Cover Story
The Top Influencers Over 50
They’re funny, they’re relatable, they’re inspirational ... and they’re a major cultural force. We rank today’s highest-impact older social media stars.
Until recently, being an “influencer” didn’t sound like much. Was it even really a job? But in the past five years, social media stardom has grown into one of the most powerful forces in American pop culture. Influencers now launch trends, sell products, shape opinions and command audiences that rival those of hit TV shows and movies. They’re stars in their own right, driving what is estimated to be a $250 billion industry in advertising and product-endorsement deals. And some of the most successful influencers in the country are over 50.
For many Americans, this change has been easy to miss. There are still movie stars and celebrity athletes, after all, and many of them have gotten in on this game, connecting directly with fans at a speed and with a sense of intimacy that was never possible before.
That intimacy is a key part of the equation. “Influencers are relatable and accessible,” says Jessica Maddox, an associate professor at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and author of The Internet Is for Cats. On TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and podcasts, successful influencers come across as funny, useful or inspiring friends.
To identify high-impact influencers, AARP worked with Influential, a leading marketing agency, using its proprietary data and analysis. They studied follower counts and endorsement deals, along with engagement, authority and that extra spark that makes people watch, share and come back for more. The result: our first-ever list of the top 10 influencers over 50, including cover star Martha Stewart. We also introduce you to up-and-coming creators over 50 worth knowing about. It’s a feature full of people who will entertain and enlighten you—and may even reply when you comment.
10. Maangchi
AGE 69 | SERVING UP FLAVOR
G 6.5 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
F 1.1 MILLION FOLLOWERS
→ Before she became the online star known as Maangchi, Emily Kim was an online gaming obsessive, with the on-screen character name Maangchi, the Korean word for “hammer.” Then Kim’s two grown children steered her into a new passion: filming cooking videos.
Kim had long made classic Korean dishes using family recipes, but she noticed that others’ recipes in English often contained mistakes. So she made her own show.
Working at the time as a counselor at a nonprofit, Kim uploaded her first YouTube video in 2007. She posted several more and built up a following, and by 2015, The New York Times had dubbed her “YouTube’s Korean Julia Child.” Now living in New York, she’s the author of two cookbooks, and her more than 600 YouTube videos have over 786 million total views.
Kim’s videos are informative, charming and fun, whether she’s enthusiastically making kimchi or bibimbap. One of her most popular videos on YouTube, with 22 million views, is for crunchy Korean double-fried chicken. Whatever the dish, she focuses on traditional recipes and authentic ingredients.
“Maangchi became the world’s most trusted guide to Korean cooking,” says Chris Detert, chief communications officer at Influential, “making her a household name in the creator economy.”
Kim’s passion for cooking—and for her online community—has also helped her with two losses. In 2024, her mother died. Then her husband, whom she called “my cameraman, my editing partner and my greatest supporter,” died in 2025. And so the kitchen is cathartic.
Find Maangchi on YouTube @maangchi and on TikTok @maangchitime
9. Jimmy DiResta
AGE 59 | DIY DYNAMO
G 2.1 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
→ Jimmy DiResta is a do-it-yourselfer. So it makes sense that he would eventually build his own show. DiResta, a craftsman who lives in New York’s Catskills, had cohosted cable series such as Trash to Cash on the FX Network and Dirty Money on Discovery, but now being a YouTube star gives him artistic and financial control over his nearly 900 videos, whether he’s building an electric go-kart or restoring an 1873 Winchester rifle (30 million views on that video).
“I’ve had tears and hugs when people say, ‘I was stuck in a dead-end job, but now I feel fulfilled because I spend the evenings doing woodworking,’ ” DiResta says.
Find DiResta on YouTube @jimmydiresta
8. Halle Berry
AGE 60 | UNFILTERED IMAGE
E 9.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
B 4.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
A 1 MILLION FOLLOWERS
“It’s such a great way to have a different expression of who you really are, not letting somebody else editorialize who they want to say you are.”
—Berry, to Jimmy Fallon.
On social media, she shares makeup-free selfies and photos that celebrate body confidence. Berry also posts about her menopause journey and is an advocate for women’s health initiatives.
Find Berry on Instagram and X @halleberry and at facebook.com/halleberry
7. Pedro Pascal
AGE 51 | CANDID CELEB
E 11.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
→ Pedro Pascal, 51, is one of Hollywood’s top leading men and No. 3 in AARP’s Movies for Grownups ranking of the Hottest Gen X Actors. The Chilean-born actor has also built a devoted following by balancing campaigns for brands like Chanel with goofy behind-the-scenes moments from the set, heartfelt tributes to friends and family, support for causes and dry humor.
His fans call him “the internet’s daddy,” a nickname stemming in part from countless fan edits (in which people recut movie or TV scenes and share them), memes and TikTok videos celebrating everything from his infectious laugh to his kindness and charisma. His social media presence is a reminder that you don’t have to be the loudest or most polished voice to make an impact.
Find Pascal on Instagram @pascalispunk
6. Salma Hayek
AGE 60 | STAR POWER
E 29.2 MILLION FOLLOWERS
B 3.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
A 530,900 FOLLOWERS
→ A major Hollywood star and an Academy Award nominee, Hayek has used her platform to challenge stereotypes about aging. She’s posted photos of her gray hair—referring to it as her “hair of wisdom”—and crafted cheeky captions for selfies like “Me waking up and counting how many white hairs and wrinkles have crashed the party this morning.”
Her captions may be playful, but she takes herself seriously.
“Another calling that I have is to remind everyone that women are not disposable after a certain age in any department,” Hayek said in an interview with Marie Claire. “We should battle that with all we’ve got.”
Hayek also speaks about HIV/AIDS awareness, domestic violence, women’s rights, gender equality, animal rescue and greater Latino representation in Hollywood. She often posts in English and Spanish, connecting with audiences across cultures.
As she said in an interview with Glamour, “Art and activism seem to go together naturally, the idea being that if you’re an entertainer, you can have a voice, and if you have a voice, you can make a difference.”
Find Hayek on Instagram and X @salmahayek and at facebook.com/SalmaHayek
5. Gary Vaynerchuk
AGE 50 | THE INFLUENCER’S INFLUENCER
E 11.8 MILLION FOLLOWERS
F 15.4 MILLION FOLLOWERS
B 8 MILLION FOLLOWERS
G 4.85 MILLION FOLLOWERS
A 3 MILLION FOLLOWERS
→ “What’s the ROI of your mother?”
That’s Vaynerchuk, a social media expert and serial entrepreneur, responding to a question about the return on investment of building an online presence. It’s important, even if not always quantifiable—like your family. “The way [my mom] parented me is the reason I have the confidence and passion to do what I do,” he wrote. “I can’t show you metrics on that. But I am proof that the ROI of my mother is enormous.”
Vaynerchuk’s in-your-face approach is part of his appeal. GaryVee, as he’s known, is a best-selling author, podcast host, YouTube host and social media titan with massive numbers on myriad platforms, all of which he uses to cover marketing and life. He is blunt but inspirational—and really intense.
“Stop giving a f--- what other people think about you,” he recently posted on Instagram. “They don’t know who you are inside.”
“He has an abrasive personality, and for some, it’s a little much,” says Neal Schaffer, author of The Age of Influence: The Power of Influencers to Elevate Your Brand. “But that personality also draws people to him.”
Sounds right for a guy who grew up in New York and New Jersey. His family emigrated to Queens from the Soviet Union when he was 3. He worked in the family wine shop, grew the business, became a content creator and founded multiple media companies. His motivational social media posts, often laced with four-letter words, focus on not only success but also satisfaction. Among his messages: “Happiness over money.” “Hustle.” “Be aggressively kind!”
Find Vaynerchuk on Instagram @garyvee
4. Brunch With Babs’ Barbara Costello
AGE 78 | YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
F 4.3 MILLION FOLLOWERS
E 4.1 MILLION FOLLOWERS
B 1.4 MILLION FOLLOWERS
→ In April 2020, Costello let her daughter film her as she prepared her own grandmother’s chicken and potato recipe, a fairly simple dish that she lovingly explained step-by-step. “I truly thought it would be one and done,” Costello says. But social media viewers connected with her friendly style, and that video racked up more than 100,000 views. Costello’s career as an influencer—under account name Brunch With Babs—was born.
“Babs cracked the algorithm,” says Influential’s Detert. “She turns everyday homemaking advice into highly shareable content. But what makes Babs so influential is that she feels less like an influencer and more like everyone’s favorite grandmother. That authenticity translates into an exceptionally engaged audience, which is why she scored so high in our analysis.”
At Brunch With Babs, Costello shares recipes, etiquette tips and home hacks to a wide audience. She’s also published four books, works with partners to promote their brands and puts out a newsletter.
Find Costello on TikTok and Instagram @brunchwithbabs and at facebook.com/brunchwithbabs
3. Snoop Dogg
AGE 54 | FO’ SHIZZLE
E 86.9 MILLION FOLLOWERS
F 29.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
B 51 MILLION FOLLOWERS
A 18.7 MILLION FOLLOWERS
G 11.3 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
“That’s all me. I control it because I want to make sure that the narrative is controlled by me. When you see anything on my social media, if it’s funny, if it’s real, if it’s truthful—that’s me.”
→ If Snoop is into something, it becomes cool. The rapper-turned-entrepreneur joined Instagram in 2011, three months after its debut, and bragged about being the first celebrity on the platform. The founders credited him with helping it gain traction. Since then, Snoop has built a virtual empire.
Find Snoop on TikTok, Instagram, X and YouTube @snoopdogg and at facebook.com/snoopdogg
2. Shaquille O’Neal
AGE 54 | A GIANT AMONG INFLUENCERS
E 35.2 MILLION FOLLOWERS
F 14.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
→ Everything about Shaquille O’Neal is big, and not just because he’s 7 foot 1. The legendary center won four NBA championships, made 15 all-star teams, recorded rap albums and starred in movies. His net worth is an estimated $500 million, and much of that came after his basketball career, through various investments. He’s also a ubiquitous spokesman in TV commercials. And the Big Fella (one of his many nicknames) even has his own candy: Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies.
Corporate America likes Shaq because everyone likes Shaq. He’s funny, he’s friendly, he’s playful. Shaq’s formula for social media posts: It’s “60 percent to make you laugh, 30 percent to inspire you and the last 10 percent to let you know what I’m about,” he told an interviewer. In one recent TikTok video, he appears in slow motion while accidentally falling. He once joked about his notoriously subpar free-throw ability: “Me shooting 40 percent at the foul line is just God’s way to say nobody’s perfect.”
“Celebrities might be shy about the way they present themselves, but he is not afraid.”
—Neal Schaffer, author of The Age of Influence
“He doesn’t try to be someone that he’s not,” author Schaffer notes. “A lot of people, especially celebrities, might be shy about the way they present themselves in social media, but he is not afraid to be seen eating big burgers or what have you.” Says O’Neal on his social media: “If you don’t like me, there must be something wrong with you.”
Find O’Neal on Instagram and TikTok @shaq
1. Martha Stewart
The ‘Queen of Entertaining’ has remained a viral sensation for nearly 45 years
BY NATASHA STOYNOFF
AGE 85, THE ORIGINAL INFLUENCER
E 9 MILLION FOLLOWERS
F 2 MILLION FOLLOWERS
B 4.2 MILLION FOLLOWERS
A 3 MILLION FOLLOWERS
G 1.2 MILLION FOLLOWERS
IN THE PAST DECADE, Martha Stewart has won over a new generation with a saucier, sassier persona. But before there was TikTok, Instagram or even Facebook, there was Martha. Since the 1982 debut of her first cookbook, Entertaining, Stewart has been teaching generations what to cook, how to entertain, what to plant, how to decorate and, increasingly, what to buy.
Her brand took a hit after her 2004 conviction and five-month prison stint related to a stock trade. She bounced back with crafts, talk and cooking shows, meal kits, a New York City café and even Martha-branded houses. Most recently, Stewart was named “Cast Iron Ambassador” by Kohler and launched Elm Biosciences’ Elemental Lip Serum (check out her pouty portrait on IG) in September. And her socials are booming: The 85-year-old has even earned a moniker—“Queen of Instagram”—any younger influencer would envy.
“Martha’s influence is much bigger than her follower count suggests,” says Chris Detert, chief communications officer at Influential, the influencer marketing company that worked with AARP to develop this list of top influencers over 50. “She has an unusually engaged audience, deep cultural relevance and decades of credibility behind her. She’s not just reaching people—she’s built the kind of trust and cultural staying power that turns an audience into influence.”
Stewart chatted with AARP from her farmhouse in New York.
Q: What is it that you’ve been trying to tell the world?
My message was “Homemaking can be very beautiful, it can be sexy, it can be intriguing, it can be intellectual. It isn’t just cleaning your house and begrudgingly cooking the meals for your family. It can be exciting.” I wanted to elevate a task, which is housekeeping, to the art of homemaking. And that’s what I did. We elevated one very important aspect of every single day of living to an art form. It hasn’t really changed.
Q: Today, you have 3 million followers on your personal Instagram page. What draws the biggest reaction?
Anything with Snoop Dogg. I recently posted a picture with David Beckham and got a million-something views. Instagram is so easy to upload photos, so easy to write captions, so easy to see results, to see the reader interaction. People know where in the world I am, what I’m doing, what I’m wearing, what I’m promoting. I’ve done TikToking and, of course, YouTubing.
Q: What makes a successful influencer?
I don’t really know, because so many people are influencing so many millions of people in very odd ways today. I just spent three days with [28-year-old media personality] MrBeast. Who the heck is MrBeast? Why is he getting billions of hits on his YouTube channels? He struck a chord. He found a void that wasn’t being filled, and he filled it. You have to study each influencer and see, are they really influencing, or are they just wasting people’s time? He does not seem to be wasting people’s time. He seems to be entertaining and intriguing.
Q: You’ve always been the face of your brand. Why has that worked so well?
People want to know you. They want to know that you’re part of their daily life, important to them in some specific way.
Q: You’ve been called the OG—original gangster—of influencers. Your signature catchphrase from the ’90s,“It’s a good thing,” was pre-internet-meme gold.
That was something I said on my very first TV show in 1993. I painted a handle of a piece of garden equipment orange, and I said, “Now this will never get lost in the garden. It’s a good thing.”
Q: You took it “viral”—it became a theme in your magazine. Another good thing!
When I first started, we didn’t have Instagram, we didn’t have Twitter, we didn’t have Facebook. All that stuff came later. So the magazine, Martha Stewart Living, was very important to people. They read every single word and kept every issue. People still come up to me all the time and say, “I have every issue of your magazine, so I still refer to it all the time.” It’s exactly what you want to have happened.
From top: on TV with Snoop Dogg, 2016; with daughter upon prison release, 2005; New York Stock Exchange stunt, 1999
Q: You have great chemistry with Snoop Dogg. How did your pairing come about?
He was on my TV show several times. He made brownies with me, but he made his green brownies and I made my brown brownies. And people loved it. They loved the rap music, they loved that I liked rap music. I was introducing them to something new and different. I think I was the first TV personality to really focus a little bit on rap. I had not only Snoop Dogg, but I had Busta Rhymes and I had Puff Daddy—pre P. Diddy. And then Snoop and I did that 2015 Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber together, and we sat next to each other and became the adorable couple of the roast.
Q: One of your most viral Instagram posts was a sultry selfie by the pool circa 2020. Had you heard of the term “thirst trap” beforehand?
Oh no, absolutely not. I had no idea. I thought it was just a really great picture of me.
From top: Sports Illustrated cover, 2023; St. Barth, circa 1990
Q: As was your very viral 2023 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover. You recently turned 85; what message do you have for women of a certain age?
That you can be very attractive at any age; you don’t have to become a frump. You should maintain a femininity, you should maintain a beauty, you should maintain good health, you should maintain strength. You should do all of it.
Q: Your sexy ad for MAC lipstick, with you biting into a strawberry and licking honey, was very Kim Basinger à la 9½ Weeks.
I love that movie. I might have been thinking of that.
Q: It was your idea?
Of course! If it’s on my Instagram, it’s pretty much my idea. I have people helping me [with social media], but everything you see on my personal Instagram is pretty much my posts—that’s @marthastewart48.
“Homemaking can be very beautiful, it can be sexy, it can be intriguing, it can be intellectual.”
Q: Who do you follow on social media?
I scroll through things that interest me. I like to see what’s doing in cooking, what’s doing in gardening, in pruning bushes and trees. I like extraordinary things and performances. I like to see geniuses at work. It’s very random, what I follow.
Q: Among your zillion businesses, we noticed you’re getting into online matchmaking.
Oh, I posted last week about my car repairman and my chow chow. I called it “Two hunks looking for mates”—Emperor Han, my 8-year-old chow, and Mike Keane, who lives nearby and comes to visit the horses and dogs. They’re sitting on the floor, two very handsome guys. Girls from all over commented. It got 560 comments—that’s a lot of comments. It got almost a million views.
Q: You love this proverb: “If you want to be happy for a week, get married. If you want to be happy for 10 years, get a dog. If you want to be happy for life, make a garden.”
I totally believe that.
Q: So ... how are your gardens doing?
My gardens are so beautiful. I left my house a quarter to 8 this morning to do an errand, and I saw my orange lily bed all in bloom, so I took a video. I don’t waste an opportunity. Find Stewart on IG, TikTok, YouTube and X @marthastewart and at facebook.com/marthastewart
Natasha Stoynoff is an award-winning journalist, screenwriter and New York Times best-selling author.
The Best, Weirdest, Funniest and Most Memorable Influencer Moments
The world of social media stardom is wider (and wilder!) than you may think. A sampling of recent thrills, deals and buzzy moments from older online stars
FAMOUS “FAMILY’’
In August, actor Michael B. Jordan thanked Mary Story, 89, of Oklahoma, after a post in which she placed him among family photos.
PLAYING CHICKEN
In July, Bethenny Frankel launched a “Chicken Salad Olympics” on her social channels. Millions of views and comments later, a winner was anointed: New Jersey’s Blonde Shallot eatery.
ACTING HER AGE
Commenters said beauty influencer Cecilia Moreno couldn’t be 50, so she posted her 1986 middle school photo.
COOL CURATOR
“Chat, peep this bussin’ clay dish,” Alison Luchs, 77, of Washington, D.C.’s National Gallery of Art, says in a viral video. (Translation from Gen Z slang: “Everyone, look at this beautiful clay dish.”)
ART AT ANY AGE
George Strausman, 102, of New York, went viral with videos of his skills in pottery, a late-in-life hobby.
THEIR 10TH THANKSGIVING
Friends via an errant text in 2016, Wanda Dench, 69, and Jamal Hinton post about their holiday gatherings.
The First Influencer in Chief?
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, 54
“I’ve always tried to fly above it and not get pulled down into the sludge—and use my social influence/power for the good stuff, the stuff that makes a real positive impact in people’s lives,” Johnson wrote on X.
The actor and former pro wrestler supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And he’s said he wouldn’t rule out a presidential run. Meanwhile, his social media tips are life advice: “Always remember the golden rule: It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” —Whitney Matheson
Find the Rock on Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube @therock and at facebook.com/DwayneJohnson
The Kids Love Them
Bethenny Frankel, 55
Frankel was on The Real Housewives of New York City starting in 2008, then leveraged that fame into businesses and books—and a seven-figure following on Instagram, including many who were too young to have seen her on TV back then. “My girlfriend’s four daughters said, ‘We are obsessed with you,’ ” Frankel says.
Find Frankel on Instagram and TikTok @bethennyfrankel and at facebook.com/bethennyfrankel
Grandma Droniak, 96
Lillian Droniak records videos at her Connecticut nursing home as she gets ready for events (“I’m 96 today, but I feel 26!” she declared on her birthday), gossips about residents, drinks a giant glass of wine and shares memories.
“She has no filter and can be very sassy, but she has a loving spirit,” says grandson Kevin, 29. —W.M.
Find Grandma Droniak on TikTok and Instagram @grandma_droniak
Always in Fashion
Carla Rockmore, 59
Vogue has dubbed this fashion influencer the Carrie Bradshaw of TikTok. She speaks to older audiences: “It’s time to trust your gut. You will sit in your own skin more comfortably if you listen to yourself rather than the exterior noise.”
Find her on TikTok @carlarockmore, Instagram @carla.rockmore and YouTube @CarlaRockmore1
Irvin Randle, 64
He went from schoolteacher to fashion sensation. But to Randle, more than clothes makes the man: “Being a gentleman is about inner integrity, mindful interactions and effortless grace.” —Maisy Fernandez
Find Randle on Instagram @irvinrandle and TikTok @therealirvinrandle
Changing Lives, by the Millions
Mel Robbins, 57
“You are one decision away from a completely different life,” Mel Robbins likes to remind her millions of followers. The Mel Robbins Podcast is a consistently top-listened-to show, with guests promoting healthy habits and positive thinking. Her 2024 book, The Let Them Theory, which sold more than 10 million copies in its first year, advises readers to stop basing their personal decisions on other people’s actions and opinions. “I am so grateful all this happened late in life,” Robbins has said of her success. “To have created something that’s making a positive global impact one person at a time, that is humbling.” —W.M.
Find Robbins on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @melrobbins and at facebook.com/melrobbins
Helping Followers Stay Fit
Denise Austin, 69
Bright, buoyant and relentlessly optimistic, Austin has spent a career sharing short, simple workouts designed to trim, tone and strengthen. In the ’80s and ’90s, she reached millions through TV, videotapes and DVDs. But she and her viewers have migrated. “I feel very close to my Facebook followers,” she says. “We have this bond. We’ve aged together.”
Visitors to Austin’s social media will find a large supply of simple, low-impact exercise routines along with tips about nutrition, hydration and weight management.
An aging audience has meant changes. Austin once showed women how to tone up after pregnancy. Now she helps them stay fit through menopause and beyond. —Bill Hangley Jr.
Find Austin on Instagram @deniseaustin and at facebook.com/DeniseAustin
Read about even more influencers to know! Go to aarp.org/topinfluencers