These days, it seems like everything happens on Twitter: shady comments, celebrity spars [1], American politics [2]. Following a long hiatus on the site, rapper Kanye West [3] recently found himself in the middle of a Twitter storm after posting about his support [4] for President Donald Trump [5]. Fans and fellow artists were concerned about how Kanye's massive presence on Twitter might influence public opinion.
Like many celebrities, Kanye boasts a strong following on the social media platform with 28 million followers under his belt. Still, there are people with dozens of millions more followers than him, including his wife Kim Kardashian [6] and former adversary Taylor Swift [7].
We've rounded up the stats and handles of the 10 most popular celebrities on Twitter — you might be surprised to find out who they are!
Kim Kardashian West
Username: @KimKardashian [8]
Followers: 59.9 million
The entrepreneur and reality star is best known for her scandalous Instagram posts [9], but she's been tweeting beauty tips and product promos on her Twitter account since 2009.
Justin Timberlake
Username: @jtimberlake [10]
Followers: 66 million
The days of *NSYNC are long gone — or are they? [11] — but Justin Timberlake [12] has very much been in the spotlight with his new movie Wonder Wheel and new album Man of the Woods. You can catch up with all of his tour information and promotions by following his account, which he opened in 2009.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Username: @Cristiano [13]
Followers: 72.8 million
The international soccer superstar flaunts a massive Twitter following, joining the site in 2010. He keeps his Twitter mostly visual, sharing pictures of friends, games, and the occasional promo for his underwear line [14].
Ellen DeGeneres
Username: @TheEllenShow [15]
Followers: 77.9 million
Following Ellen on Twitter will add a bit of cheer to your feed each day. Over the last 10 years, the talk show host and comedian (OK, maybe more like her social media team) has been posting silly tidbits from games, gags, and interviews on a daily basis.
Lady Gaga
Username: @ladygaga [16]
Followers: 78.5 million
The "Bad Romance" singer has been sharing plenty of inspiring pictures about making music and appreciating her fans over the last decade. She also posts about various political causes, such as ending gun violence and advocating for the LGBT community.
Taylor Swift
Username: @taylorswift13 [17]
Followers: 85.6 million
Taylor Swift [18] has a reputation for being a social media queen, even going as far as launching her own social media and lifestyle app, The Swift Life. You're more likely to catch posts about her fans, cats, and friends on the app and Instagram, but you'll still get important news about her music and tours on Twitter.
Rihanna
Username: @rihanna [19]
Followers: 87.8 million
While she's known for her Instagram persona as @badgirlri [20], Rihanna [21] has been actively tweeting since October of 2009. She uses her Twitter page to share her music and (very effectively) promote her Fenty Beauty cosmetics line.
Barack Obama
Username: @BarackObama [22]
Followers: 102 million
After leaving his post as the leader of the free world, the former POTUS has been tweeting about his foundation, sports, and various political causes. He's been active on Twitter since March 2007, joining the platform only a year after it formally launched.
Justin Bieber
Username: @justinbieber [23]
Followers: 106 million
The Canadian pop star, who joined the social media site in March 2009, hasn't been posting much lately, except for tweets about his music and retweets showing his support for the March For Our Lives movement. If you're keen on getting your daily Bieber fever, you'll have more luck surfing the "Sorry" artist's Instagram page [24].
Katy Perry
Username: @katyperry [25]
Followers: 109 million
The American Idol judge is no dark horse when it comes to Twitter. With over 100 million followers, she flaunts the number one following on Twitter, accruing fans over the last nine years.