Earlier this week, Reader’s Digest released its annual list of the 100 Most Trusted People in America. Over 1,000 Americans participated in the poll and were asked to select their picks for the most trustworthy from a list of over 200 “opinion shapers and headline makers” in the United States.
Most of the individuals who made the cut for top 100 are the folks we see starring in Hollywood blockbusters or see on TV regularly. Not surprisingly, only a few are from the world of politics.
The top three slots went to Academy Award-winning actors Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and Denzel Washington.
Leading the pack for politicians is former President Jimmy Carter at #24. As Hardball host Chris Matthews put in Thursday's Sideshow, “the comeback is just beginning!”
President Obama also made the list, but all the way down at #65, while First Lady Michelle Obama came in at #19. Other notable political figures on the list include former Secretary of State Madeline Albright at #23 and Hillary Clinton at #51.
As for the nine current Supreme Court justices, all were edged out by Judge Judy Sheindlin (yes, Judge Judy). In response to that result in particular, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel conducted an experiment. The hypothesis: “When people hear words like ‘Obama’ and ‘Supreme Court,’ they will have an opinion…whether they have an opinion or not.”
To test it out, Kimmel dispatched some members of the team to the streets of Los Angeles and asked people what they thought about President Obama’s decision to nominate Judge Judy for a post on the U.S. Supreme Court (no, this is not real life). Nonetheless, people voiced opinions on the topic. Spoiler alert: he’s on to something with the aforementioned theory.
Check out the Sideshow video above for more.