All Reality TV Stars Who Have Run for Political Office, Confirmed

The 2024 presidential election features Donald Trump, a former reality TV star, on the ballot. However, he’s far from the only celebrity who’s gone after a political spot. Here are all the reality TV stars who have run for political office.

Every Reality TV Star Who’s Run for Political Office

Donald Trump

Business mogul Donald Trump took over the reality TV space when he became the host of The Apprentice on NBC. While he held that spot for over a decade, he was fired by NBC after making inappropriate comments on the campaign trail during his first run for President of the United States.

Trump won the presidency in 2016 before losing to Joe Biden in 2020. He returned to the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 election, running against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Dr. Mehmet Oz

A decorated surgeon, Dr. Mehmet Oz started his TV career in the early 2000s. He hosted several programs that saw him provide medical information to people who were in need of help and discuss matters of health, including The Dr. Oz Show, which ran for 13 seasons.

Oz decided to give up reality TV to start a political career. In 2022, he ran for the United States Senate in Pennsylvania. Despite being the first Muslim candidate nominated by either major party, Oz lost to the Democratic nominee, John Fetterman.

Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner is a former Olympian and a massive reality star. After marrying Kris Jenner, Jenner appeared on E!’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians alongside Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian, as well as her daughters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Jenner even had her own show, I Am Cait, which was all about her transition.

However, in 2021, Jenner decided to enter the political realm, running in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election. She finished 13th and hasn’t made a bid for another political position since.

Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken became a household name after appearing in the second season of American Idol. Despite finishing second to Ruben Studdard, Aiken went on to become one of the most successful artists in the show’s history, selling over five million albums.

Music isn’t Aiken’s only passion, though, with the former reality TV star running for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina in 2014. He lost the election to Renee Ellmers, but that didn’t deter him. He ran again in North Carolina’s fourth district in 2022, losing the primary to Valerie Foushee.

Rupert Boneham

Survivor has been on so long that it’s not all that shocking that it’s one of the shows that’s had a contestant run for political office. Rupert Boneham appeared on various versions of the show, even taking home a massive cash prize on Survivor: America’s Tribal Council, which saw viewers decide the winner.

Boneham took all the positive press and decided to start a political career. He ran for Governor of Indiana in 2012 as the Libertarian nominee. Unfortunately, he came up short, losing to the future Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.

Steve Lodge

Caitlyn Jenner wasn’t the only reality star to run for Governor of California in 2021. Steve Chavez Lodge, who at one point was engaged to Real Housewives of Orange Country star Vicki Gunvalson, also threw his hat in the ring. It didn’t work out, of course, but it wasn’t his rodeo, as he had also run for city council in 2012.

Surya Yalamanchili

After having a successful run on The Apprentice, Surya Yalamanchili thought he could take his business expertise and help make a difference in politics. He ran for United States Congress in Ohio in 2010, losing to Jean Schmidt.

And those are all the reality TV stars who have run for political office.