TIME100 Next 2026: Fans Ask Why Raye and PinkPantheress Count as ‘Rising’
TIME's 2026 list of rising leaders has fans on r/Fauxmoi playing 'how many do you know?' and asking who actually counts as 'next'.
TIME has unveiled its TIME100 Next 2026 list, its annual roundup of emerging leaders “shaping the future”. And within hours, one question had taken over r/Fauxmoi: how many of these people can you actually name?
The answers have been revealing. Some fans proudly counted into the twenties. Others admitted to five, or seven. One 23-year-old said they recognised only a short, very online roster: Chase Infiniti, Yerin Ha, Sombr, Alex Consani, Joey King, Charles Melton, Conan Gray, PinkPantheress, Raye and a handful more.
But the headcount wasn’t the part fans couldn’t stop talking about.
The Word ‘Rising’ Is Doing a Lot of Heavy Lifting
The real argument is over what “next” even means.
Scroll through the thread and the same complaint keeps surfacing. Plenty of names on the list, fans say, have already arrived. PinkPantheress has been releasing music for years. Raye headlined Glastonbury last year. Marisa Abela, according to one fan, won a BAFTA in 2025. Eiza González, as another pointed out, has been acting for about two decades. Troye Sivan, Joey King and Druski got the same treatment: since when are they newcomers?
One commenter boiled it down to a split-screen: half the list has been famous for twenty years, the other half they’ve never heard of, with almost nothing in between.
The mix runs well beyond pop and screen, too. Fans spotted athletes such as tennis player Alex Eala, footballer Naomi Girma and Olivia Miles, plus politicians. Some questioned whether the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Hungary can be called “rising stars” when they already run their countries. Another wondered why their own prime minister turned up at all.
Why a Simple List Makes Everyone Feel Old (or Left Out)
Here’s the thing: lists like this are secretly personality tests.
When a ranking claims to tell you who the future belongs to, you instantly check yourself against it. Know most of them? You feel plugged in. Know five? Cue the joke about getting older. One fan said the same feeling hit them watching the VMAs, having grown up in the Justin-and-Britney-in-matching-denim era. Another, a self-described 23-year-old, felt almost as out of touch from the other direction: they knew a lot of the pop names but few of the rest.
It’s a neat bit of fandom psychology. The list becomes a mirror, and the reaction is less about the honourees than about where each reader sits in culture. “Rising” gets read as “mine” or “not mine”.
That also explains the suspicion. Some fans wondered if the picks were influenced by PR or by payment, pointing to names like Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland as surprises. That is just fan speculation, with nothing in TIME’s description to support it. Others simply shrugged that some selections felt random, or that the choices skew American, which is how a footballer like Balogun can look puzzling to UK readers.
The Names Fans Actually Cheered
It wasn’t all side-eye. Chase Infiniti drew some of the warmest reactions, with fans delighted to see her included. They shared a tribute from Ruth Negga that reads: “That enthusiasm is no joke; her joie de vivre is the real deal.” Fans said they loved her in One Battle After Another and are keen to see what she does next.
Isa Briones, PinkPantheress and Cooper Hoffman won over at least one sceptic who had been ready to write off the whole list as unfamiliar. Alex Eala, Olivia Miles and Ashley Padilla got happy shout-outs too, though Padilla’s inclusion prompted a polite “what’s the big deal?” and a defence of her comic timing and screen presence.
Naomi Girma’s name got a simple, delighted cheer.
Not everyone was in a celebratory mood. Some political picks drew sharp criticism, and a few fans argued that Alex Warren and Sombr have already peaked rather than risen. One joker asked where the viral baby monkey Punch was. For the record, the baby monkey is not mentioned in TIME’s description of the list.
So who is “next” when half the list is already here? Maybe the better question is who TIME thinks gets to decide.
FAQ
What is TIME100 Next?
It is TIME's annual list of emerging leaders who are shaping the future. The 2026 edition is now live on TIME's website.
Why are fans debating the TIME100 Next 2026 list?
Many fans on r/Fauxmoi say several honourees, including PinkPantheress, Raye and Eiza González, have been established for years and don't feel like 'rising' stars. Others say they barely recognise anyone on it.
Which names are fans happiest about?
Chase Infiniti, Isa Briones, PinkPantheress, Cooper Hoffman, Alex Eala, Olivia Miles and Naomi Girma drew some of the most positive reactions.
Sources
Featured image — Image: TIME