Lady Gaga made co-chair of President Joe Biden’s cultural committee leading stars including George Clooney

Virgin Radio

14 Apr 2023, 16:32

Superstar singer Lady Gaga has been appointed as co-Chair of US President Joe Biden's Committee On The Arts And Humanities alongside American Beauty producer Bruce Cohen. The panel will 'advise Biden on cultural issues, including prominent artists, scholars, and philanthropists who have demonstrated a serious commitment to the arts and humanities'.

Executive Director of the committee Tsione Wolde-Michael stated that it is “positioned to do meaningful work that will positively impact the arts, libraries, museums, and public humanities work in communities across the country”.

Set up by Ronald Reagan in 1982, the Committee has been on hold for five years after members disbanded in protest over former president Donald Trump’s response to the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Last October, President Biden issued an executive order to reinstate the committee, describing the arts and humanities as “essential to the well-being, health, vitality and democracy of our nation".

Joining Gaga and Cohen on the new panel are stars including Jennifer Garner, Kerry Washington and George Clooney. 

The White House said in a statement about the star: "Lady Gaga is known for her philanthropy and staunch support of LGBTQI+ rights and mental health. She has traveled with President Biden to support the It’s On Us campaign to combat campus sexual assault, has worked tirelessly over the years to advocate for equality, and has been an outspoken champion of mental health awareness. At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, she curated a televised concert to benefit the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, helping raise over $128 million.

"Alongside her mother Cynthia Germanotta, she founded and leads Born This Way Foundation, which supports the mental health of young people and works with them to build a kinder and braver world. Since its inception, the Foundation has demonstrated the transformative power of kindness and its impact on mental health through youth-driven initiatives, research-based programming, and high-level partnerships."

The full list of committee members are:

Bruce Cohen, Co-Chair

Lady Gaga, Co-Chair

Jon Batiste, Member

Constance M. Carroll, Member

George Clooney, Member

Philip J. Deloria, Member

M. Angélica Garcia, Member

Jennifer Garner, Member

Nora Halpern, Member

Steve Israel, Member

Marta Kauffman, Member

Ricky Kirshner, Member

Troy Kotsur, Member

Katie McGrath, Member

Laura Penn, Member

Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Member

Arnold Rampersad, Member

Shonda Rhimes, Member

Kimberly Richter Shirley, Member

Horacio Sierra, Member

Anna Deavere Smith, Member

Joe Walsh, Member

Kerry Washington, Member

Pauline Yu, Member

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