An endearing Twitter mix-up, star struck celebs, and the true story behind Gwen Stefani’s biggest
hit. Stick around to learn why we’re still obsessed with this down-to-earth rocker.
In an Access Hollywood video clip from the early 2000s, Julia Roberts was captured
freaking out after spotting Gwen Stefani on the red carpet. While in the middle of an interview,
Roberts was too shy to turn around and make eye contact with the No Doubt singer,
just in case things got awkward. While fiddling with her brunette curly locks,
Roberts admitted she had been singing along with Stefani's music earlier that day.
In the end, the pair ended up meeting for the first time, which proved to be a wholesome moment.
Just like Roberts, Stefani couldn't believe her luck and appeared to be just as big a fan.
Roberts and Stefani held hands during the red carpet interview
and shared an adorable hug. While Roberts' face was turned away from the camera,
Stefani mouthed how much she loved the iconic Notting Hill actor.
On a 2016 episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, Gwen Stefani participated in
the recurring segment and was accompanied by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
"Gwen's here, Gwen Stefani's here. Oh, okay, good. We'll see you in a minute."
Before the Ocean's 11 stars joined the fun, Stefani and Corden sang songs from her solo career
and from her No Doubt days. Stefani also taught Corden the lyrics to the fast rap from her hit
single "The Sweet Escape." In the middle of the 14-minute segment,
Stefani and Corden were joined by the pair of legendary actors. All four sang their hearts
out to Stefani's chart-topping single "Hollaback Girl" and reminded us all how to spell "bananas."
At the end, they belted out to Queen's "We Are The Champions."
So, how did this group come to be? It looks like we have
Roberts' love of Stefani to thank. Late Late Show producer Rob Crabbe told ET,
"I think it was Julia who reached out. She mentioned she'd love to do 'Carpool Karaoke.'
'If you were ever going to do one with someone like Gwen Stefani, I'd love to be a part of it.'"
As it turned out, Stefani just happened to be scheduled to be
on "Carpool Karaoke" in the next two days. If that isn't fate, what is?
Long before she was a household name, Gwen Stefani had stars in her eyes.
In a video clip from 1991, a young Stefani shows off a striped bodysuit she'd crafted
for one of her early No Doubt concerts. Calling it an "Elvis Jailhouse Rock" look,
the "Orange County Girl" put together something that may remind fans of
the outfit she wore in her 2007 "The Sweet Escape" video, which starts out in a prison.
The throwback clip proved that Stefani has always had a passion for fashion
and designing, making her later work in fashion even more authentic
and real. When asked what it's like to live near Disneyland, the future megastar said,
"It's a sad thing [because] you can never go because it costs so much."
At this point, No Doubt was playing a lot of live shows but had yet to sign a record deal,
despite being a band for over four years. A pre-fame Stefani admitted to wanting to be a
celebrity years before No Doubt's breakthrough, and almost seemed to laugh at the notion.
Little did she know, her rise to superstardom was only a few years away.
As for not being able to afford trips to Disneyland,
it's safe to say those days are long gone. The former Anaheim resident has performed
at the iconic theme park and played tour guide when Blake Shelton visited for the first time.
Before tying the knot with country singer Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani was married to
Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale. Stefani and Rossdale got married in September 2002 and called it quits
in 2015. The pair share sons Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. Even though nothing was confirmed,
headlines suggested Rossdale cheated on Stefani with the family nanny, per The Sun.
Like a lot of singers, Stefani dealt with the heartbreak by writing songs about the split.
While promoting the heart wrenching "Used To Love You" single with Ryan Seacrest in November 2015,
Stefani opened up about the dissolution of her marriage and stated everything blew up the day
after the Grammys. The unexpected personal questions about her relationship with her ex
left the former No Doubt frontwoman feeling, quote, "awkward" and "nervous." The "Wind It Up"
hitmaker also joked that the room suddenly felt hot before taking off her jacket.
While Stefani may not have felt totally excited to have a conversation about her
former relationship on a radio show, she wasn't shy about getting sassy.
When Seacrest questioned if Rossdale had heard Stefani's new single, she hilariously replied,
"Did you just say the G word?"
In the background, others laughed while Stefani
herself said she was giving an "uncomfortable giggle."
In 2016, Gwen Stefani released her third studio album, This Is What The Truth Feels Like,
and hit the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard 200. Due to the popularity of the record,
it comes as no surprise that fans tweeted the singer, expressing how much they dug the music.
One user tweeted they were, quote, "really loving" the new album, and included a gif of
Lady Gaga dancing. Stefani ended up seeing the positive post and initially thought it was Gaga
herself who sent her the message, replying with a tweet that thanked the "Poker Face" singer.
After a user alerted Stefani that it was a fan and not Mother Monster herself,
she handled the situation well, writing a tweet with the embarrassed face emoji.
It was an honest and sweet mistake, and we adore Gwenny Gwen Gwen for it.
Since 2014, Gwen Stefani has been an on-and-off coach on NBC's talent show The Voice. During a
2019 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she revealed it felt like "magic" to be
on the show, stating she loves being in the role of sharing her experiences to aspiring singers.
Stefani's now-husband Blake Shelton had already been a coach on The Voice
since the start and had won the show numerous times. At this point, Stefani had never come
out on top with any of her contestants, leaving her feeling super competitive.
The "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" singer openly admitted that she wanted to win and
that she's not usually super competitive, but the show changed things for her. Stefani said,
"I want to win too. You know, I'm not actually super competitive but when it
comes to people's dreams, you get really attached."
During one of the episodes that season, Stefani took her competitiveness to the next level
and blocked Shelton so he couldn't steal one of the contestants she wanted. While bragging
about blocking him, Stefani knew he would want the contestant on his team as they have similar taste.
Stefani didn't end up winning that season but did take home the title the following year.
During another appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,
she said she was relieved to have finally beat Shelton after all this time.
"It felt so good to beat Blake."
Leave it to Blake Shelton to win over Gwen Stefani's family in the most unexpected way.
When Shelton and Stefani appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show with fellow
The Voice stars John Legend and Carson Daly, Stefani shared all it took was
a visit to Oklahoma for her kin to be wowed by her significant other.
"I remember the first time I went to Oklahoma with my family. We are from Anaheim and we'd
never seen even trees before. And there's a tree that had like been blown down on the road."
The Grammy winner went on to share that Shelton got out of his truck,
pulled out a chain, wrapped it around the tree, and pulled the tree off the
road in order for them to carry on their journey. Stefani recounted enthusiastically:
"My whole family is like, 'Oh, oh my God, he's a man!'"
The No Doubt member was clearly proud to call
Shelton her man and there's nothing better than seeing her happy.
Shelton sure seems to get on well with Stefani's family. As he said on KFROG in 2021,
"I take it very serious, but I also have a blast
with it. [...] I can't imagine my life without these kids now."
When Gwen Stefani signed on to do a Las Vegas residency in 2018,
she also agreed to help those in need. For every ticket purchased, she donated $1 to
Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, a Las Vegas nonprofit that provides medical treatments
to children facing life-threatening illnesses. In an interview with TravelGirl, Stefani said,
"I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do something within
the local Vegas community to give back. I love supporting and helping kids [...] To
be able to partner with Cure 4 the Kids Foundation has been very special to me."
As seen on the organization's official YouTube channel, the "It's My Life" singer has paid the
nonprofit a visit, and she's made such an impact to the point where they have a treatment room
inspired by her. In 2019, she attended a ribbon cutting event for a new location.
In November 2021, People reported that Stefani gave the charity a check for $185,000
after raising money for the past three years. What an incredible gesture for an amazing cause.
Legend has it that Gwen Stefani's hit "Hollaback Girl" is apparently a response
to something Courtney Love said in Seventeen in 2004. The Hole frontwoman told the outlet,
"I'm not interested in being the cheerleader. I'm not interested in being Gwen Stefani."
Even though the No Doubt singer has never confirmed who the song is about, what she
told Billboard in 2019 pretty much implies it was inspired by Love's diss. Stefani said,
"I was being bullied by someone and was being called a cheerleader,
which was a bad thing! Growing up, that was not cool. I thought I was
the opposite of that. I told Pharrell we should write a song about that."
Stefani embraced the word "cheerleader" and decided to get her own back.
For the "Hollaback Girl" music video, she shot the scenes at a high school and
made sure it had a cheerleading theme. Stefani said in a 2005 NME interview:
"I've never been a cheerleader. So I was, like, [...] You want me to be a cheerleader?
Well, I will be one then. And I'll rule the whole world, just you watch me."
During her Carpool Karaoke episode, Stefani stated she will never reveal the true inspiration behind
the song but did say she "won" in the situation. She's not exaggerating: On the US Hot 100,
the single became Stefani's first chart-topper and earned her two Grammy Award nominations.
As a member of No Doubt and as a solo artist, Gwen Stefani has probably heard her music on the radio
once or twice throughout the years. For those who assume Stefani's become jaded about it,
you're completely wrong. During an Instagram Live in 2017, the "What You
Waiting For?" singer told fans she was waiting for her Christmas single with Blake Shelton,
"You Make It Feel Like Christmas," to get played on her favorite LA radio station.
While in the car on her way to NBC studios to record The Voice, Stefani explained:
"I'll never take this for granted, this is literally huge for me right now."
When the tune finally played, Stefani screamed out loud and started to freak out over IG Live.
In between singing the lyrics, the mom-of-three opened the car window
and started shouting to those standing outside:
"I'm on the radio right now!"
The wholesome moment proved how humble and appreciative the singer is to be
supported after all these years. In the early days of No Doubt,
it seemed like she might never hear her voice over the airwaves. Stefani once told GQ:
"The program director at our local radio station said,
'It will take an act of God to get you on the radio.'"
Clearly, things worked out in Stefani and the rest of the band's favor.
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