First person to reach 1 million followers on Twitter

According to Brandwatch, celebrities dominate the list of Twitter users with the most followers, even though former president Barack Obama tops the list with more than 130 million followers. Around 110 million people follow Katy Perry. Cristiano Ronaldo, a soccer player, is the only sports celebrity in the top twenty (as of April 2021). Ellen DeGeneres, who hosts a talk show, is positioned at position 9. CNN and CNN Breaking News both make the list, at positions 15 and 20, respectively.

Yet, none of the top twenty Twitter users or organizations were the first to reach 1 million followers. Achieving the accolade in April 2009 was actor Ashton Kutcher. In a contest to determine who could achieve 1 million followers first, CNN lost to Kutcher. CNN reported that Ashton edged out the network in a close race after coming from behind. Throughout time, Ashton accrued almost 17 million followers, significantly less than was required to get in the top 20.