This research contributes to our understanding of the increasing mixture of entertainment and politics by examining the impact of the political statements made by celebrities on the opinions of youths in the United States. Specifically, we examine Oscar night speeches with political content. Employing a post-test only experimental design, we compare the attitudes on gay marriage of three separate samples of Bowling Green State University students: those exposed to no media coverage of Proposition 8's passage; those exposed to CBS News coverage; and, finally, those exposed to Sean Penn's blistering attack on supporters of Prop 8 and endorsement of same-sex marriage in his speech claiming the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk. Young people exposed to the CBS News video explaining California's Proposition 8 were moved toward increased support for gay marriage. Sean Penn's speech appeared to have little effect, however. This is because the method employed does simulate the actual TV watching experience quite well. Young conservatives who oppose gay marriage elected not to watch Penn's speech, thereby severely limiting the actor's influence.

Same sex marriage's legal status has played a significant role in American politics for some time, but especially over the past decade. In 1996 President Clinton signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act, which had passed both houses of Congress with overwhelming majorities. The law permitted states not to recognize same sex marriages performed in other states as valid (in potential conflict with Article IV's “full faith and credit” clause).