It only took one iconic quip: “You do french fries, I do franchise,” for “Real Housewives” star Angie Katsanevas to find herself on Capitol Hill promoting entrepreneurs in front of the House Committee on Small Business on Thursday.
“I would have never thought that I would be standing here today because of a viral moment that I didn’t expect to go viral until it did in real time,” Katsanevas, known colloquially online as “Angie K.,” told NOTUS in an interview. “But it’s put a spotlight on franchising, and hopefully on the International Franchise Association and the opportunity that can come with it.”
But Katsanevas wasn’t the only popular social media influencer on Capitol Hill Thursday — longtime Hollywood icon Paris Hilton also made the rounds, meeting with lawmakers to advocate for the bipartisan DEFIANCE Act, which would allow victims of nonconsensual, AI-generated explicit images and video to sue people responsible.
It’s a sign that lawmakers are learning, especially as constituents turn to social media to get their information, to partner with celebrities with platforms to spread awareness on policy issues. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who appeared alongside Hilton at a press conference Thursday, told NOTUS in an interview that she believed it’s essential to have people with public platforms use them to highlight important issues.
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“It’s always significant when everybody and anybody decides to engage in our democracy,” Ocasio-Cortez told NOTUS. “It’s incredibly special when we have everyday people step up, and I think that public figures doing that also shows the rest of us can do it too.”
Hilton has had previous success advocating on Capitol Hill, bringing her own trauma at a youth residential treatment facility to the fore. She spent years championing the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which passed both chambers of Congress in 2024. Ocasio-Cortez noted that bringing celebrities could lead to more success in passing legislation.
“At the end of the day, it makes a difference, and it opens doors. And when we think about some of the times in modern American history when we’ve had waves of transformative legislation passed, it was done alongside public figures who had the bravery and courage to use their platforms to advocate for things that were important to them,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Small Business Committee Chair Roger Williams told NOTUS that he hadn’t watched Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” but his staff suggested that Katsanevas could be a strong messenger on franchise issues. Williams was excited by the idea after learning about Katsanevas’ hair salon franchise Lunatic Fringe.
“I’m not aware of the buzz per se,” Williams told NOTUS. “I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter — we’re glad she’s coming — but it’s her story. It’s the American story. It’s the American dream, and it filters down all across the country, that people can take some risk and get reward. America was built on risk and reward. We’ve gotten away from that a little bit. But she’s an example of that.”
Celebrity sightings are not uncommon on Capitol Hill, but as lawmakers try to up their social media game, bringing high-profile guests to Congress offers new opportunities for content generation. For example, the Small Business Committee posted a video where each of the Republican members imitated a famous tagline from the “Real Housewives” franchise.
Williams’ hearings don’t typically draw large crowds or media throngs, but on Thursday in the Rayburn hearing room, there were cameras, staffers and reporters lined up to get a peek at Katsanevas and her family, who accompanied her.
In a chase for “authenticity” that resonates with voters in the digital age, lawmakers associating with celebrities and their platforms doesn’t just elevate issues, it helps voters easily digest them.
Hilton, for example, shared her experience of an intimate video of her circulating on the internet when she was 19 years old, explaining, “There were no laws at the time to protect me. There weren’t even words for what’s been done to me.”
“I believed the worst was behind me, but it wasn’t, because today, what happened to me then is happening now to millions of women and girls in a more terrifying way,” Hilton said. “Before, someone had to portray your trust and steal something real. Now, all it takes is a career and a stranger’s imagination. Deep fake pornography has become an epidemic.”
The celebrity visits also present a rare opportunity for bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. While Republicans invited Katsanevas’ to visit, Democrats have also embraced the Bravo universe. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the Oversight Committee, appeared on Bravo brainchild Andy Cohen’s late-night show “Watch What Happens Live” in December.
At the Small Business Committee hearing, Democrats and Republicans on the panel took turns asking questions of the witnesses, including Katsanevas.
At a DEFIANCE Act press conference, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers proudly stood beside Hilton.
“This bipartisan effort sends a powerful message that Congress recognizes the real harm caused by nonconsensual, sexually explicit, deepfakes, and we are committed to holding perpetrators accountable,” Republican bill sponsor Rep. Laurel Lee said.
The star appearances on Capitol Hill also begged the question — would these celebrities consider a political bid themselves?
A reporter asked that of Hilton, who did not rule out a future run. For her part, Lee encouraged it, saying she would be “thrilled” to add another “smart, talented, capable” woman to the House of Representatives.
“For me, coming here to the Capitol in D.C. and doing my advocacy work has truly been the most meaningful work of my life,” Hilton said. “And I’m so proud to stand with this cause with these incredible women who are so strong. And I’m just happy to have their support, and I love that I can shine my spotlight on so many causes.”
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