'The Activist' reality TV show sparked furor, but treating causes as commodities with help from celebrities happens all the time
- Written by Alexandra Budabin, Senior Researcher of Human Rights, University of Dayton
Usher, shown speaking in 2019 at an event hosted by the nonprofit he started, and two other celebrities shot five episodes of the canceled series.Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesCBS quickly backpedaled after an announcement about “The Activist,” a new reality TV series it planned to broadcast, drew widespread backlash.
The show was going to...

