Hollywood Reporter: AAPI celebrities most popular on social media

Dwayne Johnson maintains a close connection with his fans through social media

ASIAN AMERICANS and Pacific Islander celebrities lead The Hollywood Reporter's Top Actors chart for a third week and regained the No. 1 spot for Top TV Personalities.

Samoan/American actor Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson maintains his popularity in social media and Korean/American Joanna Gaines of HGTV's Fixer Upper kept her crown among  TV personalities.

The Top Actors and Top TV Personalities charts are a ranking of the most popular actors on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus, with global data provided by social media analytics company MVPindex. The chart's methodology blends social engagement on the platforms along with weekly additions of followers/subscribers. The latest tracking week ended July 11.

Priyanka Chopra, Gal Gadot, Kevin Hart and Hugh Jackman also vault into the top 10, behind Johnson and Zendaya, who remain at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Filipino/Canadian  actress Shay Mitchell moved to the No. 4 spot.

See the top 5 below (and for the full 25-position chart, check out the Hollywood Reporter issue dated July 12), and for more charts on The Hollywood Reporter, check out the Top Comedians and Top TV Personalities charts.

1. Dwayne Johnson

2. Zendaya

3. Priyanka Chopra

4. Shay Mitchell

5. Jennifer Lopez

After leading the inaugural Top TV Personalities chart on The Hollywood Reporter, Joanna Gaines returns to No. 1 for a second week overall.

Gaines takes over the top spot from Tyra Banks, who had led the previous two weeks. Meanwhile, Anthony Bourdain and Anderson Cooper both enter the top 10.

Social media has emerged as a new way to promote films and TV programs and events. It allows people like Johnson and Gaines to promote their products and reach out to an audience in a more intimate and direct manner.

Johnson, for example, a former professional wrestler, has a fan base all over the globe—evident from his 45.6 million Instagram followers and 54.6 million Facebook fans. 

He has a personal relationship with his followers. The actor, who is part African/American and part Samoan, is only happy to share glimpses into his own life, such as the birth of his new daughter, with his fans, making him all the more three-dimensional and ‘lifelike’ to loyal followers.

Johnson is not the best actor nor does he appear in Oscar-worthy projects, but he wholly accepts his role in Hollywood. He’s happy making popular movies, “popcorn flicks” if you will, that his fans will enjoy, and he knows exactly how to sell them.

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