00:09 COMM: Eager fans pose for photos with their
pop idol, except this isn't Nicki Minaj, but Ashlea Sherman Wyzard looks so much like the
Superbass singer -
00:19 MAN: Not saying this is a rude way but you
look a whole lot like Nicki Minaj,
00:21 COMM: - that she regularly gets stopped in
the street.
00:27 COMM: And even her husband has trouble telling
them apart.
00:31 KASHEEF: I was sent a text message from her
sister and she made some kind of collage, image and the faces were put right against
each other and I thought Nicki Minaj was her, it it's scary sometimes y'know how much they
look alike.
00:46 COMM: Ashlea who lives in Monroe, Louisiana,
was first told she looked like Nicki Minaj by Kim Kardashian's ex, Ray Jay in 2009.
00:55 ASHLEA: He was like "Oh my God you look like
Nicki Minaj" and I was like "Oh thanks" because I didn't really know who she was at the time.
01:02 COMM: But as Nicki Minaj became more famous
soon other people started noting the resemblances too.
01:07 ASHLEA: I was actually here in New Orleans
one time when I went into the max store just to buy make up and I had like the shadow of
the girl that like is working there and she's like oh my god you look just like Nicki Minaj
and as soon as she said that then other people came over and before I knew it I was talking
to tons of people and they were wanting to take pictures.
01:29 COMM: While being noticed has become a daily
occurrence -
01:31 WOMAN: Oh my God you look just like Nicki
Minaj"
01:34 COMM: - being a doppleganger of one of the
world's most famous women also has it's downside.
The 28-year-old was targeted by Minaj super fans, known as Barbs, after a picture comparing
the two was posted online.
With Ashlea receiving thousands of abusive tweets, including death threats.
01:51 ASHLEA: They immediately took to my Twitter
and started commenting and harassing me, a lot of hateful comments, some people were
really nice like "Don't be mean to her" so then it turned into like this fight fest and
I literally like had to turn my phone off because it was just blowing up, and some people
were like just dramatic and like "Oh I'll kill you".
02:11 COMM: Luckily South Carolina born Ashlea got
through the bullying with the help of her husband of two years, Kasheef.
The pair even played the Minaj track Right By Your Side at their wedding.
02:23 KASHEEF: Being married to somebody that everybody
says looks like Nicki Minaj is interesting, I've been getting, or hearing that really
almost the whole time we've been together, it's fun y'know sometimes uh , it's not attention
that she looks for
02:39 COMM: But now she's getting attention, Ashlea
is open to any career opportunities it might provide.
02:43 ASHLEA: As far as any type career related
to Nicki Minaj lookalike, if things y'know presented itself that were just fun, nothing
to bash her or y'know make fun of her, or make myself look bad, I would totally be open
to it.
03:00 COMM: Today Ashlea is heading to Del Corral
talent agency in New Orleans, to see how she might be able to use her similarity to Nicki
to her advantage.
03:09 TERRY: The process is simple, what we're doing
here, getting to know each other, seeing if there's a chemistry there, then I make an
evaluation, do you fit into the agency, are you gonna work hard at it, there's a lot of
no's in this business before you hear a yes.
03:20 COMM: It's early days but the agents seem
to have liked what they've seen.
03:23 TERRY: She's got a great look, that's something
that I'm always looking for, someone that's exceptional that will stick out in the crowd,
she has more going on with her than I think she realises.
When she first walked through the door, it put a smile on her face and I thought huh,
if I had her in the agency I definitely could utilise her in the capacity so she's a beautiful
young lady.
03:48 COMM: Despite her similarity to Nicki, Ashlea
is determined not to lose her own identity.
03:53 ASHLEA: What I want people to understand is
that I don't think that I'm her, I'm not trying to be her, I enjoy my quiet private life.
I enjoy just being myself but it's just fun and it's an interesting experience being compared
to a celebrity.