TIME Magazine has once again released their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and 2015's group has a wide variety of diverse names featured.  

With those heavily influencing and inspiring politics, the arts, and social change well-represented on the annual celebration, the magazine is honoring some big names--including ones that could be controversial in some ways, but who may be considered deserving regardless. Each person featured on the list has given an explanation by another industry professional, a friend, a co-worker, or even just a fan, as to why they belonged--showing that even some of the negative attention they may receive sometimes doesn't change the impact they have on the world around them. 

The full list of influencers can be found here, but these are 10 of our favorites who were featured on this year's list: 

Kanye West 

Titan & Boundary Breaker:

"Kanye does think. Constantly. About everything. And he wants everybody else to do the same: to engage, question, push boundaries. Now that he's a pop-culture juggernaut, he has the platform to achieve just that. He's not afraid of being judged or ridiculed in the process. Kanye's been playing the long game all along, and we're only just beginning to see why." -Elon Musk 

Laverne Cox 

Pioneer & Transgender Icon:

"..Not all trans kids are so lucky. And for them, having someone as visible and strong as Laverne Cox to look up to is inspiring. She's done so many amazing things--not just acting on Orange is the New Black but also loving herself enough to share her story with the world. She's a pioneer for our community." --Jazz Jennings 

Kevin Hart 

Artist & Humor's Honest Broker:

"...Kevin's vulnerable. When he's talking about his kids, his kids know more than him. He's not afraid to be 'father knows less.' That makes him a new kind of cool. Not a keep-a-distance-from-the-audience kind of cool, but a lovable, show-your-warts kind of cool...Hillary should announce Kevin as her running mate and be done with it."-Chris Rock 

Hillary Clinton 

Leader, Realist & Idealist:

"As Hillary has always made clear, these values are universal, and fulfilling them is a practical and moral pursuit. She is a realist with a conscience and an idealist who is comfortable with the exercise of power. This helps explain why she has been so effective, even in this golden age of polarization. Hillary knows how to draw opponents out of their fighting corners and forge solutions on common ground. She practices the politics of reconciliation and reason. Which, not coincidentally, is also the politics of progress."--Laurene Powell Jobs 

Taylor Swift 

Icon & Pop Phenomenon:

"I'm amazed at how much earned wisdom Taylor threads into her work. She seems tuned in to the greater good, and she embraces--thoughtfully and authentically--the chance to contribute to the world. I'm always trying to find the best words to talk to my kids (and myself) about growing up, but you can't top her beautifully articulated advice. The haters are gonna gate, but, well, shake it off. She illuminates our inner music that lets us dance to our own beat. ...Also, it doesn't hurt that she named her cat after me." -Mariska Hargitay 

Emma Watson 

Pioneer & Inclusive Inspiration:

"Her HeForShe speech at Davos was an Internet sensation, but unsurprisingly, it drew the typical antifeminist rants and even some threats. Watson chose to highlight the moving letters she has received from fathers who tell her they are investing new hope in the future for their daughters. But she was also frank about the bullying tactics of her detractors and one site that made an empty threat to release nude photos. Her confident and cool reaction: 'If they were trying to out me off, they did the opposite.'"--Jill Abramson 

John Oliver 

Artist & Comedic Agent of Change:

"John is powerful because he isn't afraid to tackle important issues thoughtfully, without fear or apology. But he's unique because he uses irreverent humor to make people think."--Elizabeth Bierman 

Elizabeth Warren 

Leader & Progressive Champion:

"Elizabeth Warren's journey from janitor's daughter to Harvard professor to public watchdog to U.S. Senator has been driving by an unflagging determination to level the playing field for hardworking American families like the one she grew up with in Oklahoma. She fights so hard for others to share in the American Dream because she lived it herself."--Hillary Clinton 

Diane Von Furstenberg 

Icon & Fashion Force:

"With the DVF Awards and the Diller--von Furstenberg Family Foundation, she acknowledges the extraordinary strength that women use to shape their communities for the better every day, everywhere across the globe. Her constant inspiration reminds us that nothing looks better on a woman than the clarity, courage and conviction of vision."--Jessica Alba 

Reese Witherspoon 

Pioneer & Hollywood Power Player:

"Reese is an artist, but she is also a hustler, a quality I recognized in her the first time I met her. She's impatient that Hollywood won't generate the kind of quality roles she wants to play, so she creates quality roles by creating quality movies. That resourcefulness is what makes her someone I no only admire, but someone who inspires me. And that is influence." --Mindy Kaling 

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