It seems as though it is becoming easier and easier to become famous these days.
With the help of TikTok and social media one viral moment can soon propel the next generation of stars into the limelight.
However some celebrities have exhausted a multitude of creative ways to get their name out their.
This week Priyanka Chopra was accused of hiring fake fans after footage resurfaced of her being approached twice by the same pair of autograph seekers at LAX in 2017.
At the beginning of the clip, the actress paused to sign for a male and female fan before making her way through the crowd.
However she was approached by the same duo again while exiting the terminal, appearing to sign the exact same items a second time leading fans to accuse the star of setting up a ‘peak PR stunt’.
But Priyanka is by no means the only star self-cultivating her path to fame.
From fake relationships, to calling the paparazzi themselves and even creating a whole fake persona for the front cover of a magazine, there are a whole host of niche ways to become famous.
Fake relationships, false proposals, calls to the paparazzi and completely fake personas: The wild ways celebrities have cultivated their fame (Kim Kardashian pictured with Nick Lachey in 2009)
This week Priyanka Chopra was accused of hiring fake fans after footage resurfaced of her being approached twice by the same pair of autograph seekers at LAX in 2017
PR stunts
If there is anyone who knows how to achieve worldwide fame it is certainly Kim Kardashian.
Now a billionaire, with a $1.9 billion net worth, due to the success of her SKIMS business and other endeavours, Kim was creative when first getting her name out there.
While there is no doubt that she may have never have soared to fame without the release of her 2007 sex tape, Kim was also well versed in scamming the paparazzi.
Back in 2006-2009, at the dawn of the E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim cunningly tricked the paparazzi into thinking she was rubbing shoulders with none other than Britney Spears.
Speaking on an episode of her sister’s podcast Khloé in Wonder Land in January, Kim confessed: ‘[Fame] is all I wanted. I lived for it.’
She recalled the time her BFF Jonathan Cheban discovered which New York City hotel Britney was staying at, and the pair caught a ride there in a Rolls-Royce Phantom thanks to a kind (and wealthy) stranger.
‘We were like, ‘We’ll sit in the back.’ So, it looks like we got out with a driver at this hotel. Paparazzi everywhere waiting for Britney at her hotel,’ the Skims CCO/founding partner said.
‘We got out and they were like, ‘Kim, Kim, Kim, are you here to visit Britney?’ and Jonathan [mutters], ‘Keep your head down and just, like, shut up.”
Once inside, Kardashian and the 52-year-old influencer darted inside a phone booth in the lobby and remained there for 20 minutes because they ‘didn’t know anyone at this hotel.’
‘We come out [of the hotel], and they’re like: ‘Kim, how was Britney? Kim, how was Britney?” the Calabasas socialite recalled.
‘We took a cab, I think, because this Rolls-Royce dropped us off, but they weren’t going to take pictures of us, like, getting in. So, we totally scammed the system. And it was like on every [magazine] cover. And we thought we were killing it.’
Another star who has benefited from a PR stunt is Ali Larter, who has been a firm fixture on the showbiz scene since the Noughties after starring as Clear Rivers in the Final Destination Franchise.
But Ali had a very unusual path to fame after was propelled into the limelight with a genius hoax that fooled the world.
When she was 20 years old she took the world by storm as she posed as the cover girl for Esquire Magazine, but she wasn’t posing Ali on the glossy cover, she was known as ‘Allegra Coleman’.
Portraying a made up character, the magazine curated Allegra as ‘Hollywood’s next dream girl’ and described her as one of the industry’s most in-demand model.
Fabricating details of her life, they made up that she had an on-off relationship with Friends star David Schwimmer, that Woody Allen was desperate to have her in one of his movies, and even featured comments from Indian-American author Deepak Chopra.
Suddenly everyone was obsessed with Allegra, and if they thought she had come out of nowhere, it was because she had.
American journalist Martha Sherrill used Ali as a social experiment that satirised celebrity culture, presenting them with a vapid star that the world soon jumped out due to her blonde looks and completely imaginary connections.
When Ali Larter was 20 years old she took the world by storm as she posed as the cover girl for Esquire Magazine, but she wasn’t posing Ali, she was known as ‘Allegra Coleman’
In 2009 Joaquin Phoenix appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman where he claimed he was quitting acting to embark on a hip hop career
Sacha Baron Cohen caused a stir when he landed on Eminem during the MTV Movie Awards back in 2009 in a set up gag
Even the copy poked fun at Allegra and the shallow nature of celebrities. One quotation read: ‘I am having thoughts. Really getting into thinking’.
Lucky for Ali the experiment worked, and it wasn’t long before she began landing acting roles herself, but as Ali, not Allegra.
Reflecting on the cover on Dinner’s On Me in January, Ali said: ‘They really made it look like it was a profile on this rising actress’.
The motivation for the article was ‘Hollywood’s fixation on making it girls,’ and it was ‘[Esquire’s] big old joke.’
But the joked worked. ‘People bought it, and I got a manager, and then, other doors opened,’ added Ali.
In 1999 she made her film debut in the coming of age dramedy Varsity Blues as she wowed in a whipped cream bikini while starring alongside Dawson Creek star James Van Der Beek.
After starring in House On Haunted Hill, in 2000 she bagged her role in Final Destination which won her the Best Breakthrough Performance by a Female at the Young Hollywood Awards.
Other celebrities have created a rouse by pretending to quit their career.
In 2009 Joaquin Phoenix appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman where he claimed he was quitting acting to embark on a hip hop career.
As the host asked: ‘You’re not going to act anymore?’ the star replied: ‘No…I don’t know.’
When questioned over what he was going to do next he replied: ‘Well I’ve been working on my music, I do more of hip hop music.’
Over a period of two years the actor behaved strangely in public, appearing confused and incoherent and his David Letterman appearance became famous.
However it later transpired that his hip hop career and the ‘role’ he played in the interview was part of press for the upcoming I’m Still Here mockumentary.
Shot by his then brother in law Casey Affleck, the musical parody film followed Joaquin through his journey to becoming a music star.
Later after the film’s release in an interview with the New York Times, Casey acknowledged that Phoenix gave ‘the performance of his career’.
He added: ‘I never intended to trick anybody.’
Sacha Baron Cohen caused a stir when he landed on Eminem during the MTV Movie Awards back in 2009.
The actor, who was in character as his titular role from Brüno, flew through the air on wires when he appeared to flip the wrong way round and was lowered on top of the rapper with his bottom in his face.
Amid the chaos Eminem exclaimed: ‘Are you f*****g serious? Yo get this motherf****r off of me’.
However a few days later Eminem confirmed that the whole charade was a set up and Sacha had called him up to run the idea past him as he wanted to do something ‘outrageous’ at the awards.
Dubious relationships
As well as her fake Britney fiasco, Kim made sure the paps worked in her favour when she called them while on a date with 98 Degrees boyband star Nick Lachey.
The pair headed to the cinema for their first (and only date) back in 2006, but Kim wasn’t looking for love, she was looking for fame.
In the 2010 book Kardashian Konfidential, Kim credited the date as her launch to fame after she called the paps to catch them as they were leaving.
During an appearance on Andy Cohen in 2019, Nick gave his side of the story as he explained: ‘Let’s just say this: We went to a movie. No one followed us there.
‘Somehow, mysteriously, when we left, there were 30 photographers waiting outside. There are certain ways to play this game, and some people play it well.’
Some celebrities have taken it even further than a first date and back in 2013, DJ Khaled went as far as to propose to Nicki Minaj during a video for MTV News.
He said: ‘I’m a be honest with you. I wanna marry you. I’m here today at MTV. Nicki Minaj, will you marry me?’
However a few days late Nicki confirmed the proposal had been a publicity stunt to promote his new song Take It To The Head which she featured on.
Speaking to Hot 97’s Funkmaster Flex she said: ‘Khaled is my brother, and Khaled was not serious with that damn proposal, ya’ll. Please let it go.
‘He was kidding. He’s not attracted to me, he doesn’t like me. We’re brother and sister.’
British presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg is now no stranger to rubbing shoulders with the biggest stars on the Oscars red carpet.
Amelia Dimoldenberg and Aitch first met each other in a 2019 episode of her series Chicken Shop Date, where she questioned him about his love life
Some celebrities have taken it even further than a first date and back in 2013, DJ Khaled went as far as to propose to Nicki Minaj during a video for MTV News
When Rihanna was still a rising star, rumours circulated that she was having an affair with her protégé Jay Z, allegedly causing marital woes with Beyonce (pictured in 2005)
However back in the early days of her hit series Chicken Shop Date, her relationship with rapper Aitch helped get her name out there.
They first met each other in a 2019 episode of her series Chicken Shop Date, where she questioned him about his love life.
When Amelia asked if he believes in love at first sight, Aitch replied: ‘I believe in it, but it’s never happened so I don’t know.
‘But I would like to think that one day I’ll look at someone and fall in love.’
Fast forward to 2022, Aitch teased fans for weeks with several TikTok’s of a mystery woman, which turned out to be Amelia.
The couple’s first date saw Aitch take Amelia to get a milkshake – although he kept her identity hidden.
Love was clearly in the air as he went on to share a second compilation video of him and Amelia looking extremely close and cute during their bowling date.
He captioned the video: ‘Yeah, you guessed it. F*** off now,’ and went on to share a loved-up selfie of them.
Not long after, Amelia addressed their relationship in a Kiss FM interview, confirming they were spending time together.
Aitch then shared a picture of them on Instagram, calling her ‘Amelia Armstrong’.
Also around this time, the journalist made a brief appearance in his and Ashanti’s music video, Baby.
However, their relationship was not meant to be and the couple announced their split, when they gave each other ‘best friend bracelets’ in a video.
This left fans believing the relationship was a PR stunt to promote his new song.
Though fans have long speculated their relationship was an elaborate PR stunt. The parties have never confirmed, nor denied.
Steve-O has also claimed his ‘fling’ with Nicole Richie in 2006 was just for publicity.
The Jackass star previously told The Howard Stern Show: ‘The truth is she wanted some publicity for something other than being skinny.
‘It was a big publicity stunt. She would come pick me up – I don’t drive – I think she called the paparazzi too. These motherf**kers were coming from all directions.’
Kim’s stepbrother Brody Jenner was also caught up in a showmance, admitting he faked his relationship with Lauren Conrad on The Hills.
Brody confessed: ‘We never actually dated. In the beginning, we had a little kind of chemistry, and we hung out, and I think it played pretty well on screen. I think that they, the producers, really wanted us to keep that going, even though we just wanted to be friends.
‘But she’s great. We had a great time. It was so easy to work with her. It was so easy to film scenes with her and do stuff and act like we were [together], because we really did enjoy each other’s company. We really liked each other, just not in that romantic way.’
Brody was also thought to be dating Nicole Richie for around two months, however in a MySpace post after their supposed split she confirmed they had never been together.
Steve-O previously claimed his ‘fling’ with Nicole Richie in 2006 was fake, saying ‘It was a big publicity stunt. She would come pick me up – I don’t drive – I think she called the paparazzi too’
Kim’s stepbrother Brody Jenner was also caught up in a showmance, admitting he faked his relationship with Lauren Conrad on The Hills (pictured in 2008)
In 2017 Jake Paul filmed himself ‘marrying’ fellow vlogger Erika Costell in Las Vegas. He later confessed it was a stunt and they weren’t even in a relationship
Two years later, Jake pulled the same stunt with another YouTuber, ‘marrying’ Tana Mongeau in Vegas. He later confessed: ‘sometimes you end up getting fake married. So I’ll leave it at that’
More recently Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson made headlines after a series of loved up displays while on the promo tour for The Naked Gun (pictured in July)
She said: ‘The truth is, we were never really together. We hung out, and he’s a nice guy, but my heart was never in it. Anything further is just a cry for publicity.’
Then, in a 2007 profile on Brody, his “manager/publicist/agent/stylist” Spencer Pratt told Details magazine that the relationship had been his idea to help get his friend’s name out there.
YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul has form with fake romances – pretending to get married not once but twice for publicity.
In 2017 he filmed himself ‘marrying’ fellow vlogger Erika Costell in Las Vegas and released a series of married life vlogs.
Yet just three months later, Jake confessed it was all a sham, admitting: ‘We’re not even actually dating. It’s like the WWE. People know that’s fake, and it’s one of the biggest things of entertainment.’
Two years later, Jake pulled the same stunt with another YouTuber, ‘marrying’ Tana Mongeau in Vegas.
He later confessed: ‘We all do things sometimes. And sometimes you end up getting fake married. So I’ll leave it at that.’
Sometimes, just being romantically linked to a star is enough to do the trick.
While some celebrities have faked relationships, Rihanna’s former publicist took it one step further when he faked an affair between the singer and none other than Jay-Z.
Beyoncé and Jay Z separated for a year amid rumours the rapper was having an affair with Rihanna.
The power couple, who started dating in 2000, allegedly split around the time Jay Z scouted then-17-year-old Rihanna in 2005 and managed the launch of her debut single Pon De Replay.
However Rihanna’s former publicist Jonathan Hay owned up to spreading the rumours, claiming he did it to try promote the then 17-year-old’s debut single Pon The Replay.
He later told The Daily News: ‘I apologized to [Beyonce] this whole thing is very awkward.
‘I was blindsided by the news of Becoming Beyoncé [her biography] coming out and it couldn’t come at a worse time for me.
‘The pr stunt that I did was out of desperation to help break Pon de Replay, he admitted.
‘It was reckless and I didn’t think it was going to work. I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick.
‘I didn’t think it would be this big story,’ he continued. ‘But now, seeing Beyoncé on the cover of this book and knowing that people are profiting from speculations and opinions about her really turns my stomach.
‘I’m ashamed that I’m even talking about this. I just want to put this rumor to rest once and for all.’
More recently Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson made headlines after a series of loved up displays while on the promo tour for The Naked Gun.
Their escapades during their ‘romantic lost week’ included ‘dinner at a tiny French restaurant where he introduced her as the “future Mrs. Neeson.”‘
She helped him garden, tending ‘to a rosebush overgrown with mint,’ and at one point a bathrobe-clad Neeson had to chase a bear off from his breakfast window.
After their weeklong sojourn in upstate New York, they ‘went our separate ways to work on other films’ but reunited for the media rounds for The Naked Gun.
Their dating rumors went into overdrive when they were seen gazing into each other’s eyes, obviously besotted, at the movie’s premiere in New York.
When the film opened in London, Pamela was seen cuddling up to Liam and planting a kiss on his cheek, and while plugging the movie on Watch What Happens Live, she applied lip balm to him on camera, pouring fuel on the speculation.
But in December she revealed they were no longer an item romantically, although they remain friends and he had been supportive of her projects.
She told People: ‘If you must know, Liam and I were romantically involved for a short while but only after we finished filming,’ she said, indicating that during her stay at his country house she ‘had my own room’ and ‘Our assistants both came; even family stopped by.’
Buying followers
While the world of social media is fake enough with edited photos and filters, it is also possible for users to buy followers.
Back in 2018, it was alleged that Paul Hollywood, James Cracknell and Martha Lane Fox had paid a firm that allegedly uses fake accounts to boost people’s Twitter followings.
They were reported among more than 200,000 customers, including reality TV stars, athletes, comedians and models who have signed up to American company Devumi.
The firm, which sells Twitter followers and retweets to anyone who wants to appear more popular or exert influence online, works by using an estimated stock of at least 3.5million automated accounts, a New York Times investigation found.
Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood reportedly bought some of his 600,000 twitter followers from the American website.
After Hollywood, 51, was contacted by the New York Times, he deleted his account.
Baroness Lane-Fox, who co-founded LastMinute.com and karaoke bar chain Lucky Voice, blamed a ‘rogue employee’ for at least seven batches of purchases using her email address spanning more than a year.
Her biggest increase saw her gain 25,000 followers and was made days after she became a Twitter board member in April 2016.
Back in 2018, it was alleged that Paul Hollywood (pictured), James Cracknell and Martha Lane Fox had paid a firm that allegedly uses fake accounts to boost people’s Twitter followings
Some claimed they thought Devumi was supplying real fans.
British rowing Olympic champion James Cracknell bought 50,000 followers from Devumi in 2016.
He told the New York Times at the time: ‘I don’t want anybody following me who is not interested in me. It’s fraud.’
He added: ‘People who judge by how many likes or how many followers, it’s not a healthy thing.’
After a New York Times exposé the company was shut down after a subsequent investigation into its fraudulent activities.
