Cancel culture fades as controversial celebrities and politicians bounce back

Driving the news: Once-canceled Andrew Cuomo is running for mayor of New York, while singer Chris Brown was recently nominated for a Grammy and comedian Shane Gillis has embarked on sold-out tours.

• "Anti-woke" corporate cancellations aren't sticking either. The corporate reputations of Anheuser-Busch InBev and Target saw minimal declines, while Disney is showing signs of recovery, according to the 2024 Axios/Harris Poll 100 rankings.

What they're saying: While speaking at Axios House at SXSW in Austin, Texas, comedian Chelsea Handler commented on Cuomo's attempted comeback.

• "I don't think anyone is unforgivable or unrecoverable unless they're a f***ing murderer or a rapist, you know what I mean?" she said. "And even those people can be rehabilitated, but I think everyone deserves a second chance if they have shown some sort of growth spurt in the areas of which they were, you know, they were coming up a little bit short."
• "He loves New York and New Yorkers, and hopefully he won't repeat any past mistakes he's made, but I'm a big believer in giving people second chances. I'm not into people being canceled for life."

By the numbers: Roughly 6 in 10 U.S. adults are familiar with the phrase "cancel culture," according to a recent Pew Research study.

• Views on cancel culture vary depending on political ideology.
• 65% of Democrats believe that calling people out on social media for posting offensive content holds them accountable, compared to only 34% of Republicans.
• Conversely, 62% of Republicans — but only 32% of Democrats — believe this type of action generally punishes people who didn't deserve it, according to the study.

The big picture: Social media platforms like X, Instagram and Facebook have reinstated previously banned accounts or relaxed their moderation policies.

• Meanwhile, audiences have become more disillusioned and have shorter attention spans, while public relations professionals have gotten savvier in rehabilitating images through targeted communications.

Between the lines: Inappropriate tweets or unsavory commentary aren't enough to get someone canceled these days, especially if there is an established base that will rally in support of them, says crisis communications expert Molly McPherson.

• "I don't think cancel culture has been canceled. I think it's been diminished, and it's changed significantly," she said during a Muck Rack panel at SXSW.
• "With Trump's candidacy, we saw the importance of a base and how a base could really strengthen you and get you through a 'cancellation.' His [candidacy] is a watermark moment that changed cancel culture, because now, if you are a brand, a person, or an entity with a base — and not just stakeholders but I mean, stans or people who live and die by you — you can get through anything."

Zoom in: A prime example of this is the attempted cancellation of Musk and the subsequent boycott of Tesla.

• President Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity are publicly praising Tesla vehicles in an attempt to rally the MAGA base to combat the protests and free-falling share price.

What we're watching: As social media platforms evolve from serving as public town squares to idealogical neighborhoods, it could become easier to stay within one echo chamber free of accountability or scrutiny.

More on Axios:

• Meta's new policies open gate to hate
• Corporate cancellation might not be permanent