Taylor Swift, Barbie and Hollywood Strikers Among Time’s Person of the Year Finalists

Caroline Brew

4 December 2023 at 11:22 am·1-min read

Time has released its 2023 Person of Year Shortlist, which includes Taylor Swift, Hollywood strikers, Trump prosecutors and Barbie among the final contenders. The Person of the Year will be announced Wednesday morning.

The Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA both went on strike this year, pausing the development and filming of many shows and movies. Swift had a year of record-breaking streams and ticket sales, with “The Eras Tour” set to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time. She previously appeared on the 2017 Person of the Year cover with other “Silence Breakers” who spoke out against sexual misconduct.

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The first U.S. president to be indicted in the nation’s history, Donald Trump, was charged in four separate cases with more than 90 charges. His felony counts for election interference, illegally holding on to classified documents and falsifying business records were brought forward by prosecutors in Florida, Georgia, New York, and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” broke box office records and sparked an influx of pink theatergoers.

The remaining finalists are OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian president Vladimir Putin, King Charles III and Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

A tradition that began in 1927, Time selects a person, group or concept that has shaped headlines as its Person of the Year. Last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the “spirit of Ukraine” was chosen for the title. Past recipients include U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Martin Luther King Jr., German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pope Francis and Greta Thunberg.

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