Hollywood heads to Chicago for the Democratic convention, as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift speculation swirls

CNN —

When Barack Obama accepted his presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Jennifer Lopez was in town, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attended the proceedings together, and Kanye West performed at an Obama campaign party.

Four conventions later, many things are different in Hollywood – but the A-list enthusiasm for the party’s presidential ticket remains the same.

Not since the Obama years has celebrity enthusiasm been so high, merging the world of pop culture and politics as the race to kicks into high gear with this week’s Democratic convention in Chicago.

The stage is prepared at the United Center ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.

Related article Chicago preps as Democrats descend for convention

John Legend – who performed at the 2008 and 2020 conventions – is set to headline a show Tuesday for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. On Wednesday afternoon, “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hosting a panel with the country’s eight female Democratic governors. And on Wednesday night, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will perform at a benefit concert thrown by the Creative Coalition, a Hollywood advocacy nonprofit. Notable actors expected to attend include Tim Daly, Uzo Aduba, Anthony Anderson, Iain Armitage, Yvette Nicole Brown, David Cross, Jon Cryer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Danai Gurira, Richard Kind, Busy Philipps and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

High-profile speakers are still being finalized, multiple sources told CNN, adding that a slew of actors will speak on the convention’s main stage. But speculation has run rampant on two stars in particular: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

With no major performer announced, fans of