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But the phenomenon peaked with the controversial presentation of political satirist Stephen Colbert whose appearance -- and comments on a timely topic like immigration -- turned into a one-man show.
"It's not a new phenomenon, but it may be (an) acceleration," said Michael Feldman, a public relations specialist and director of Glover Park Group.
"It's harder and harder to bring attention to issues and the chairman of the committee is not necessarily going to have the ability to do it on their own," said Feldman, who worked for former president Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
"It's an increasing phenomenon and it's a function more of the media environment than it is of the legislative regulatory environment."
Gary Hoppenstand, professor of American culture at Michigan State University, told AFP that the trend is set to continue.
"It's representative in the American society of our over-fascination with celebrity," he said. "It doesn't surprise me that Congress is bringing them in for some sort of expert testimony, (but) they really aren't experts."
The presentation last Friday of Colbert, a political comedian who parodies conservative talk show hosts on his cable TV show, pushed such testimonies to the extreme and caused some teeth grinding.
Colbert was invited by the chairman of a congressional committee to defend the cause of immigrants who work on American farms, on a seasonal basis.
To prove his expertise on the matter, the comedian claimed he spent one day picking fruit with the immigrants.
Taking the irony to excess in front of the House Judiciary Committee's immigration panel, Colbert said the "obvious solution" to the problem of seasonal immigration is to stop eating fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables have not proven to be a good source of fiber, he ventured, tongue-in-cheek, and offered to give Congress a video of his colonoscopy.
While the public was amused, some in Congress were not.
Colbert's presence was "an embarrassment," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland.
"His testimony was not appropriate," Hoyer told Fox News Sunday. "What he had to say was not the way it should have been said."
The comedian's appearance shocked many because he stayed in character.
It was the first time since Sesame Street puppet Elmo appeared in 2002 that Congress took testimony from a fictional character, according to Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.
"He totally staged that character throughout that testimony and that might be the new evidence of questionable use of celebrity," Thompson said.
Bono, Angelina Jolie, Mia Farrow, Brad Pitt have testified before Congress against AIDS, famine, and to help places like Darfour and New Orleans.
Pop sensation Lady Gaga encouraged her Twitter followers and others to flood Congress with messages to abolish the US military policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell, regarding homosexuals.
"That's not to say that people like Brad Pitt with his help of New Orleans haven't done good," Hoppenstand said. "Some of them have made a lot of good using their celebrity to raise money or to get causes going."
Colbert isn't finished. He and fellow Comedy Central host Jon Stewart are holding events in Washington on October 30. Colbert is sponsoring a march to "Keep Fear Alive" while Stewart plans a "Rally to Restore Sanity."
"These Comedy Central comedians have become an important part of the civic conversation, even though they are talking about this stuff in a comic mode, even though they are comedians, those shows have become an important voice in American politics," Thompson said.
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"It's not a new phenomenon, but it may be (an) acceleration," said Michael Feldman, a public relations specialist and director of Glover Park Group.
"It's harder and harder to bring attention to issues and the chairman of the committee is not necessarily going to have the ability to do it on their own," said Feldman, who worked for former president Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
"It's an increasing phenomenon and it's a function more of the media environment than it is of the legislative regulatory environment."
Gary Hoppenstand, professor of American culture at Michigan State University, told AFP that the trend is set to continue.
"It's representative in the American society of our over-fascination with celebrity," he said. "It doesn't surprise me that Congress is bringing them in for some sort of expert testimony, (but) they really aren't experts."
The presentation last Friday of Colbert, a political comedian who parodies conservative talk show hosts on his cable TV show, pushed such testimonies to the extreme and caused some teeth grinding.
Colbert was invited by the chairman of a congressional committee to defend the cause of immigrants who work on American farms, on a seasonal basis.
To prove his expertise on the matter, the comedian claimed he spent one day picking fruit with the immigrants.
Taking the irony to excess in front of the House Judiciary Committee's immigration panel, Colbert said the "obvious solution" to the problem of seasonal immigration is to stop eating fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables have not proven to be a good source of fiber, he ventured, tongue-in-cheek, and offered to give Congress a video of his colonoscopy.
While the public was amused, some in Congress were not.
Colbert's presence was "an embarrassment," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland.
"His testimony was not appropriate," Hoyer told Fox News Sunday. "What he had to say was not the way it should have been said."
The comedian's appearance shocked many because he stayed in character.
It was the first time since Sesame Street puppet Elmo appeared in 2002 that Congress took testimony from a fictional character, according to Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.
"He totally staged that character throughout that testimony and that might be the new evidence of questionable use of celebrity," Thompson said.
Bono, Angelina Jolie, Mia Farrow, Brad Pitt have testified before Congress against AIDS, famine, and to help places like Darfour and New Orleans.
Pop sensation Lady Gaga encouraged her Twitter followers and others to flood Congress with messages to abolish the US military policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell, regarding homosexuals.
"That's not to say that people like Brad Pitt with his help of New Orleans haven't done good," Hoppenstand said. "Some of them have made a lot of good using their celebrity to raise money or to get causes going."
Colbert isn't finished. He and fellow Comedy Central host Jon Stewart are holding events in Washington on October 30. Colbert is sponsoring a march to "Keep Fear Alive" while Stewart plans a "Rally to Restore Sanity."
"These Comedy Central comedians have become an important part of the civic conversation, even though they are talking about this stuff in a comic mode, even though they are comedians, those shows have become an important voice in American politics," Thompson said.
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