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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.

Image credits: TonyClifton323

#1

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Kim Kardashian. OJ's lawyer's daughter f****d a C list rapper and now her family is worth a billion dollars.

tee142002 , The Heart Truth Report

#2

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame That salt sprinkling prick

cantsleepconfused , Branded Meme Report

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TheGoodBoi
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So he’s good at…sprinkling salt? Well I have a job for him! Come sprinkle salt in my driveway, we have snow coming…

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#3

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

Ollivander451 , Angela George Report

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.

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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

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Alllllll the MTV Teen Moms

BarriBlue , MTV Report

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Zephyr343
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah...MTV turned bad decisions into cash cows for more cows to procreate

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#5

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Russell Brand. SO sick of that h****n addicted twit.

femsci-nerd , russellbrand Report

#6

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

KimboSlice129 , Kathy Report

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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

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame The cast of Jersey Shore.

sozar , MTV Report

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Rocket Surgeon
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Other than the one... Snooki? Is that her name? I don't know anything about any of the other ones. And Snooki all I know is her name. At least I think that's her name :D

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#8

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Basically anyone who started off with a sex tape leak

Brums86 , Stas Knop Report

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#9

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

JKEddie , Joost Evers Report

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Nadine
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People think he was a great guy but he was pretty awful. She was horrible!

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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

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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

nightkitchen , Kafuffle Report

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Lunaofthenest (She/they)
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He just recently got beat up in prison... again. Karma doesn't eff around when kids are involved and neither do a lot of the other inmates.

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#11

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame The island boys, they've stretched that s**t out so far

cantaketheskyfrome , flyysoulja Report

#12

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Nirvana baby

sibelius_eighth , GreasyStool88 Report

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BW Gibson
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup. They want to sue for invading his privacy as an infant (or whatever the charge was....? I don't disagree, just sayin) yet he offers to recreate the album cover as an adult. You can't have it both ways.

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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. 

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#13

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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

iconsandbygones , Erik Drost Report

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Miztre
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are insufferable twats. Would love to see Tyson smash their heads in.

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#15

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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. 😵‍💫 

rFortressofRain , bhadbhabie Report

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.

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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.

#17

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame the damelios. cant believe they got a kardashian wannabe show on hulu 

thatnegativebitch , Hulu Report

#18

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Harry and Meghan

SecretConscious6334 , Mark Jones Report

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Rocket Surgeon
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These don't count. They're royalty. They get a fame card when they're born or marry in and it has unlimited minutes.

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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.

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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

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Jeremy Meeks - that convict with the blue eyes or whatever

d_tiBBAR , Stockton Report

#21

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Wendy Williams

dummiV , WBLS Report

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.

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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

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

ImCaffeinated_Chris , Salpi Bezdjian Report

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Thee8thsense
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ryan Seacrest works his butt off. I don't agree that anyone could do his job(s). I feel neutral about him generally speaking, but admire his work ethic.

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#24

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Julia Fox

CoolHangover7 , juliafox Report

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Charlotte
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't get it. She wears a snuggie, a thong, flip flops, a bouquet of flowers on her head and a hollowed out hamster as a purse, and people are like omg she's such an icon. If I wore that I'd be committed.

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#25

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

CorgiMonsoon , mirandasingsofficial Report

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#26

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Currently and on their way..Gypsy Rose and her Peter Griffin looking Husband.

hellooonurse23 , gypsyrose_a_blanchard Report

#27

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Omarosa. Was a villain on a reality show in *2004*, yet 20 years later you still know who I’m talking about.

wholewheatscythe , Gage Skidmore Report

#28

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Anna Delvey

let_me_use_reddit , ariana1234567890 Report

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Rocket Surgeon
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By all means don't describe who the person is, what their 15 fame minutes consisted of, or how they stretched it out to more.

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#29

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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..

bradley_b_ , George Cruikshank Report

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Len Hill
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We don't celebrate him. We celebrate the fact that he was caught before he did any harm. Hence the burning of the Guy on the bonfire

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#30

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

LeafintheWind88 , jjmccullough Report

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#31

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

Avicii_DrWho , VOGUE Taiwan Report

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Malakai
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She's actually a genuinely good singer and songwriter, and not bad at acting, either, in her music videos. I didn't know anything about her Tiktok origins, but I don't think she's milking her 15 minutes--it feels like she's working hard for it now.

Craig Staley
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I also think it's ridiculous that she got famous for shaking her head to a song, but I genuinely like her music. She is trying to turn her silly fame into an actual career, and I admire that she is honestly trying for real success despite her stupid start.

Boootifull Unicorn
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well said. There is a difference between people milking their five minutes of fame and people who unexpectedly got the spotlight and decided to make something of themselves. People are mean.

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whaaaaaaaaaa
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She's actually trying to have a good influence on people despite all that. And she can actually sing, she has a beautiful voice. There are people who should just not be famous because they're using the fame irresponsibly but she tries not to do so. For example she had an offensive tattoo but she didn't know the meaning behind it and then covered it as soon as she found out and used it as a teaching experience

PeepPeep the duck
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wanna know but I also don’t want to even add to the whole thing of google algorithms and her name etc 😂

Demosthenes
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s not fame, y’all gonna grow up one day and realize EVERYTHING on Tik Tok is a sham.

I heart Boo-BI-es
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So I had no clue who this woman is, but after a quick Google, I learned she was also enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Being a fellow female U.S. Veteran I gotta give my sister props!

T0t@lly-f!ne!
Community Member
9 months ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

She deserved every bit of her fame. She was physically abused as a child, served in the Military, and has severe PtSd. She's shitted on way too much.

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#33

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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

Surfside141 , guyfieri Report

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Lady Miss Pie
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Premium
9 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have to stand up and disagree with this one. I used to hate him but he is a legitimately nice person. I met a disabled young man who won a chance to cook with him years ago and he said GF was incredibly fun and down to earth and still keeps in contact with him. He also made sure his employees—and other food service workers—were taken care of during the pandemic. There are a lot of people who deserve vitriol, but he isn’t one of them.

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#34

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame 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.

goblingirlie , brittany_broski Report

#35

Lil Tay

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

TireFryer426 Report

#36

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

i_love_jellyfish Report

#37

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.

jurassicbond Report

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#38

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.

apurpleglittergalaxy Report

#39

Ice spice is the most recent I can think of

poonaniewhisperer Report

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Fynne
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unpopular opinion: all rappers are overrated. Listening to people yell slurs and suggestive language really fast is not fun to listen to

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#41

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.

LiteBeerLife Report

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Minecraft_Chicken
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I honestly thought that the deez nuts joke was just started by some dumb middle school group and that the joke just became an internet sensation.

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#42

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Not most successful but people talked about Ken Bone way more than I would’ve expected

kingoflint282 , Gage Skidmore Report

#43

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame In Britain, Rylan

SwooshSwooshJedi , rylan Report

#44

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Reece Donnelly - That fella from The Apprentice

ChipCob1 , reecedonnelly Report

#45

“That Salt Sprinkling Prick”: 45 Celebs That Refused To Let Go Of Their 15 Minutes Of Fame Khaby Lame.

Elevenst , State Farm Report

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BW Gibson
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is anyone else noticing the high percentage of these nobodies got their start on Tiktok??

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