Celebrities Who Showed Up On Reality Shows Before They Were Famous

Emma Stone is known today as a two-time Oscar-winning actress. Her breakout film is generally considered to be Superbad. However, Stone technically got her Hollywood break on a pilot of The Partridge Family in 2005. To get on said pilot, though, Stone had to compete on In Search of the Partridge Family. This reality series was designed to find each cast member who would play characters of the Partridge family. The show aired on VH1 and was similar to American Idol. Prospective actors would be voted off each week until the actor most suited for the role they were vying for was selected. Stone won the role of Susan Dey, which was played by Laurie Partridge in the original sitcom. Despite the extensive casting process, The New Partridge Family only lasted a single episode. The show was cancelled swiftly after the pilot aired. Stone reflected on the experience on Radio Andy two decades later. The actress had no regrets, saying she met people she's still friends with today: I met one of my best friends, Dave Petruzzi. I ended up meeting a man named Billy Mann, who was the music producer on it. And he said, "You know what? I think you need representation or you need someone to help you while you're auditioning for all this stuff." And so he introduced me to my lawyer, who's still my lawyer, who introduced me to my manager, who's still my manager. And it's been over 20 years with all of these people.

Lady Gaga is one of the biggest recording artists of all time. The 40-year-old shot to fame in 2008 with her debut album, The Fame. She's had multiple chart-topping hits and has also gone on to become an Oscar winner. Before her days in the spotlight, Gaga, then known by her birth name Stefani Germanotta, did small roles on TV. She was an extra on HBO's The Sopranos, and appeared on MTV's Boiling Points in 2005. The prank show featured people stuck in irritating situations that pushed them to the limit of their tolerance. The idea was to see if a person could avoid lashing out at the pranksters during a set time limit. If so, they were awarded $100. Gaga failed to win after she lost her temper. The singer was repeatedly served a dish with trash in it, which she kept objecting to, but they denied her. In 2025, Gaga looked back on the Boiling Points episode in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: That was not acting! That was just, I mean, so long ago. So embarrassing. I was so excited to be an extra on The Sopranos, I was so excited to be on Boiling Points, because I was gonna be on TV, and I was trying to make my way as an artist. They were just exciting opportunities. I look back on that and I just [think] how it was so sweet.

Glen Powell truly hit the big leagues with Top Gun: Maverick. The actor had an extensive career before his star-making role, including a one-episode stint on Endurance. The reality show aired on Discovery Kids from 2002 to 2008. Powell was on the first season, but didn't last long. The show's premise involves a Survivor-like setup where teenagers have to compete in various physical and mental challenges that test their endurance. In a 2024 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Powell talked about his experience. The actor was visibly embarrassed when his stint on Endurance was brought up: It’s really pretty hard for me to talk about, to be honest. I’ve never talked about this publicly ever. The fact they pulled this out is shocking, but here we go. I was 13, I was on a show called Endurance; it’s basically a kids Survivor-type show. And they pit them against each other. I thought I could do it for a long time, but my balance didn’t think so. When I realized I was going home, it was the worst feeling.

Breaking Bad brought Aaron Paul immense fame and recognition. The actor won multiple Emmy Awards for his performance, which also set him up as an A-list talent in Hollywood. Before his struggling days were over in 2008, Paul appeared as a contestant on The Price Is Right. The then-21-year-old made a noteworthy appearance for being incredibly excited. Paul screamed, jumped around, ran around the set, and completely lost his composure, shouting, "You're the man, Bob! You're my idol!" Paul ultimately faced disappointment when he overestimated the price of a car by just $132 and went home with nothing. The 47-year-old recalled the appearance in a Hot Ones interview in 2025. Paul was still disappointed looking back, although he revealed his best friend won big and took him along for a trip to New Orleans: I was struggling. I needed money, and we could use that sports car. I could have used that car, right? And I was so depressed when I bid $132 over and then my buddy actually stayed. They did two tapings that day, and he won the Showcase Showdown. He won a trip to Fiji, New Orleans and London.

Jon Hamm became a worldwide name after his starring role in Mad Men. The actor had grinded it out for over a decade before landing his big break. In 1996, Hamm was a 25-year-old prospective actor who appeared on a dating show called The Big Date. The basic premise of the show was about women who had to choose between men trying to impress them. Hamm was one of three men a contestant named Mary had to choose between. The actor stated his case but ended up talking too much about feet, saying he would "start off with some fabulous food, a little fabulous conversation, and then a fabulous foot massage for an evening of total fabulosity." Mary was seen noticeably grimacing at Hamm's attempts at seduction and declined to pick him; she gave the other two men a chance. In a 2014 interview on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Hamm admitted the appearance was embarrassing for him. He even agreed with Mary for rejecting him: Oh no, she did not. Would you have picked me?! I was making some questionable decisions with my life,

Lucy Hale became famous after starring in Pretty Little Liars. The actress had earlier screen appearances in films and shows like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Wizards of Waverly Place, and How I Met Your Mother, but it was her starring role in the teen drama that skyrocketed her acting career. However, Hale initially had ambitions of a singing career. Hale was one of the winners of the competition American Juniors. The show was produced by the same group as American Idol with a younger target audience. Hale was placed in a group with Taylor and Tori Thompson, Chauncey Matthews, and Danielle White. The group released the show's self-titled album after their win, only for it to flop. American Juniors itself was cancelled after a solitary season. Hale looked back on her performance in 2020 in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!: This was 14 years ago, no, 16 years ago, I was 14 years old. I started in music. Ryan Seacrest was hosting it. They only did it for one season because I don’t think it went that well. But you know what? Instead of voting people out, they voted people in. Instead of one person, there was a group. I was the fourth one voted in. I was 14 and there was a 7-year-old in the group. It was kind of all over the place. It didn’t go that well.

Kesha became a household name overnight with the humongously popular hit "Tik Tok." The singer followed it up when several other hits over the next decade. Before she was seen as a hot young musical talent, Kesha was first onscreen as a shy teenager on The Simple Life. The reality show featured socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as they were forced to live "normal" lives. The pair would be seen in scenarios like internships, manual labor, and bunking with regular families. Kesha's mother, Rosemary Patricia "Pebe" Sebert, was a singer-songwriter who was a co-writer for Dolly Parton's "Old Flames Can't Hold a Can't to You." By 2005, though, Sebert's career was behind her, and she answered an advertisement for the show, which was looking for an "eccentric house to host Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie." Looking back on the time she spent with Hilton and Richie in 2021, Kesha told Entertainment Tonight a funny story: I remember when they came to stay at my mom’s house—she still lives at that house—and I remember they ended up hooking her up with a guy on that show. A week later, I went out to the gay bar, and I saw him out dancing, and I was like, "You went on a date with my mom!"

Considering where she once was, it's incredible to realize that Meghan Markle is now the Duchess of Sussex. The former became well-known for starring in the legal drama Suits, but her career began with small parts on TV. Between 2006 and 2007, Markle worked as a "briefcase girl" on Deal or No Deal. The idea behind her role was to hold briefcases that contained prizes the contestants could compete for. In 2022, Markle looked back on her tenure with disappointment on the Archetypes podcast. The Duchess of Sussex said she was reduced to the archetype of a "bimbo" since her role was all about looks. It was solely about beauty and not necessarily about brains. I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn't the focus of why we were here, and I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach. Knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance.

Teyana Taylor shot to fame after collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. The singer was still in her early twenties when her debut album, VII, topped the charts. Taylor has since also become a successful actress, garnering an Oscar nomination for One Battle After Another. Her film success brought attention to one of Taylor's earliest onscreen appearances. In 2007, Taylor was featured on My Super Sweet 16. The MTV reality show typically featured "spoiled" teenagers who received lavish, needlessly extravagant, and over-the-top birthday parties. Taylor's episode saw her receive a hip-hop-themed party, where she made a Barbie-inspired entrance. She also received backup dancers and even an appearance from Pharrell Williams. Her gifts included a shimmering bicycle and a Range Rover car. While the episode made her out to be a rich kid, Taylor debunked this perception in 2025. The actress also shot down allegations of nepotism, revealing the truth behind the episode in an interview with Vanity Fair: I’ve seen all types of stuff, like I had this rich Chinese dad or a producer dad. I was living on 144th and Seventh Avenue, and my single mom was working her a** off in corporate America to provide for me. She wanted me to have a nice party! At a younger age, I think, as girls, we always want to have a great sweet 16. So, my mom was saving up for, you know, a dope sweet 16 for me. But I wound up getting signed to Pharrell when I was 15, so it was, like, perfect timing to be like, "Yo, I want a birthday party, I want to do this." It was an introduction, so it was like, yeah, my mom and the label paid for the party. So, they really put it together for me.

Kristen Wiig is largely associated with Saturday Night Live when it comes to discussing the springboard to her success. But the actress first began her onscreen career on The Joe Schmo Show. The series was a fake reality competition that Matt Kennedy Gould was an unwitting part of. Gould competed against real contestants in a scripted storyline, which included Wiig playing a person called Dr. Pat. Her character was a marriage counselor who occasionally showed a mischievous side. Unbeknownst to Gould, Wiig was just playing a fake person in a reality show. During one episode, she went too far in an attempt to stay in character. Gould sent her flying while they were in sumo suits, which he apologized for. He would only learn about her true status as an actress in the show's finale. In a 2011 interview on Seven Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien, Wiig talked about the injury she received from the incident: That’s true. I was in a sumo wrestling suit, and I got knocked down, and my head hit the ground really hard. But I was trying to stay in character, so when I got hit, I said, “Oh my stars!"

Cardi B is known as a popular rapper today, but she gained notoriety on social media. The 34-year-old became known through Instagram and Vine in 2013, following which she transitioned to reality TV. Cardi B was part of the ensemble cast of VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York from 2015 to 2016. The show chronicled the lives of hip hop artists in New York, including their career pursuits and daily lives. The rapper became one of the show's breakout stars for her unfiltered personality. The show even followed her relationship with her incarcerated fiancé at the time. However, Cardi B left the series to fully pursue her musical ambitions. In a 2024 interview on The Jason Lee Show, Cardi B confessed that the reality TV hindered her progression in the music business. It's hard for people to take you seriously in the music industry when you're on Love and Hip-Hop.

Jamie Chung's career has evolved significantly from where it began. She initially became recognized for appearing in the reality shows The Real World: San Diego and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II. Chung switched over to an acting career, appearing in notable works like Big Hero 6, The Hangover series, and Dexter: New Blood. Chung's time in the reality TV circuit is now largely unknown to mainstream audiences, which is remarkable considering she spent two years in that form of entertainment. The Real World followed a group of diverse strangers, all with varying dreams of stardom and success. The show then detailed their intersecting lives, romances, and career pursuits. In a 2012 interview with Mochi Magazine, Chung admitted that being on a reality show hurt her chances at an acting career: There’s a negative stigma that comes with being on a reality show. And you can’t blame casting directors for thinking that way. My manager and I wanted to avoid putting it on my resume, as opposed to substantial projects. You’re engulfed in this world of cameras following you around during the most intimate moments of your life. It taught me to ignore the cameras and pretend they weren’t there.

Laverne Cox is best known for her starring role in Orange Is the New Black, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination. She also won a Daytime Emmy Award for producing Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word. Before Cox established herself as an actress and media personality, she tried her hand at reality TV. Cox was one of the participants in the VH1 series I Want to Work for Diddy in 2008. The show played out exactly as the title implied. Contestants would be in contention for a job working for Diddy as his assistant. Although Cox didn't win, the show enabled her to create valuable contacts. As a result, Cox was able to co-produce and co-host the VH1 makeover television series TRANSform Me. In a 2023 interview on The Jason Lee Show, Cox maintained that she had no relationship with Diddy and saw the show as an opportunity to launch her own career: Let's be clear. I don't have a relationship with Diddy. It was a way to advance my career...I really didn't want to work for Diddy; I didn't care. So I went in as myself.