Priyanka Chopra to co-host activism reality show with Usher and Julianne Hough

To add a bit of reality TV magic to the world of philanthropy, CBS has recently announced the premiere date of its upcoming reality TV competition The Activist, and the names of the stars on board to host it. According to reports in Deadline, the activism-based reality competition will be hosted by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Usher and Julianne Hough.

The five-week-long series will follow six activists who team up with well known public figures to campaign for any globally important social cause, such as education, environment and health. The impact of their efforts to get traction for their causes will be measured by social metrics and extent of engagement to their causes online, as well as feedback by the show’s hosts. The activists' journey to amplify their movements would ultimately lead them to the G20 global summit in Rome, where they could even enlist world leaders for their causes as well.

ALSO READ: From Bling Empire to Love is Blind: Stream these reality shows on Netflix 

Produced by Global Citizen, The Activist was referred to as the first of its kind show that has the potential to inspire ‘real change’ by the former’s CEO.

Viewers were, however, less than thrilled with the announcement. The show’s premise led to widespread backlash on social media, with many users feeling that making activism into a competition felt exploitative and tarnished its image, especially since social media engagement was a huge determining factor in measuring the impact of their efforts. The hosts of the show were also not spared from criticism, with users lambasting them for the seemingly performative nature of their involvement in the name of inspiring change.

The Activist will premiere on October 22, 2021, on CBS and will be available to stream on Paramount+ for American audiences.