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"How did you get this gig?" Kris Jenner asks the red-carpet hosts of the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, influencers Quenlin Blackwell and Jake Shane. It was a question that echoed in the minds of many who stumbled upon the livestream, too. It wasn't just a swift moment that lingered in the air for a beat too long; it opened the floodgates to a familiar debate: the rise of influencers and their steady infiltration, or infestation, of the fashion and media landscape.
"I don't know," Shane said, but a touch too narrow and a touch too meek.
Online, people aren't exactly biting their tongues when it comes to influencers crossing into traditionally "earned" spaces: premieres, press circuits, and especially the red carpet. The backlash struck after Jake Shane repeatedly asked celebrities about If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, a film centered on a mother navigating emotional turmoil while caring for a sick child, only to follow it up with the question: "Wasn't that kid so annoying?" The moment landed off-center.
Stella Press, a presenter and pop-culture reporter, took to TikTok to sum up the frustration: "His latest stunt on the red carpet really does expose the never-ending issue of reporting, or should I say, lack thereof, in red carpet spaces."
Her video set off a wave of think pieces of their own on TikTok, a platform where, as we know, anyone with an opinion is more than willing to share it. This came with many chronically-online users circling the question of whether traditional journalism spaces, and even their adjacent territories, are worth preserving. And it would be remiss not to acknowledge the backdrop: a bruised media industry, with more than 3,000 journalism jobs cut in 2025 alone. The tension isn't happening in a vacuum; people have a right to be mad.
But hear me out: in specific contexts, for red carpet hosting and pre-runway interviews, it does make sense for influencers to be there. The red carpet, for all its proximity to prestige, isn't exactly sacred ground. It's a performance space, one that has long thrived on humor, unpredictability, and the occasional offbeat question that catches a celebrity delightfully off guard.
And if there's any group fluent in the language of virality, it's influencers. They know how to spot a viral moment, shape it, and farm for more. These exchanges don't just air once and disappear, they're clipped, recirculated, memed, and remembered. In a media ecosystem that increasingly rewards what sticks over what airs, that kind of staying power isn't incidental, it's the point.
Although influencers have long operated behind the camera, they're now firmly in the forefront. They're seated front row at fashion shows, rubbing shoulders with A-listers, and being dressed by luxury brands. And when influencers start landing more exclusives than journalists, the shift becomes hard to ignore. A new hierarchy emerges, one where access is currency and visibility often eclipses credentials. In that ecosystem that thrives on social exchange, the line between pseudo-celebrity and celebrity doesn't just blur, it disappears.
Not only that, but from a brand and network perspective, those companies need return on investment, and these days that looks like social media engagement. If influencers with established platforms can post, the networks and brands they work with can see more attention and viewership. And if you've seen any of the recent interviews, like the Chappell Roan,Baby-Face Ray gate, and so many instances of non-front-facing interviewers having uncomfortable moments with celebrities, it's clear that in these interactions, like Hailey Bieber saying she wasn't going to do any interviews, but "saw it was Shane and wanted to do it," show some sort of familiarity and rapport within these two different social classes. Influencers are often friendly with celebrities and have a better banter and rapport with them, making for a better on-screen conversation, and in many cases, a better interview.
So do I think influencers are in the running to take journalists' jobs? Of course not. But with the right preparation, and maybe a few pointers from the journalists who've long set the standard, there's definitely room for influencers to carve out a spot as well.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com