The celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knownness.

Daniel J. Boorstin coined this formulation in the early 1960s while analyzing the rise of mass media, advertising, and public-relations culture in the United States. In his critique of what he called the “Image,” Boorstin argued that modern publicity increasingly manufactures reputations detached from substantive achievement. The line appears in his discussion of the “celebrity,” a figure produced by media repetition and audience recognition rather than by enduring accomplishment. Written amid the expansion of television and national news syndication, the remark captures Boorstin’s broader concern that public life was being reshaped by staged events and self-referential fame.

The statement defines celebrity as a circular phenomenon: the celebrity is famous primarily because people already recognize them as famous. Boorstin is distinguishing celebrity from older ideals of “hero” or “great person,” whose renown was presumed to rest on deeds, virtues, or achievements. By calling attention to “well-knownness” as the sole credential, he suggests that modern fame can become self-sustaining and content-light—amplified by media exposure, publicity machinery, and audience attention. The line functions as a warning about a culture that confuses visibility with value, and that rewards recognizability over merit or meaning.

“A celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knownness.”
“A celebrity is someone who is famous for being famous.”