Could Any of These Four Celebs Actually Become President?

The Terminator became the Governator. Comedian and former “Saturday Night Live” writer and cast member Al Franken continues to amuse and confound in his transition from on-stage performer to Democratic senator from Minnesota. And wrestler and “Predator” star Jesse “The Body” Ventura parlayed a successful career as a wrestler to governor of Minnesota.

He even publicly floated the idea of running for president multiple times.

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Add to this list the latest celebrity figures who have not only floated the idea of running for public office, but who have actually said they want to campaign to become the next president of the United States.

Many of these celebs already spend their days preaching to their respective choirs — and their popularity and the adulation they receive on a regular basis from their minions may lead them to feel entitled to the power that can come with political office.

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But are they serious? Can they be serious? (Can anyone trust what they say, period?) That’s a bit more difficult to ascertain.

Let’s have a look at who’s said what recently — and whether there’s any remote chance at all of these individuals getting near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or not.

Stephen Colbert. The late-night host recently said while on Russian TV, “I am considering a run for president in 2020.” He followed that comment quickly with a typical snarky remark: “I thought it would be better to cut out the middleman and just tell the Russians myself.”

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But could he be a credible candidate? CNN contributor Dean Obeidallah thinks so.

He wrote in an opinion column that “Colbert could be a formidable candidate: He is obviously well informed on the issues, as we see from his nightly monologue, has high name recognition, and hosts the most-watched late night show in America.”

Sorry to disappoint, folks, but we are pretty sure Colbert was just joking — and that he might need more than just late-night monologues and a few laughs on his resume.

Dwayne Johnson. If Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became president, he would be the most ripped and most physically intimidating POTUS in the history of the nation. Maybe President Taft, at 340 pounds, would retain the “heaviest president” title — but as anyone who has seen the “Fast and Furious” series or any of Johnson’s other popular movies knows, the guy has a physique.

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But is he presidential material? Johnson says yes. He told late-night host Jimmy Fallon this year, “Over the years I’ve become a guy that a lot of people kind of relate to: get up early in the morning at a ridiculous hour, go to work and spend time with the troops, take care of my family.”

Though he’s never gotten into his specific politics, Johnson has mentioned running enough times that it seems it’s more than just a, well, running joke with him. We could very well see a candidate Johnson in the future, but it’s anyone’s guess as to what party he would pick.

Kanye West. A controversial rapper and entertainer who is as famous for interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards as he is for his chart-topping pop songs and albums, Kanye West has unabashedly stated he is planning to run for president in 2020.

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Few can actually explain what he meant by that statement, but as West told a concert-going audience in San Jose, California, “I’m concerned about putting our concept of how to do the president’s job in a new way, and if no one will do it that way, I will take position in 2020 and do it myself.”

Surprisingly, though, West has said that if he actually had voted for president in 2016, he would have cast his ballot for Trump, much to the dismay of his audience at the time.

Like Johnson, West has talked about running for president enough times that he might actually mean it. However, the rapper is often so incoherent in his ramblings that it’s hard to tell what the future will bring for him.

Katy Perry. The singer and entertainer has been a consistent political force in the entertainment world, making political statements almost every time she collects a Grammy, Brit Award or just about any other time she’s on stage. She was perhaps failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s biggest fan and supporter. CNN has even claimed that Perry is “the Hillary Clinton of Pop,” whatever that means.

The rumors of Perry’s jump into politics revolves around a photo she posted to Instagram in 2015; in it, she’s standing between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. She captioned it “42, 43, 46?” It was not a formal statement of intention, and there was no discussion of running for office during an interview; it was merely a caption on an Instagram post. Then again, Perry does have 100 million Twitter and 66.2 million Instagram followers. Is that enough to get the party started?

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The mainstream media jumped on her suggestion, of course — publications such as Vanity Fair even tried breaking down the singer’s chances for a 2020 or 2024 run. Perry is more outspoken and political than ever, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Democrats got desperate enough to put forward a full-blown celebrity.

And don’t forget the business and media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, either. She has talked about possibly running for president, but also recently told The Hollywood Reporter, “I will never run for public office.” But never is a long, long time.

Dave Taylor, based in Boulder, Colorado, has been writing about consumer electronics, technology and pop culture for many years and runs the popular site AskDaveTaylor.com.