Oprah's Obama endorsement has hurt her

Celebrities may want to ask themselves, "Is it worth it to endorse political candidates?" There was a time no one challenged Oprah Winfrey but since her enthusiastic endorsement of Barack Obama those days seem gone.

Endorsing Obama may have alienated Oprah with Hillary supporters ... and the divide between the two camps has been ugly at times over the past months.

How has it affected Oprah? According to NewsMax:

Oprah’s endorsement of Barack Obama for president raised her “unfavorable” ratings, allowing her to be overtaken by daytime talk show rival Ellen DeGeneres as the most popular celebrity in the U.S. in a Harris Interactive poll, Ad Age reports.
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And ratings for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” have dropped nearly 7 percent this year, Newsmax’s Insider Report recently noted.

According to the New York Times, the Obama endorsement alienated some of the middle-aged white women who make up the bulk of Oprah’s TV audience, many of whom supported Obama’s rival Hillary Clinton.

Ellen DeGeneres has remained neutral in the political battles swirling around the country. As one who enjoys her show, her wit, and her dancing, I'm grateful. When a celebrity begins to talk politics, it is usually opposite of mine and I lose interest. I want to enjoy the celebrity for his/her entertainment quality, not hear their take on politics. That will turn me off to them in a heartbeat.

Is it worth it to celebrities to alienate members of their audience?