During an appearance at the 5th annual Black Ambition Demo Day, Grammy-winning musician Pharrell Williams emphatically stated that he hates politics and further explained why he doesn’t “believe in either side.”
“I hate politics,” Williams, who is also the Men’s Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, said, per Complex. “Like, despise them. It’s a magic trick. It’s not real. I don’t believe in either side. Because I think when you pick a side, you are inadvertently supporting division.”
“Yes, it’s not a popular point of view, but I just gotta say, when I think about it, the wells are drying up,” the 52-year-old continued.
Williams also touched on what he felt about using skin color as grounds to support a business. “Do you think for what it is that you do, do you think you’re the best? Do you want the job because you’re black or because you’re the best?” the Happy singer said to the Black people in the audience.
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“Do you want someone to support your startup because you’re black or because you’re the best?” Williams further questioned. “I think now for me, it’s about us having the best ambition, and that’s the reason why you should support these businesses,” Williams added. “Yes, they happen to be black and brown, but it should be based on the fact that they’re the best, not because of a shade of skin color.”
Williams’ comments about politics isn’t the first time he has touched on that topic. In a September 2024 feature on The Hollywood Reporter, he similarly stated that he doesn’t “do politics” and even gets “annoyed sometimes when I see celebrities trying to tell you [who to vote for].”
“There are celebrities that I respect that have an opinion, but not all of them. I’m one of them people [who says], ‘What the heck? Shut up. Nobody asked you,'” the 52-year-old added.
“When people get out there and get self-righteous and they roll up their sleeves and sh*t, and they are out there walking around with a placard: ‘Shut up!’ So, no, I would rather stay out of the way, and obviously, I’m going to vote how I’m going to vote. I care about my people and I care about the country, but I feel there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m really about the action.”
