Fame is a polarizing topic. Some people wouldn’t want to touch it even with a 10-foot pole. Meanwhile, others aspire to it and would do nearly anything to be in the spotlight for just a while longer. This leads to a bizarre situation where individuals who might have no real ‘call to fame’ or conventional talents end up becoming actual celebrities.

Redditor u/TonyClifton323 sparked an interesting discussion about the people who “most successfully milked” their 15 minutes of fame to entrench their reputations as ‘stars’ for a long time. Scroll down to see what celebs many internet users personally think seized the opportunity best, even if they might not 'deserve' all the attention.

Mike Sington, an entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle expert, was kind enough to share his thoughts about fame with Bored Panda. You'll find his insights on how to have a healthy relationship with fame, plus why some people don't think everyone 'deserves' attention, as you read on.

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#1

Kim Kardashian. OJ's lawyer's daughter f****d a C list rapper and now her family is worth a billion dollars.

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#2

That salt sprinkling prick

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#3

Yoko Ono. If she hadn’t been with Lennon she would have been a completely forgotten 60’s artist who’s been milking that s**t for decades.

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Entertainment and pop culture expert Sington was happy to share his thoughts on how people can forge a healthy relationship with fame. According to Hollywood's Ultimate Insider, the fundamental thing is to find and maintain a balance between public recognition and one's personal wellbeing. This will help the person keep their sense of self intact.

According to the expert, "being true to oneself despite public attention" is paramount. Aside from being authentic, it's also vital to establish some healthy boundaries. These need to clearly separate your public and private life.

Sington told Bored Panda that celebrities can also use their fame “as a platform for positive influence or by contributing to meaningful causes.” So stars should think about what kind of greater purpose all the attention that they're getting can be used to help.

#4

The cast of Jersey Shore.

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#5

Ryan Seacrest

No talent. He hosted EDIT American Idol (not Americas got talent). Then he was everywhere. He will sell anything. He does tons of radio ads. Yet most of the population could do his job with no training. I can't stand him.

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#6

Guy Fieri

He was a contestant on a reality cooking show in 2005 Food Network.

He went on to win and then parlay that into almost 20 years of hosting shows, multiple restaurants owned and a lot of other successful ventures.

The show he won ran for 14 seasons with 14 winners, does anyone remember the other 13? Guy definitely seized his 15 minutes and ran with it

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At the same time, while the spotlight's on you, you have to remember to stay grounded and humble. That means feeling gratitude for what you have in life, without feeling like you’re defined solely by fame.

That also means putting in the time and care to nurture the positive relationships you have in your life. Hollywood's Ultimate Insider Sington warns not to let fame hinder the genuine personal connections that people had made before they started getting public attention.

Meanwhile, new celebrities ought to develop resilience so that they can weather the “ups and downs of public perception and media attention.” Sington also noted that it's worthwhile to take a moment to think about how fame is transient. Instead, he advises to focus on “long-term personal growth and fulfillment.”

#7

Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Peskowitz Bregoli "Cashme outside, how 'bout that?" 1 episode on Dr Phil...where he indended to exploit her and trash her on live tv...she just proved receipts for 52 million on OnlyFans and bought a house in Florida for 6.1 million cash. Hate all you want...but I challenge anyone to do better quicker. ?‍? 

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#8

Russell Brand. SO sick of that h****n addicted twit.

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#9

Alllllll the MTV Teen Moms

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Bored Panda was also interested to hear why some people have such strong feelings when they hear about someone who they believe might not 'deserve' the recognition they're getting in the public sphere.

According to entertainment and pop culture expert Sington, there's a whole host of factors that can influence a reaction like that, from societal values and personal biases to envy and even frustration.

For example, someone might start comparing their own achievements with someone who's currently in the spotlight. They might feel that they deserve the recognition, not the person in question.

Meanwhile, other individuals are critical because of how a particular celebrity behaves, what their personal beliefs are, and whether they have a "perceived lack of talent."

#10

Basically anyone who started off with a sex tape leak

#11

Probably Jared from Subway… i believe someone at his university wrote a story about his unusual method of weight loss, which was then picked up by national news outlets, then subway put him in an ad, that was unusually successful, which ended up leading to 15 years of being the face of their brand internationally.

Then things went downhill pretty fast from there

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#12

Dr. Phil

In 1995, Oprah Winfrey hired Phil McGraw's legal consulting firm to prepare for the Amarillo Texas beef trial. Winfrey was so impressed with him that she thanked him for her victory in that case, which ended in 1998. Soon after, she invited him to appear on her show, which turned into a recurring segment. He turned that into his own show and now 25 years in the spotlight.

Image credits: Ollivander451

There’s a whole bunch of reasons why someone would like to be famous. A lot of them are perfectly natural—even if an obsession with external validation and becoming famous might not be great for your mental and emotional health.

Human beings are fundamentally social creatures. We all want to be loved, adored, and respected by members of our community and strangers alike. A good reputation means more trust and stability in your life. On top of that, this high level of sociability opens you up to more opportunities to meet new people and establish positive relationships. Those, in turn, lead to a healthier, happier, more meaningful life, as shown by research. However, you don’t necessarily have to be famous to reap these benefits.

You can cultivate deep and worthwhile relationships no matter who you are, what you do, and what circumstances you’re in. 

#13

Jon and Kate Gosselin.



Only famous because she had a lot of babies and then verbally abused her husband on camera for years.


The kids were adorable, but they should have had 1 television special, saved that money for kids' college funds or whatever and then disappeared.

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#14

Bella Poarch

She has one of the biggest Tik Toks ever and all she did was shake her head. It became the most liked Tik Tok with over 61M likes and now she's the 3rd biggest Tik Toker, with 94M followers. Then, she somehow turned that into a music career. One song even charted on the Hot 100 and got a little bit of pop airplay.

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#15

Nirvana baby

Arguably, being famous can act as a deterrent to quality relationships if you're not careful. This is because someone who’s in the spotlight tends to spend a lot of time interacting with their fans in order to keep their attention on them. It’s time that’s not spent building those meaningful connections with the people they truly care about.

Not only that, but celebrities sometimes have to deal with people who only pretend to want a real connection. When, in fact, they have a different angle. They might be aiming for money or to share some of that fame. Or they hope to use those celebs to advance their own goals. In short, some fans don’t see stars as actual people. They see them as tools for their own agendas.

#16

The island boys, they've stretched that s**t out so far

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#17

Big Ed

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#18

Wendy Williams

Other folks imagine that becoming famous will solve all of their problems, whether that’s financial instability or emotional needs. We all want at least some recognition for our hard work and skills. And let’s be honest, many of us have daydreamed about changing the world and seeing our names in the lights for everything that we’ve accomplished.

However, you can still live a purposeful and happy life without being known all around the globe. It’s being recognized by the people we truly care about and our peers that matters the most. Moreover, you don’t have to rake in millions of dollars every year to be financially stable. A solid and purposeful job with good career prospects is enough. So long as you don’t spend more than you earn, save money every month, and invest part of your wages, you should be fine.

#19

Currently and on their way..Gypsy Rose and her Peter Griffin looking Husband.

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#20

Guy Fawkes, it’s been over 400 years and we still celebrate him every year in the UK.

Not that he lived long enough to enjoy his infamy..

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#21

Julia Fox

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If you’re chasing fame for its own sake, you’re missing the point. Broadly speaking, fame is a byproduct of quality work and skills, whether that’s entertainment, music, dance, art, business, science, or anything else.

If there’s anything to take away here, it is that you should primarily focus on doing a good job in your passion projects and other pursuits. Don’t worry about whether or not you’ll reach celebrity status. Fame comes with its own intense stress, scrutiny, and emotional baggage… 

#22

Probably one of the Paul brothers?

Boxing money and WWE fame

Not a fan of either of them but going from vine clips to all that is pretty remarkable

#23

Omarosa. Was a villain on a reality show in *2004*, yet 20 years later you still know who I’m talking about.

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#24

The Rock. Many wrestlers come and go and are forgotten, even the ones that attempted their luck in Hollywood. But with his charismatic charm The Rock was able to endure and wait out the competition. I mean the dude literally just plays a slightly different version of himself in every movie.

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#25

Anna Delvey

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#26

the damelios. cant believe they got a kardashian wannabe show on hulu 

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#27

Crissy Teagan

#28

Khaby Lame.

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#29

Mr Beast

#30

Ice spice is the most recent I can think of

#31

Jeremy Meeks - that convict with the blue eyes or whatever

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#32

Harry and Meghan

#33

Kyle Rittenhouse ???

#34

Ken Jennings. I feel like most people in his situation would have faded into obscurity after finally ending their Jeopardy winning streak. But he's now hosting the show.

Edit: Yes, I know he was famous for a lot more than "15 minutes" while on his streak. But I kind of expected that fame to go away about 15 minutes after the streak ended.

#35

In Britain, Rylan

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#36

I mean this not in a negative way at all, because "milking it" seems negative, but Brittany Broski became a meme for tasting kombucha and then took that opportunity to build an empire. Mad respect.

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#37

DJ Khaled

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#38

While she did have a fall from grace relatively recently, Colleen Ballinger, aka Miranda Sings, certainly made good use of every second she could squeeze out of her time in the spotlight.

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#39

Reece Donnelly - That fella from The Apprentice

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#40

Not most successful but people talked about Ken Bone way more than I would’ve expected

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#41

Weird Al. A specific style of music and parody should've been one note but he has routinely his great parody after great parody mixed with a personality that's so him that he transcended a one time note

#42

That Canadian youtuber who says "aboot" I've been coast to coast in Canada 100X over and the only place I've heard anyone say aboot is him and South Park.

#43

Amanda Holden

#44

Deez Nuts guy. Although he is homeless he still pops up from time to time and he still makes money off a 3 second meme.

#45

The brown family from sister wives

#46

Lil Tay

She was a meme for a hot minute. Got 'exposed' for being fake. Is apparently trying to make a comeback.

#47

I don't know if it was successful.


That guy who said "You're breathtaking" to Keanu Reeves certainly milked it.

#48

Too many to name Josie Gibson Rylan Clarke although idk if he's still going or not lmao Any c**t that was on Love Island (Molly Mae and Tommy Fury come to mind) same goes for Instagram influencers James Corden That prime drinking wanker Logan Majority of reality TV "stars" also Katie Price she will literally milk her worn out fame for all its worth whether it's sex tapes, autobiographies she hasn't written but she says she has, or numerous sob stories I've seen her post videos of her son Harvey when he's been ill and laying on the sofa trying to sleep but she's filming it on YouTube for the clout then she's going on TV with him saying how difficult it is to raise him when she's sat next to him. She is the dictionary definition of media w***e as well as many others.

#49

Trisha Paytas. Her growth was bizarre and I honestly have no clue how she was able to land so many acting/reality tv gigs.

#50

Kato Kaelin