Social Issues!
Can tweeting about binge drinking ever be a good thing for a celebrity?
[Jun. 25]
Samantha Ronson, a celebrity who is admittedly a hard-core lesbian, has been a very vocal LGBT activist for years — which in and of itself is a great thing. The trouble is, as a night club DJ she is also very much into partying and seems to show only a big smile on her face when it comes to talking about parties, partying, and living the high life in Hollywood social circles with ex-girlfriend Lindsay Lohan and gal pals like Juliette Lewis. On July 25th, 2011 Samantha Ronson tweeted the following via her verified celebrity account on Twitter @samantharonson, saying “Yup….. My head is gonna hurt tomorrow, but we all know it’s worth it! @chateauLV and #hennyblack http://say.ly/zUhrIq“. That’s bad, right? Not exactly. While Samantha Ronson might be a bad influence on Lindsay Lohan, her celebrity endorsement tweet promoting binge drinking the liquor Hennesy Black might just be a good thing. Here’s why. Rumor is that pet-friendly Sam donates all her celebrity tweet money to a variety of charities. To that end, she’s on our list of green celebrities to watch and give props to when she does good things for her community. [Yes, we know the stretch is thin but keep reading.]
Celebrity Scandal: How much influence does Samantha Ronson drinking have on Lindsay Lohan?
Back in the day, LiLo’s father Michael Lohan came out with some really scathing commentary about Samantha Ronson encouraging Lohan binge drinking (which she refuted). Celebrity gossip reports worldwide essentially shared the following in 2008 [via Star Pulse]:
The Mean Girls star checked into rehab last year following a spate of drunk-driving offenses, but has recently been spotted back on the Los Angeles party scene with DJ Ronson. Lohan’s father has now launched a scathing attack on Ronson, accusing her of corrupting his daughter and insisting the actress isn’t working because she is always out partying with her pal.
He tells MSNBC.com, “It’s (got) to the point now that I’m going to confront Samantha and Jenny Muro (Lindsay’s production assistant) myself. Samantha drinks and passes the drinks under the table to Lindsay, and behind the scenes it gets worse and worse. Sam is using my daughter. My daughter isn’t working because she’s always with Sam. Even my ex-wife knows it. She just isn’t doing anything about it.”
Now, both Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are (to the chagrin of Michael Lohan) LGBT activists who support gay marriage and LGBT civil rights as humanitarians. However they are no longer claiming to be a celebrity couple — just next door neighbors with no acknowledgement of being friends with benefits. As such, LiLo’s parents have quieted down a great deal about attacking Sam for being an alcoholic and bad influence on their daughter. And, while not exactly seen as a lesbian role model like Ellen Degeneres or Portia Rossi, Sam has quietly been accepted in Hollywood social circles as the girl who helped a Disney Princess come successfully out of the closet (even if she has been accused of plying Lindsay to bed with alcohol). But Lindsay Lohan got another get-out-of-jail-free pass on June 23rd when Judge Stephanie Sautner ruled Lindsay Lohan did not violate the conditions of her probation after Lohan allegedly tested positive for alcohol, something that might not have even been an issue if it was not for Sam.
Are these two women big time green celebrities? Nope. But if we don’t reward celebs with a pat on the back when they take steps in the right direction, then what kind of peers would American celebrity green gossip readers be?
READ MORE: Did Samantha Ronson cause LiLo to flunk sobriety tests while under house arrest?
Other star celebs known to tweet for money include the Kardashian sisters @KimKardashian, @KhloeKardashian and @KourtneyKardashian. However, none have been so open about where they allocate the money they make for giving their celebrity endorsement to luxury products or famous places by sharing a verified celebrity endorsement tweet.
Samantha Ronson only has a million and a half followers (give or take), so when she tweets, she is likely to make only $1500 or so per tweet. Kim Kardashian makes a rumored $10K plus per pop, while Khloe is thought to earn a respectable $2k. But what are the real consequences of endorsing an alcoholic beverage — compared to say… a pair of shoes or a designer handbag?
That those people who follow a celebrity and turn to them for guidance as a role model that indicates what is hot or not to have, be, talk like, or do may try to take the advice of the star.
To that end, while Samantha Ronson gets a big hall pass from the Green Celebrity Network staff for being (essentially) a doll willing to donate her proceeds to help those in need, less fortunate, or to support gay rights in this country, we have to say cheers with a glass of Sweet Tea — not Hennesy Black [the alcoholic drink Samantha Ronson was promoting].
GREEN CELEBRITY STATS: LINDSAY LOHAN
As for actress Lindsay Lohan and her status as a green celebrity? She’s been fairly self-indulgent over the years but has done a few good news green celebrity things not relating to binge drinking or partying — like figuring out that wearing real fur is not a popular celebrity fashion statement worth making. The former Disney Princess actually got razzed pretty heavily for wearing fur by the not-so-kind people at PETA, who then did the right thing by following up with the star to help educate her about how animals are treated that provide their skins. Once LiLo learned about the process it takes to make fur coats, she felt a little sick about her wardrobe choice — and started acting as a celebrity spokesperson for the group for a period of time. Now her humanitarian endeavors include doing community service during time away from her luxury beach home where she is currently counting off the days of her house arrest following a DUI and shoplifting conviction.