From Reality TV to Hollywood: Celebrities who made it big

Breaking into Hollywood isn’t easy, but some stars have managed to transform their reality TV fame into powerhouse acting careers. 

From winning over fans on competition shows to landing scripted roles, these celebrities prove that reality television can be a surprising launchpad for stardom.

Kim Kardashian:

Kim Kardashian has spent years building an empire by simply being herself on television, but her latest project required her to flex a new skill set. In 2023, the mom of four joined American Horror Story season 12.

“Kim is among the biggest and brightest television stars in the world and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AHS family,” series creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter.

On September 20, Kardashian debuted as Siobhan, a sharp publicist to Emma Roberts’ character. 

While this wasn’t her first acting gig, she appeared in How I Met Your Mother and Disaster Movie, her performance showed a new side to the SKIMS founder.

Jennifer Hudson:

Jennifer Hudson after being eliminated early from American Idol, stunned the world with her breakout role as Effie White in Dreamgirls.

Her amazing performance got her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, alongside Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, and Anika Noni Rose.

Emma Stone:

Long before her Oscar-winning turn in La La Land, a teenage Emma Stone was a contestant on VH1’s In Search of the New Partridge Family. 

The show sought to cast the leads of a rebooted sitcom, and Stone won the part of Laurie Partridge, though the project never got picked up.

“You go in there rolling your eyes, thinking, ‘This is just a reality search competition,’ but then you’re there for seven weeks, and you just really, really want to win,” Stone told Entertainment Weekly.

That early brush with reality TV may not have aired, but it set her on the path to Hollywood stardom.

Nene Leakes:

Nene Leakes is known for her bold personality on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. But according to her, the opportunity almost slipped through her fingers.

“One day I got all these calls from this guy. He kept on saying ‘My name is Ryan Murphy’ and I thought, ‘I don’t know a Ryan Murphy,’” Leakes revealed to Larry King. Thinking it was a prank, she ignored him, until her manager confirmed it was the real Ryan Murphy.

That call led not only to her four-season run on Glee but also her role on Murphy’s sitcom The New Normal.