The internet can turn a minor star or an average joe into a viral sensation in seconds.
Getting a boost from a mega celeb can have the same effect.
In the case of these stars, all it took was a single interview to launch them into the
stratosphere of fame.
When 13-year-old Danielle Bregoli appeared on Dr. Phil in 2016, the mouthy teen walked
away with more than just a therapeutic trip to Turn-About Ranch.
It was in the midst of negotiating issues between Bregoli and her mother, which regularly
turned violent, that the TV therapist inadvertently created an Internet favorite.
"Cash me outside, how bout dat?"
"What?"
"Cash me outside, how bout dat?"
"Catch you outside?"
With that, a star, a catchphrase, and a nickname were all born at once.
But first, rehab.
When she arrived home from a treatment program for teens, Bregoli had unknowingly made a
name for herself.
A man named Adam Kluger immediately reached out to her and her mother, telling The New
York Times that he had said to them,
"I want to manage you.
Give me some time, and I'll make you a star.
I'll make you rich."
It seemed to be a no-brainer for the mother daughter team.
Kluger added,
"With no hesitation, they were like, 'O.K., done.'
They had no clue what that meant."
A rapping career followed for the teen, branding Bregoli with the name "Bhad Bhabie"
Next came a Snapchat-based reality show, receiving 10 million views within its first 24 hours,
according to Inquisitr.
Before Kelly Ripa got her co-hosting gig on Live with Regis and Kelly, or Live with Kelly
and Michael or Live with Kelly and Ryan, she had to audition for the job just like everybody
else.
In 2000, she was invited onto the show to see if she had the career charisma to replace
Kathie Lee Gifford.
That day, a psychic was a guest, and Ripa's interview with the woman was a little more
revealing than she initially intended to share during her first "audition" for the job.
When the psychic medium came into contact with Ripa's deceased grandmother, she explained,
"She's saying that she's going to watch over you when this new baby comes, and it's soon.
It's not far away."
Ripa was immediately stunned when the psychic flat-out asked her if she was currently pregnant.
"Am I…?"
"Well…"
"Is that a yes?!"
"We...I haven't told my boss yet."
Regis Philbin recalled in his autobiography that they immediately hired Ripa after this
unforgettable altercation.
He wrote,
"In the end, it could only be Kelly.
We kind of knew that from her memorable debut onward.
She was the right choice and really the only choice."
Nate Berkus never dreamed about being on television prior to his debut on Oprah Winfrey's talk
show in 2002.
He told Forbes,
"Being famous or having a show was never the motivation.
I got a call and was swept up by the challenge of that first small space redesign.
We got out in the field and I found that I loved doing it."
His first mission on her show was to redesign a 319 square foot apartment.
The client was so blown away by the transformation that Winfrey had the young designer as a regular
guest for another 130 interior makeovers.
Berkus' initial interview led to New York Times best sellers, collections at Target
and Living Spaces, and a starring role on the Emmy Award-winning The Nate Berkus Show,
which had a two year run.
However, his television career didn't end there.
TLC was quick to pick up Berkus and his designer husband for a new television show, Nate & Jeremiah
by Design.
"There's a thousand people that do makeover shows, but I think the distinction with ours
is that we really care and connect to the homeowners."
Oprah Winfrey is also responsible for giving America their direct-to-TV doctor.
Dr. Oz spoke with Mediabistro about his first appearance on her show, admitting that he
initially had no intention to be on any big screens, until he realized the power that
the media could have on medicine.
The now famous doc admits that he was pretty naive when it came to first stepping foot
on set.
He told Fox 35 Orlando,
"I think, actually, that's why it worked.
Because if I had been really aware of what a big deal it was to go on the Oprah show,
I don't think the relationship would have worked."
Fortunately, it did work.
Winfrey loved him so much that he appeared on her show regularly for five years before
leading him to a series of his own, The Dr. Oz Show.
While many people already knew Caitlyn Jenner as a former Olympic athlete who appeared on
Keeping Up with the Kardashians for too many episodes to count, a very frank 20/20 interview
in 2015 served as a launchpad for the new identity she was revealing to the world.
Speaking quite candidly at the time, Jenner described herself as having, quote, "lived
a lie [her] whole life about who [she] was."
And with that, Jenner pulled the elastic out from her ponytail and forever changed the
way the world viewed this reality star.
"I would say I've always been very confused with my gender identity since I was this big."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 17.1 million people tuned in to watch the infamous
interview, with many left skeptical, making claims that it was a publicity stunt for the
upcoming season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
But it wasn't, and continues not to be.
That same year, Jenner received her own reality show on E!, called I Am Cait, which documented
her transition to becoming a woman.
In 2017, she released a memoir called The Secrets of My Life.
"What I'm doing is going to do some good, and we're going to change the world."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebs are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.