Celebrities who’ve attract the biggest social media followings around the internet

Curious which celebrities are the most popular on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram? Learn which stars have the biggest social media followings.

In the early years of the entertainment industry, the popularity of celebrities was measured by criteria such as the audience size at their plays, box office success of their films, and critics’ reviews of their TV shows.

And while all of the above still counts, social media has become king when it comes to the fans’ fondness for celebrities. Take a trip down social media memory lane to see who’s been most popular in the past and present.

Celebrities with the most followers on Twitter

Katy Perry currently has the most Twitter followers, according to Friend Or Follow.

Perry has a staggering 106 million followers eagerly reading the tweets from the singer whose bio reads simply: “Love. Light.”

Behind Perry is Justin Bieber with 104 million followers. His bio: “Let’s make the world better.” He’s still the most followed Canadian on Twitter.

And sorry, Beliebers, but Katy has been ahead of Justin for years. She passed him as having the most Twitter followers back in 2013.

Back in 2012, however, a woman who has defied being categorized in recent months (movie star? songwriter? pop star?) was the runaway winner for Twitter followers. Lady Gaga topped Twitter, at that point acquiring an average of nearly 40,000 followers daily.

Celebrities with the most followers on Instagram

2018 turned into a game changer for celebrities on Instagram. Selena Gomez seemed like she would hold the lead as having the most followers on Instagram forever… .until she slipped to second.

Who dared to amass more followers than Queen Selena? Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, with 149 million followers.

In 2019, Cristiano has held onto his top spot, with Selena in second, according to Statista.

However, some new developments on Instagram in February 2019 may be changing the game. Elle reported that Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande were almost tied as the most followed women on Instagram, but then Grande’s numbers abruptly dropped.

But if you’re a Grande fan, don’t sweat too much. Instagram turned to Twitter in an unusual intersection of social media to announce it was just a temporary glitch.

And for a true game-changer, consider what happened to Kylie Jenner’s record for the most-liked Instagram photo. It got broken by… (drumroll, please) an egg on Jan. 14, 2019.

Yes, Jenner had the record for almost a year until that sassy egg came along. Her photo, posted on February 6, 2018, was a birth announcement of her first child, Stormi Webster — which earned 18 million likes.

But the egg picture, shared on January 4 urging everyone to beat Kylie, captured the record with 28 million likes.

Celebrities with the most followers on Facebook

The current Instagram winner also has taken over Facebook. Cristiano Ronaldo has the most followers on Facebook of all celebrities, according to Forbes.

Singer Shakira and actor Vin Diesel follow Ronaldo for most Facebook followers.

If you’re surprised at Shakira’s popularity on Facebook, take a look at her page. It’s a treasure chest for fans of everything from her music videos to the opportunity to buy branded products such as “Shakira Hips Don’t Lie Shorts” (we need those).

And in contrast to some celebrities who avoid truly personal comments on social media, Shakira keeps it real.  For example, in a video she shared on both Facebook and Instagram, you see her going wild on the treadmill. She then charmingly explains she’s trying to burn off calories from the four plates of pasta she ate the last night. If that isn’t relatable, we don’t know what is.

Other celebrities who have attracted impressively large numbers of Facebook followers include Lady Gaga, Will Smith, and Miley Cyrus.

Which celebrities do you follow on Instagram? Who are your favorite celebrities on Facebook? Which stars do you think are the best to watch on Twitter? Share your social media findings with us in the comments below!