Top 10 Stupid Ways People Got Famous
Becoming famous with zero talent is easier than you think. From being an Internet meme, to dating a celebrity, there are more and more people who are famous for doing practically nothing. WatchMojo is counting down the stupidest ways that people became celebrities.
Special thanks to our user On Point for suggesting this idea! Check out the voting page at http://WatchMojo.comsuggest/Stupid+Ways+people+got+famous
Script written by Drew Brown
#10: By Saying Something Crazy
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Social media has broadened our entertainment options, broken huge news stories, and given people the opportunity to share their lives and passions with the world. Unfortunately, it’s also a breeding ground for one-moment viral wonders, including people who say one kooky thing that blows up the Internet. There’s Danielle Bregoli – better known as the “Cash Me Ousside, Howbow Dah?” Girl. And there’s Chris Crocker – the “Leave Britney Alone!” crier. And then there's Antoine Dodson – aka the “Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife” guy. These are just a few of many who have turned a brief moment of crazy talk into fame and fortune.
#9: By Being a Freak on YouTube
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YouTube has been known to bring out the weirdos. Just look at the most subscribed YouTubers. Number 1 is PewDiePie, a Swede whose strange songs, crazy voices, and off-kilter game playing are at the heart of his style. His channel has over 55 million subscribers. Number 2 is Chilean YouTuber Germán Garmendia. His two Spanish language channels combine for 50 million subs. He’s fast, frenetic, funny, and yes, freaky. Among other famous YouTubers, you’ll find the bizarre skits of TVFilthyFrank, the crazy character Francis on boogie2988, and maxmoefoe’s cosplay-on-acid games and experiments. It’s clear that acting a bit odd is the new short-cut to fame.
#8: By Giving Birth to Multiple Babies at Once… or Already Having WAY Too Many Babies
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In 2009, Natalie Suleman – AKA the Octomom – shot to fame by having 8 babies at once. Already a mother of 6, eyebrows were raised when Suleman used in-vitro fertilization to grow her family to 14 kids. Suleman cashed in by appearing in TV specials, music videos, and, of course, the obligatory porno. And then there are the huge family reality shows, the most prominent of which followed the Duggar clan. The show started as 17, became 18, then finished as 19 Kids and Counting and ran for 229 episodes. The public just can’t seem to get enough of obstetric anomalies and questionable family planning.
#7: By Faking a Disastrous Event
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In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast his radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Legend has it that it was so realistic that it sparked a nationwide panic during the broadcast, and outrage for weeks afterwards. While the way the iconic writer-director became a household name was silly, it worked out well. On the other hand, there's the Balloon Boy hoax. In 2009, Richard and Mayumi Heene released a large helium balloon, making people think their 6-year-old son went up with it. The nail-biting flight was widely viewed. But when the balloon landed, the public realized that the story was just a lot of hot air.
#6: By Becoming a Photo Meme
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It starts with a funny photo that gets even funnier with a perfect caption. Kyle Craven’s dorky, tartan-wearing, brace-faced yearbook photo became known worldwide as Bad Luck Brian. Maggie Goldenberger was 23 and traveling in India when her 11-year old self, dressed in costume as a Goosebumps-loving, ponytail-wearing dork, became the Ermahgerd girl. A still-shot from Laina Morris’ wide eyed, big-smiled, intentionally funny Justin Bieber fan video turned her into the Overly Attached Girlfriend. While most meme-lebrities had no control over their stupid fame, it’s good to see the ones who turned internet-lemons into internet-lemonade.
#5: By Suing Celebrities or Companies
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In 1994, Stella Liebeck made headlines by turning a McDonald’s coffee spill into a nearly $3 million payout. Although triggered by medical expenses, her lawsuit was considered so laughable that it was reimagined in a Seinfeld episode. Evan Chandler sued Michael Jackson for molesting his son, but lost face when a phone call leaked, making it look like he was in it for the money. And let’s not forget the lawyers. Gloria Allred has spent her career suing celebs on behalf of her less powerful clients. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tiger Woods, and Bill Cosby are just a few celebs on the wrong end of Allred’s infamous lawsuits.
#4: By Being in a Relationship with a Celebrity
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Sometimes, fame is just a love match away. Take Kelsey Grammer’s third wife, Camille. She parlayed her marriage into a starring role on the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Sometimes, a person is known, but shoots to true fame through a relationship with a megastar. We’re looking at you Kris Humphries, Scott Disick, Ray J., and, well, anyone not named Kanye who dated or married a Kardashian. And then there’s Donald Trump. Ivana, then Marla Maples, then Melania found various degrees of fame marrying the billionaire-turned-President. Trump’s wives might have found fame, but dealing with the Donald sure doesn’t look easy.
#3: By Making an Awful Movie or Music
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Every once and a while, the public vaults to fame individuals who bring us epic levels of awfulness. It’s nothing new: 1950s schlock-master Ed Wood’s films are still camp classics, and Johnny Depp played him in the eponymous 1994 biopic. James Franco later did the same for Tommy Wiseau. The 2017 film “The Disaster Artist” recounts the making of Wiseau’s less than stellar, “The Room”. As for bad music fame, it can be summed up in two words: Rebecca Black. Despite all the dislike, she currently has 1.3 million YouTube subscribers, and her infamous song has over 110 million views. It just can't be explained.
#2: By Being on a Reality Show
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Every once in a while, you see an ad for a new reality show and think: “who the hell are these people?” Networks have made a cottage industry rolling the dice on no-names that are outspoken, overdramatic, or eccentric. Without these shows, we wouldn’t have met the Guidos and Guidettes of Jersey Shore. We wouldn’t have met the camouflage-wearing, shaving averse Duck Dynasty clan. We wouldn’t have met the sassy child beauty pageant queen Honey Boo-Boo and her family. And as for the masters of turning their lives into reality fame, no one has done it better than the Kardashians.
#1: By Making a Sex Tape
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In 2003, an up-and-coming singer and 23-year-old socialite videotaped an intimate evening in Cabo. The singer was Ray J. The socialite was Kim Kardashian. The shows, Kendall Jenner’s modeling career, the products, the stores, the husbands – all this probably wouldn’t have happened without a little sex tape called, “Kim K Superstar”. The tape reportedly made more than $100 million, and was enough for the E! Network to green-light a show about Kim and her wealthy family called … well, you know the rest. While this may be the only sex tape that made someone famous, it launched arguably the most mind-boggling and undeserving ascension to worldwide super-stardom in the history of fame.
