HOUSTON – This year’s list of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People came out and features several of the most prominent Texans we know and love.
Some Texans and individuals with Texas ties have made it in other TIME Magazine lists in years past. From Selena Gomez to Lauren Gardner, to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, these Texans have made a difference in people’s lives and the world, respectively.
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TIME publishes an annual list of 100 people — politicians, celebrities, artists, scientists, and icons — who have influenced the world that year.
Here is a list of Houstonians and Texans who made it in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in recent years. Take a look:
See the full 2020 list here.
Chip and Joanna Gaines
Year: 2019
Texas' favorite “Fixer Upper” couple made the list for their generosity and genuine passion. According to TIME in 2019, they are “grounded by their faith” in helping people.
Lizzo
Year: 2019 (Entertainer of the Year)
Hit after hit, Lizzo, who grew up in Houston, not only topped the charts but also inspiring her fans to be positive in all aspects.
Lauren Gardner
Year: 2020
Johns Hopkins University Professor Lauren Gardner, a University of Texas-Austin alumna, is known for her work behind the COVID-19 case dashboard, informing millions of the latest cases around their area.
Megan Thee Stallion
Year: 2020
From “Hot Girl Summer” to “WAP,” Houston-native Megan Thee Stallion is topping charts and taking the music industry by storm.
JJ Watt
Year: 2018
The Houston Texans DE made it to the list for his humanitarian efforts by raising $37 million for Hurricane Harvey recovery. According to Mayor Sylvester Turner, who wrote the piece on the beloved player for TIME, Watt “tackled Harvey’s destruction the same way he tackled his opponents on the football field."
He Jiankui
Year: 2019
He Jiankui, a biophysicist who graduated from Rice University with a Ph.D. in 2010, is well-known for changing the genome of twin baby girls in China, giving them immunity to HIV, according to TIME. The scientific breakthrough went against scientific consensus by combatting life-threatening diseases in babies born with it.
Khalid
Year: 2019
A singer-songwriter whom Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys describes as “unique, a beautiful writer with the ability to take concepts and make you understand to feel them." He grew up in El Paso and has referenced his Texas hometown in a few of his songs, according to TIME.
Selena Gomez
Year: 2020
The world has seen Grand Prairie-born Selena Gomez grow up to become the woman she is now. She has three No. 1 albums, executive-produced a documentary on immigration (“Living Undocumented” on Netflix), and is now doing her own cooking show on HBO Max (“Selena + Chef”), according to TIME.
Elizabeth Warren
Year: 2017
The U.S. Senator and former 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate graduated from the University of Houston, teaching law at the same school respectively. She stood up for the middle class and the marginalized as a senator and as a presidential candidate, according to Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, who wrote the piece on Warren.
Simone Biles
Year: 2017
Olympic Gold Medalist and Spring native Simone Biles proved that “no matter what you’re going through, you still can be No. 1,” wrote comedian Leslie Jones on TIME.
Ted Cruz
Year: 2016
The current U.S Senator representing Texas is said to “take more action outside of office than doing things inside” said former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on TIME.