Downey Jr. Slams Influencer Fame as 'Absolute Horseshit'
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- Robert Downey Jr. called the notion that influencers are 'the stars of the future' 'absolute horseshit' on the 'Conversations for our Daughters' podcast, saying people 'can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves.'
- Downey framed the rise of influencer fame as a 'challenge for individuation' and expressed hope that youth will choose to 'make something, build something, educate myself' instead of a 'self-aggrandizing' influencer path.
- Downey's 14-year-old son 'got caught up in this whole influencer thing,' prompting the actor to compare modern influencers to 'Evangelical hucksters of the information age' — though he also said many influencers he's met promoting films are 'grounded, accomplished, cool people.'
- Downey, who has 58.1 million Instagram followers, said he avoids going 'too deep down the rabbit hole' and refuses to manufacture candid-seeming content because 'I'd be manufacturing that aspect for them, so it's B.S.'
- Downey recalled Jon Favreau tweeting on stage at Comic-Con while presenting the 'Iron Man' teaser, calling that moment evidence of a 'new hue where the audience is going to feel like they're on the steering committee of this thing.'
- Downey is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in 'Avengers: Doomsday,' which opens in theaters Dec. 18.
Why it matters: Coming from an A-lister with 58.1 million Instagram followers, Downey's critique carries weight precisely because he isn't a social media outsider — he's engaging with the platform while pushing back on the cultural elevation of influencers. The interview lands as Marvel prepares to reintroduce him as Doctor Doom in 'Avengers: Doomsday' this December, a film that itself will lean heavily on influencer and social media promotion to reach younger audiences.
