This is a list of famous people who have been reported to express admiration for Ayn Rand. In other words, some medium somewhere said that this person likes Ayn Rand. Since I am not a professional journalist, this list should not be taken at face value; some names might appear here by mistake. If I say that Jim Carrey admires Ayn Rand, for example, you may want to double-check that if you care to. When actress Sharon Lawrence was mistakenly reported to be a Republican, she was suddenly ostracized by the Hollywood community; I wouldn't want Al Franken to start a jihad against Jim Carrey after hearing false reports of Jim Carrey liking Ayn Rand. Also note that some of the information here might be outdated; just because someone liked Ayn Rand at one time, it doesn't mean he likes her today (which is evidence that some people become less wise over time?).

In short: I wrote this for entertainment purposes. It should not be taken as any kind of serious journalistic document (though serious journalist investigations on this topic are more than welcome).

If I am aware that a celebrity who once admired Ayn Rand has since become hostile toward her, that celebrity will not be included here unless I have a disclaimer saying that that famous person doesn't like her anymore. That is why Sleepless in Seattle writer Nora Ephron isn't listed here. In some cases, I have included some known Rand admirers-turned-haters here because I want to make some comments about them (such as Sen. Shrillary Rotten Clinton).

Ayn Rand is well-known for stressing the importance of making decisions based upon one's independent judgment, rather than making choices based on appeals from authority. Given that, you may wonder why I have made a list of famous people who like Ayn Rand. You shouldn't like Ayn Rand just because all of these famous people do, right? Of course. I have not made this list to persuade anyone to like Ayn Rand; I just composed it because I personally thought it was an interesting project. I would much prefer that you fall in love with Ayn Rand based on your own independent assessment of her own merits as a writer. Of course, if your favorite celebrity being listed here makes you curious enough to check out her fiction, that wouldn't hurt. ;-)

There is a special criterion for appearing on this list. To be considered a celebrity worthy of being listed here, one must be famous among people outside of the Objectivist and/or libertarian and/or conservative movements. Libertarian Party co-founder David F. Nolan likes Ayn Rand, but, since only libertarians know who he is, he doesn't count. On the other hand, many leftwing intellectuals have heard of the late Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick, so he is included.

My list of Ayn Rand admirers was largely inspired by the Advocates for Self-Government's list of "libertarian celebrities." And, again, I show you that list, not because one should accept an ideology based on celebrity endorsement, but I just find such lists entertaining and sociologically stimulating.