.

The reason for the “Celebrity Block Party,” as it’s been dubbed?

TikTok users are saying they feel disillusioned with famous pop figures over the Israel-Hamas war, in which they complain celebrities aren’t using their platforms to speak out against violence in the Middle East. A flashpoint in their anger also involves the recent Met Gala in New York City.

The calls to block influencers, users say, are meant to sting them where it hurts the most — their ad revenue.
Met Gala, unrest in Gaza stirs online outrage

On Wednesday, a TikToker with the name “blockout2024” posted a 15 second video beginning with footage from the Met Gala and news coverage of the war in Gaza. He urged viewers to stop following celebrities and start blocking them instead.

“When we hate on them, they make money. When we praise them, they make money. But when we block their social media accounts and completely forget their names, they lose it all,” he said in a later video.

His message struck a nerve. In two days, the post went viral, receiving more than 2 million plays and upwards of 334 thousand likes on TikTok.

Are videos calling to block celebrities gaining traction?

Similar messages from other users have sprouted — the hashtag “Blockout2024” had been posted to TikTok upwards of 11.7 thousand times by Friday, May 10. And while movie and music stars might not have caught on yet, it’s possible the algorithms have.

In a Thursday video that’s since received more than 1 million views, a TikTok account by user “Gordacorajuda” said they noticed an increase in ads from Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian after blocking both pop stars.

“Before this, I never got ads about them,” she said on TikTok.

What happened at the Met Gala that got TikTok users so upset?