Angelina Jolie breaks record as fastest Instagram user to one million followers

The Hollywood actor beat recent holders of the record, including NCTʼs Taeil Moon, Rupert Grint, and David Attenborough

Angelina Jolie has become the fastest user to reach one million Instagram followers, beating recent holders of the record, NCTʼs Taeil Moon, Rupert Grint, and David Attenborough.

The Hollywood actor joined the social media platform yesterday (August 20) to share a photograph of a heartbreaking letter from a teenage girl in Afghanistan who is now facing Taliban rule.

According to the Evening Standard, Jolie gained 2.1 million new followers in just three hours, which beat Attenborough’s four hours 44 minutes, Grint’s four hours one minute, and Moon’s one hour 45 minutes. As of the time of publishing, the Tomb Raider actor has 6.4 million followers.

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“This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan,” Jolie captioned her first post. “Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely.

“So I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.”

She continued: “I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago.

“It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country.

“To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand.”

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Jolie concluded: “Watching for decades how Afghan refugees – some of the most capable people in the world – are treated like a burden is also sickening. Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it.

“Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.”

A number of big names took to the comments to welcome Jolie to Instagram and to thank her for using her platform to spread awareness, including British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who said: “Thank you for using your platform for good.”

Earlier this year, Jolie was named the ‘Godmother’ of the 2021 Women for Bees program as part of an initiative to help save bees and empower women to be entrepreneurs.

The initiative, which is a partnership between perfume house Guerlain and UNESCO, aims to train women to be beekeepers as part of a 30-day programme. The long term aim is to have 50 women undertake the programme, with 2,500 hives built in 25 UNESCO biosphere reserves around the world, and 125 million bees restocked.

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