Celebrities the Pentagon turned to last year to boost army recruitment

YouTube superstar MrBeast, singer Kelly Clarkson and TV presenter Guy Fieri were among the celebrities to be paid by the US Department of Defence last year in an effort to influence Gen Z to join the military amid low recruitment levels.

Documents obtained by Rolling Stone reveal that America’s Got Talent, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Downey’s Dream Cars, The Price Is Right, Fieri’s All-American Road Trip, and The Jennifer Hudson Show all received funding from production assistance agreements (PAAs), which are first approved by the Pentagon – the US defence headquarters.

MrBeast, AKA Jimmy Donaldson, is one of YouTube’s most popular creators.Credit: Instagram

The Pentagon also approved funding to MrBeast to lead a humanitarian effort in Puerto Rico to be broadcast to his 340 million subscribers, but the deal fell through.

“Social media and other digital media platforms provide opportunities to engage with young people and their mentors and to inform them about career paths and life in the military,” a Government Accountability Office report into recruitment marketing reads, adding: “Social media discussions, videos, and memes, influences [Gen Z’s] values and beliefs.”

However, in the US, the federal government prohibits the military from using TikTok – the most popular social media app for the younger generations – due to its links to Chinese investors.

According to the report, since 2021, only 35 per cent of Gen Z (those aged 13 to 28) hold favourable views of the military, and a growing sentiment of mistrust from young people towards large institutions is the critical issue driving low recruitment numbers.

The Kelly Clarkson Show received funding from production assistance agreements, which are first approved by the Pentagon.Credit: Getty Images

From July 2023 to June 2024, the department spent $US1.9 billion ($3.06 billion) on traditional and digital recruitment and advertising efforts to address the low recruitment issues.

The funding agreements are part of a longstanding quid pro quo between the US military and the entertainment industry.

For Top Gun (1986), starring Tom Cruise, producers struck a deal with the Pentagon for access to military personnel, fighter jets, military bases, vehicles and technology in exchange for the film painting the military in a good light.

After the film hit cinemas, where recruitment tables were set up, pilot applications soared by 500 per cent.

TV host Guy Fieri pictured in 2018.

The Pentagon document underscores the US government’s interest in working alongside influencers and YouTubers.

In 2024, the US Congress considered proposals to update mandatory conscription to include women and make registrations automatic in efforts to address low recruitment.

In Australia, film and television requests can be made to use Defence resources and locations, and are treated as commercial-in-confidence, but the Defence Department says it does not provide financial assistance in any form.

“Each request for Defence support for film, television and other projects is reviewed and considered in light of communicating Defence key messages, and where there is an existing connection and clear benefit to Defence,” according to the Defence requests page.

“Defence do not provide financial assistance as this can put into question a production’s editorial independence.”

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