Photos: Celebrities who started off on reality shows

The genre has produced some big names we’d rather forget. But it has also been a stepping-stone and discovery platform for great talent. Here are some breakout stars.

Published on: Nov 04, 2022 6:38 PM IST

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Harry Styles. He got a start in music by auditioning as a solo contestant on the British music competition series The X Factor in 2010. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Ariana DeBose. She started out on So You Think You Can Dance in 2009, went on to have a Broadway career and won the best supporting actress Oscar for West Side Story in 2022. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Christian Siriano. He won Project Runway in 2007 and launched his own label. The brand was worth $5 million by 2012. He has dressed dignitaries such as Michelle Obama and put Billy Porter in a tuxedo gown for the 2019 Oscars. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Kelly Clarkson. She won the first season of American Idol in 2002, and bagged a record deal with RCA. Her second studio album, Breakaway, sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won two Grammy Awards. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Cardi B. Cardi joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York in 2015—just two years before her hit song Bodak Yellow. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Jennifer Hudson. The Emmy, Tony, Grammy and Oscar winner got her start on American Idol, where she placed seventh in 2004. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Chris Hemsworth. He was a little-known Australian actor in 2006 when he competed on Australia's version of Dancing with the Stars. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Laverne Cox. She first came into the spotlight by competing on the reality series I Want to Work for Diddy in 2008. The LGBT advocate is also the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for acting. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Emma Stone. Before her film career took off, she competed in the 2004 show In Search of the New Partridge Family. She even won a role in the movie that the show was casting. But it was never picked up by studios. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Camila Cabello. She got her first taste of fame by appearing on The X Factor, where she ended up joining Fifth Harmony. It became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. (Wikimedia Commons)