TIME Magazine Reveals Top 100 of 2017! (Full List Inside)
Time Magazine has just revealed the Top 100 Most Influential People list for 2017 and we can’t help but give the nod of approval. Each year Time releases a list of 100 influential individuals, exploring the “intersection of accomplishment and renown”. The people range from the globally famous to he literally unknown; from World Leaders, to Athletes, to certified genius’. One way or another they each embody a breakthrough: they broke rules, broke silence, broke boundaries, broke records, etc. Each honoree is personally interviewed and receives an official write up from someone who first handedly witnessed or even influenced the accomplishments that sets the honorees apart; from Tina Fey’s touching tribute to Donald Glover to Common’s inspiring rite up on Chance The Rapper. One interesting thing to note is the fact that this year’s list perfectly embodies the nation’s current divide as a few of the honorees’ efforts are in response to other’s controversial actions (we’re looking at you Trumps). View the full list below, click the names of each honoree to be taken to their individual write ups.
Pioneers
Samantha Bee The former "Daily Show" correspondent is taking the torch from Jon Stewart with her own new show, "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee."
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is rising the ranks and becoming a household name at only 23, while remaining unsigned to any major label.
Constance Wu Constance Tianming Wu began her career in the theater, before her breakthrough role as Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat.
Gavin Grimm Gavin Grimm, a FTM Transgender, become a LGBTQ spokesperson after taking his case to the Supreme Court, following being banned from using the boys' restroom by the Gloucester County School Board.
Kirsten Green Kirsten Green used a unique and unconventional blend of professional history and acquired investment experience to launch San Francisco-based Forerunner Ventures in 2010, where she currently serves as Founder and Managing Director.
Bob Ferguson Robert Watson "Bob" Ferguson is an attorney and politician who is the 18th and current Attorney General of Washington, serving since 2013. He was first elected Attorney General in 2012, and reelected in 2016.
Ivanka Trump Ivanka Marie Trump is a businesswoman and former fashion model who is currently an assistant to President Donald Trump. She is the daughter of the president and his first wife, former model Ivana Trump.
Demis Hassabis Demis Hassabis is an Artificial Intelligence Pioneer. A former child chess prodigy, he finished his A-levels two years early before coding a multi-million selling simulation game at only 17. Following graduation from Cambridge University he founded Elixir Studios & produced award winning games. Demis returned to academia to complete a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at UCL, followed by postdocs at MIT and Harvard, before founding DeepMind.
Barbara Lynch Barbara Lynch is a restaurateur. In 2014 she was the second woman to be awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, which honors "a working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and ownership."
Hamdi Ulukaya Hamdi Ulukaya is a Kurdish businessman living in the United States. Ulukaya is the owner, founder, Chairman, and CEO of Chobani, the #1-selling strained yogurt brand in the United States.
Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner is a real estate investor and developer, publisher, and senior advisor to Donald Trump. Together with Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon he formed Trump's leadership team.
Celina Maria Turchi Martelli is a Brazilian physician and scientist specializing in the epidemiology of infectious diseases. She is currently a researcher at the Aggeu Magalhães Research Center of the Osvaldo Cruz Foundation in Pernambuco.
Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele is best known for starring in the Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele and for his five seasons as a cast member on MADtv. However, he rose to a new level following the huge success of his recent film Get Out.
Glenda Gray Glenda Elisabeth Gray is a South African physician and scientist specializing in the care of children and in HIV medicine and was awarded South Africa's highest honor, the Order of Mapungubwe.
Yuriko Koike Yuriko Koike currently serves as the governor of Tokyo. She was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 1993 to 2016 and was previously the Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. On July 31, 2016, Koike was elected Governor of Tokyo, the city's first female governor.
Conor McGregor Conor Anthony McGregor is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, and former UFC Featherweight Champion.
Riz Ahmed Riz MC, is a As an actor, he was initially known for his work in independent films before his breakout role in Nightcrawler. Since then, he has appeared in the films Una, Jason Bourne, and the first Star Wars Anthology film, Rogue One.
Guus Velders An atmospheric chemist, he has spent his life exploring how small and extemly common pollutants have the power to harm our natural world.
Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour These four ladies rose to fame after co-founding the historical Woman’s March on Washington following the latest Presidential election.
Natalie Batalha is the project scientist for NASA's Kepler mission, the agency's first dedicated planet-seeking mission tasked to determine whether worlds around other stars are common by looking for telltale dips in a star's brightness caused by crossing, or transiting, planets. Michael Gillon led the research that discovered seven Earth-size planets around TRAPPIST-1, a nearby ultra-cool dwarf star, approximately 40 light years away. Guillem Anglada-Escudé led the research team who discovered Proxima b, a roughly Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting at a distance from its star that would allow temperatures mild enough for liquid water to pool on its surface.
Artists
Emma Stone Emily Jean "Emma" Stone is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actresses in 2015, Stone has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Colson Whitehead Colson Whitehead is a New York-based novelist. He is the author of six novels, including his debut work, the 1999 novel The Intuitionist, and the National Book Award-winning novel The Underground Railroad.
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter, actor, guitarist and record producer. He was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk.
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, pianist and actress.
Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian actor. He portrayed Michael Bergen on the ABC sitcom Two Guys and a Girl (1998–2001), Billy Simpson in the YTV Canadian teen soap opera Hillside (1991), as well as Marvel Comics characters Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity (2004), Wade Wilson / Weapon XI in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and the title character in Deadpool (2016) for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover is an American actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, rapper, singer, and songwriter.
Leslie Jones Leslie Jones is an American comedian and actress who is a cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live. Jones has been a featured performer at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and the Aspen Comedy Festival.
Benjamin Schiff "Ben" Platt is an American film and stage actor best known for his work on Broadway as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen and Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon.
Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay is an American director, screenwriter, film marketer, and film distributor. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, DuVernay won the Best Director Prize for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first African-American woman to win the award. For her work in Selma (2014), DuVernay was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award. With Selma, she was also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, though she was not nominated for Best Director. In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th (2016). DuVernay's next film, A Wrinkle in Time, reportedly has a budget exceeding $100 million, making DuVernay the first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget of that size.
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins is an American film director and writer based in Los Angeles, known for his films Medicine for Melancholy and Moonlight.
Margot Robbie Margot Elise Robbie is an Australian actress. Robbie started her career by appearing in Australian independent films in the late 2000s. She was later cast in the soap opera Neighbours (2008–2011), which earned her two Logie Award nominations. After moving to the United States, Robbie starred in the short-lived ABC drama series Pan Am (2011–2012). In 2013, she made her big screen debut in Richard Curtis's romantic comedy-drama film About Time and co-starred in Martin Scorsese's biographical black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. In 2015, Robbie co-starred in the romantic comedy-drama film Focus, appeared in the romantic World War II drama film Suite Française and starred in the science fiction film Z for Zachariah. That same year, she played herself in The Big Short. In 2016, she portrayed Jane Porter in the action-adventure film The Legend of Tarzan and Harley Quinn in the superhero film Suicide Squad.
Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson is an American actress. After beginning her acting career on stage, she starred in the 1990s television series American Gothic and Jack & Jill. She is popular for her roles in the hit series American Horror Story and OJ vs The People.
James Corden James Kimberley Corden, OBE is an English actor, writer, producer, comedian, television host and singer. He hosts The Late Late Show with James Corden, a late-night television talk show on CBS.
John Legend John Roger Stephens, known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. Prior to the release of Legend's debut album, he collaborated with already established artists.
Alessandro Michele is an Italian fashion designer and business executive. He was appointed creative director of Gucci in January 2015, and is responsible for all of Gucci’s collections and global brand image.
Kerry James Marshall Kerry James Marshall an American artist born in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and now lives in Chicago, Illinois, where he previously taught at the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a 1978 graduate of Otis College of Art and Design.
Demi Lovato Outside the entertainment industry, Lovato has been involved with several social and environmental causes since the launch of her career. In May 2013, she was cited for her dedication as a mentor to teens and young adults with mental health challenges at a National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in Washington, D.C.. She has also become an advocate for the LGBT community, and women's rights. In 2014, she was announced as the Grand Marshal for LA Pride week, and that same year she became the face for Human Rights Campaign's Americans for Marriage Equality Campaign. In April 2016, Lovato was honored with the GLAAD Vanguard Award for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for LGBT people.
Leaders
Theresa Mary May is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2016. She has been the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead since 1997. She has been Leader of the Conservative Party since 2016.
Narendra Damodardas Modi is an Indian politician who is the 14th and current Prime Minister of India, in office since May 2014. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi.
Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer is an American politician, the senior United States senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%.
Donald John Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States. Prior to entering politics he was a businessman and television personality.
Elizabeth Ann Warren is an American academic and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts.
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian computer programmer, publisher and journalist. He is editor-in-chief of the organization WikiLeaks, which he founded in 2006.
James Brien "Jim" Comey, Jr. is an American lawyer and the current Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Kim Jong-un is the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea. Kim is the second child of Kim Jong-il and his consort Ko Yong-hui.
Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus is the current White House Chief of Staff for U.S. President Donald Trump, serving since January 20, 2017.
Xi Jinping is the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte, also known as Digong, is a Filipino politician and jurist who is the 16th and current President of the Philippines. He is the first Mindanaoan to hold the office, and the fourth of Visayan descent.
Stephen Kevin "Steve" Bannon is an American political aide, and former media executive and film producer, who is currently the White House Chief Strategist in the Trump administration.
Theo Nathaniel Epstein is an American baseball executive and attorney currently serving as the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.
Thomas Edward "Tom" Perez is an American Democratic Party politician, consumer advocate, civil rights lawyer, and Chair of the Democratic National Committee since 2017. Perez was the United States Secretary of Labor from 2013 to 2017.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician. Putin is the current President of the Russian Federation, holding the office since 7 May 2012.
Wang Qishan is a senior leader of the Communist Party of China. Since 2012 he has been a member of the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, China's highest decision making body.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the President of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the Prime Minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as the Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.
Sandra Day O'Connor is a retired associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving from her appointment in 1981 by Ronald Reagan until her retirement in 2006.
Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.
James Norman "Jim" Mattis is the 26th and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the Trump Administration.
Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is the King of Thailand, since 2016. As the tenth monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, he is also styled as Rama X. At the age of 64, Vajiralongkorn is the oldest Thai monarch to ascend to the throne.
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, GColIH is the 32nd and current President of Colombia and sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
Major general Qasem Soleimani or Ghasem Soleimaniis an Iranian senior military officer in the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) and since 1998 commander of its Quds Force—a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations.
Melinda Ann Gates, DBE is an American philanthropist, former Microsoft employee, and wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. She is co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Titans
Janet Louise Yellen is an American economist. She is the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, previously serving as Vice Chairwoman from 2010 to 2014.
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association.
Daniel Ek is a Swedish entrepreneur and a technologist. Ek is best known as the co-founder and CEO of the music streaming service Spotify.
Bernard Tyson is the current CEO of integrated managed care consortium Kaiser Permanente. He was previously president and chief operating officer of the company for two years.
Evan Thomas Spiegel is an American Internet entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of the American multinational technology and social media company Snap Inc., which he created (as Snapchat Inc.) with Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown while they were students at Stanford University.
George McDonald Church an American geneticist, molecular engineer, and chemist. As of 2015, he is Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, and was a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. As of March 2017, Church serves as a member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Board of Sponsors.
Liu Qing or Jean Liu, is a Chinese business executive. Jean is the President of Didi Chuxing, China's largest mobile transportation platform.
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.
James Allison is a motor sport designer and engineer, best known for his accomplishments in Formula 1, where he is the current Technical Director of Mercedes-AMG.
Rebekah "Bekah" Mercer is an American foundation director and Republican donor. Mercer directs the Mercer Family Foundation and served on the Executive Committee of the transition team of United States President-elect Donald Trump.
Jason Ferus Blum is an American film producer. Blum is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions.
Jeff Bezos is an American engineer, technology and retail entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist who is best known as the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, which is the world's largest online shopping retailer.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma is an entrepreneur and founder of Paytm. Sharma was born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He cites Alibaba's founder Jack Ma and Masayoshi Son of Softbank as his inspirations. Sharma started college at the age of 15.
Margrethe Vestager is a Danish politician, who is currently serving as the European Commissioner for Competition. She served as a Member of Parliament from 20 November 2001 until 2 September 2014, representing the Danish Social Liberal Party.
Idols
Simone Biles Simone Arianne Biles is an American artistic gymnast. Biles is the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist. She was part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Ashley Graham Ashley Graham is an American model. She has appeared on the cover of fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, and Elle. In addition, she appeared in several Levi's campaigns.
Cynthia Morris "Cindy" Sherman is an American photographer and film director, best known for her conceptual portraits. In 1995, she was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship.
John Lewis John Robert Lewis is an American politician and civil rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district, serving since 1987, and is the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation.
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood, CC OOnt FRSC is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist.
Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick born November 3, 1987) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Kaepernick played collegiate football at the University of Nevada where he was named the Western Athletic Offensive Player of the Year twice and was the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. Kaepernick was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Jeanette Vizguerra Jeanette Vizguerra is an undocumented mother of four who has been taking refuge in the basement of a white stone church in Denver.
Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Brazil national team.
RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles, known professionally by his mononym RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, television personality, and recording artist.
Raf Simons Raf Simons is a Belgian fashion designer. Beginning in furniture design, he launched his own menswear label in 1995. In April 2012 he was announced as the creative director at Christian Dior. On October 22, 2015 he resigned from Christian Dior.
Biram Dah Abeid Biram Dah Abeid is a Mauritanian politician and advocate for the abolition of slavery. He was listed as one of "10 People Who Changed the World You Might Not Have Heard Of" by PeaceLinkLive in 2014.
Leila de Lima Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima is a Filipino lawyer, human rights activist and politician.
David Adjaye Sir David Frank Adjaye OBE RA is a Ghanaian British architect. Adjaye is the lead designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, located on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Gretchen Carlson Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson is an American television commentator and author. Carlson was crowned the 1989 Miss America while representing her native state of Minnesota.
Fatou Bensouda Fatou Bom Bensouda née Nyang is a Gambian lawyer, former advisor of Yahya Jammeh, international criminal law prosecutor and legal adviser.
Thelma Aldana Thelma Aldana is a Guatemalan judge. The President had to resign after her investigation. In 2016 she was given an International Women of Courage Award.
Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing is a Chinese actress, television producer and pop singer. Fan rose to fame in East Asia in 1998–1999 with the mega-hit TV series My Fair Princess
Viola Davis Viola Davis is an American actress and producer. She is the only black woman to be nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one, and is the only black actress or actor to win the Triple Crown of Acting.
Raed Saleh Raed Salah Abu Shakra is the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. He was born in Umm al-Fahm, Israel, and was elected as the mayor of that city three times: in 1989, 1993 and 1997.
Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista is a Peruvian lawyer and advocate for women's rights and domestic violence . She has been the victim of violence, including attempted murder and attempted rape. She received the international prize of the woman of courage from the Melania Trump and the under-secretary of State for the political affairs Thomas A. Shannon.
