Social media has rapidly become a prominent aspect of our everyday lives. Many “average joes” use social media, but it is also commonly used by many celebrities. Instagram is one of the most popular social networking platforms out there. While other platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, are more focused on text, Instagram places a very large focus on photos and more recently, videos. In this article, I’m going to be talking about the top ten most followed people on Instagram. Now, Instagram’s official account has the most followers by far, but it’s worth noting that that account doesn’t really belong to a person. As such, they are excluded from this list. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s jump right into this list of the top 10 most followed people on Instagram.
The first celebrity on our list of Kendall Jenner, who has a little over 80 million followers as of this writing. Kendall Jenner is probably best known for being the being the daughter of Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner, which makes her the half-sister of Kim and Kourtney Kardashian. She was originally known for having appearances on the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but as she has aged, she has become known for other things. She’s probably best known as a fashion model today, and she has done various print ad campaigns and photoshoots throughout her short but notable career. Due to her strong social media presence and appeal among younger audiences, she has had a meteoric rise over the last couple of years. It’s no surprise that she would be such a popular user on Instagram.
#9 – Dwayne Johnson (85 Million+)
Dwayne Johnson made headlines last year when People Magazine named him the Sexiest Man Alive. Considering Instagram is such a visual platform, I guess it’s only natural that the “defending champion” of this title would be so popular on it. Dwayne Johnson’s career began in athletics. He originally played college football with the University of Miami, and he won a national championship with the team in 1991. However, in his professional career, he would go on to wrestle. He came aboard the WWE during the company’s attitude, and he was both highly popular and high successful in the field. There are a lot of people who would consider him to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever. More recently, Dwayne can be found on the silver screen. This year alone, he will have prominent roles in blockbuster films like Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
#8 – Justin Bieber (86 Million+)
If you were alive during the late 2000’s, I don’t think that I should have to tell you who Justin Bieber is. However, just to be safe, I’ll run through everything pretty quickly. Justin Bieber’s career began when he was discovered through his YouTube channel, which he used to post covers of different songs. In 2008, Bieber was signed to Raymond Braun Media Group, which was a group belonging to Scooter Braun and Usher Raymond. He was obviously very young at the time, and he became known as a little bit of a teen heartthrob. Younger girls loved him, but at the same time, he was loathed by older audiences. Regardless, there’s apparently no such thing as bad publicity, and Bieber was able to become a huge pop star seemingly overnight. Today, he still has the same split fanbase, but it’s worth noting that his sound has matured significantly over the years.
#7 – Kylie Jenner (93 Million+)
We talked a little bit about Kendall Jenner before, and now it’s time to talk about her younger sister. Like Kendall, Kylie originally became famous through her appearances on the show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Much like her older sister, Kylie saw all sorts of opportunities in entertainment and fashion open up to her as she became older. Over the years, she has been seen on the cover of magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Girlfriend, and Marie Claire Mexico. Not only that, but she will also be receiving her very own reality television show later this year. Life of Kylie is set to premiere on E! later this summer. Like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Life of Kylie will follow this young television personality as she goes through her everyday life. If her Instagram follower count is any indication, then it’s sure to be a hit.
#6 – Kim Kardashian (99 Million+)
Kim Kardashian, also known as Kim Kardashian West, is one of the more well-known celebrities in the entire country. She was originally known for being a friend of Paris Hilton, but was pulled into an even larger spotlight in 2007 when her sex tape with Ray J was leaked. Although this is the sort of thing that would ruin the lives of many people, she took it in stride, and later that year her and her family received a television show on E! called Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The show was very popular, and it received spin-offs. Through her success in television, Kim was able to find opportunities in fashion and entertainment. She has released music, she’s been on television, and she also has a very high profile relationship with the rapper Kanye West. There are a lot of people who think that it may be one of the biggest celebrity marriages that the country has seen in decades.
#5 – Cristiano Ronaldo (101 Million+)
Although those of us in the United States aren’t typically all that involved in soccer, I think that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those soccer players who a lot of people are familiar with. He’s a Portuguese soccer player who plays for Real Madrid, a Spanish club, and for Portugal’s national team. There are a lot of people who think that he is the most talented soccer player of all time. He is a highly talented forward who is also capable of playing as a winger, and in 2015 he became the all-time top goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League. This is not an accomplishment to sneeze at. A year later, Forbes proclaimed that Cristiano was the highest paid athlete in the entire world. Outside of his prowess in sports, Ronaldo is also known for being a pretty charming guy. He has sponsorships with a wide variety of products, from sportswear to soft drinks. With all of that in mind, I guess it isn’t all that much of a surprise that he has such a huge following on social media.
Speaking of women in music, our next Instagram user is Ariana Grande, who has over 105 million followers on the platform. Ariana has seen a pretty rapid rise into fame over the last decade or so. Most people are familiar with origins coming from television. In 2009, she earned the role of Cat Valentine on Victorious, a popular television series that aired on Nickelodeon. Victorious was a show that featured music (sort of like how the Disney show Step It Up features dancing) and so Grande quickly received opportunities to show off her incredible talent as a vocalist. Although she isn’t really on television anymore, Ariana has since made a real name for herself as a legitimate pop star. She’s only 23 years old, but this artist is as talented as she is buzzworthy. She’s considered one of the most influential people in the world due to her cult following online.
#1 – Selena Gomez (120 Million+)
Much like Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez is someone who got her start on television. While Ariana comes from Nickelodeon, Selena comes from the Disney Channel. She played the main character on the seriously popular series Wizards of Waverly Place, which aired between 2007 and 2012. Once the show began to wind down, Selena put herself to work in more “mature” acting pursuits. She held roles in movies like Ramona and Beezus and Spring Breakers. More recently, Gomez has branched out into a solo musical career, and she still works prominently in entertainment. More recently, she has been working as an executive producer for the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Selena isn’t in the spotlight in the same way that she was before, but she obviously still has a lot of fans who are interested in what she has to say.
Jake is passionate about everything tech, film, and gaming related. If he's not writing you can probably catch him at a local sporting event or coffee shop.
