The Shady Side Of Bhad Bhabie
Danielle Bregoli — known by the stage name Bhad Bhabie — was 14 years old when she became an international meme. Her 2016 appearance on the "Dr. Phil" show as her mom, Barbara Bregoli's, out-of-control teen went viral after she infamously said to the TV doctor, "Cash me outside, how 'bout dat?" Clocking her newfound Internet fame, Bregoli began a rap career, and her wild child style and combative mama followed her into the music business. She quickly dropped multiple singles and an EP, collaborated with Snoop Dogg and Kodak Black, and became the youngest woman to land on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017.
She isn't just some messy kid, though. In between her dramatic antics and outbursts, Bregoli's tragic history of abuse and the dangerous camp for troubled teens she was forced to attend by Dr. Phil have surfaced, all of which have helped to shed light on the reasons behind her misbehavior. Through her interviews and appearances, fans have clocked how much she has matured over the years, appreciating her courage to speak out and even start school scholarships.
Still, Bregoli has done some pretty shady things over the years. From cultural appropriation to threatening people's lives, this Bhabie has definitely been Bad.
Fans accused Bregoli of blackfishing
Being a White rapper is already something people have found vexing to Black-created-and-dominated rap culture. Black hairstyles, however, are almost always considered exclusively for Black people. Journalist Wanna Thompson defined "blackfishing" to CNN as when "White public figures, influencers and the like do everything in their power to appear Black." This involves darkening their skin, changing their voices, and wearing hairstyles and clothes from Black culture. Many pop stars have been called out for this type of cultural appropriation, and Bregoli is among the accused.
In 2019, Bregoli flaunted a head of box braids on her Instagram, seemingly unaware of the backlash Kim Kardashian and Nikita Dragun had received over wearing similar styles. Criticism flooded her social media comments. Bregoli addressed these comments on her Instagram story and called the Black women accusing her of appropriation hypocrites. Some fans believed she was starting to speak ill of all Black people, a belief she tried to shut down, according to Metro's report.
She later posted a video to her Instagram story to clear up her statements. "To all the people saying I'm tryna be Black from wearing my hair in braids," she ranted. "Well then you must be tryna be White for wearing your hair straight ... Why you can say it to me but when I say the exact thing back to you I can't say that? I ain't no f***in' racist." Despite all of this, Bregoli did not take out the braids and continued to pose with them online.
Bregoli thinks her OnlyFans subscribers should be in jail
In 2021, six days after her 18th birthday, Bregoli started an X-rated Only Fans account. Within six hours, the young creator made $1 million, breaking actor Bella Thorne's record of $1 million in 24 hours. She bragged about the earnings by sharing a receipt on Instagram (via Variety), "we broke the f*** out of that only fans record." A year later, in April 2022, Bregoli told fans she multiplied her first night's gross profit by 50. After their disbelief, she posted a screen recording (via Page Six) of her OnlyFans statement, telling her haters to "cry about it" and thanking Scoop Agency Partners for their help. She opened up on model Emily Ratajkowski's "High Low" podcast in 2023 about going into adult content to make her own money her mother can't control.
But Bregoli isn't the biggest fan of her fans. In an interview with Caleb Pressley, Bregoli confirmed she thinks her subscribers who subscribed immediately should be in jail. She also confessed on the "High Low" podcast that she doesn't 100% condone her new way of making money, and went as far as to compare her patrons to pedophiles, "I still think it's f***in' weird, but at the same time, 18 is 18." When Complex asked what advice she had for wannabe Only Fans creators, the millionaire smirked and said she couldn't give away her secrets and plugged Scoop Agency. Seems like Bregoli is laughing her way to the bank!
She was rude to fans on Snapchat
One of Snapchat's first Snap Original series was "Bringing Up Bhabie." The web series followed the then-15-year-old through her day-to-day, introducing viewers to her two managers, her best friend and bodyguard, Frank, the behind-the-scenes of making music, and — reminiscent of her "Dr. Phil" episode — providing screaming matches between her and her mother. TMZ reported that the premiere episode broke 10 million views in the first 24 hours.
As promotion for the show, Bregoli took part in one of Snapchat's other new features, Snap Me (via YouTube), where fans could do a Q&A with celebrities. Needless to say, she was accused of answering their questions in a particularly unfiltered fashion. In one snap, a fan asked the rapper if she liked her dog, to which Bregoli replied, "When are we starting a twelve-step program for you and the dog?" followed by her popular high-pitched giggle. Another took note of her long nails and asked how Bregoli does simple tasks with the acrylic claws. She answered back with a video of her opening a soda can and a bag of chips, "You are so dumb!" One asked if she would ever get a face tattoo, and she responded that she would never since it's a career-ender.
Her makeup line was a cash grab
Many celebrities have launched their own makeup line or collaboration. Usually, this comes after some impassioned relationship with cosmetics, but some, like Danielle Bregoli's, came out of the blue. CopyCat Beauty, a subsidiary of Crown Brushes, was endorsed by Bregoli in January 2019 in a YouTube video. The entire brand's marketing centered around being inexpensive dupes — a.k.a. copycats — to big-name brand products while still being high-quality. She told her patrons, "It ain't about being broke it's about spending your money wisely." According to TMZ, the business venture landed Bregoli a $900,000 endorsement deal with a percentage of the sales.
Overall, consumers seemed to agree that Bregoli lacked passion for the endeavor. In the same month, she joined then-ever-popular Jeffree Star, a makeup influencer who reviewed makeup and owned a makeup line, on his YouTube channel. Star, like Bregoli, has always been a polarizing and controversial figure, but the two share an over decade-wide age gap and, admittedly, have little else in common. In the video, Bregoli appeared disengaged and unenthused, and Star spent 30 minutes trying to find something positive to say, especially as someone who predominantly uses luxury products. Yikes. Consumers also criticized the line and compared them directly to the products they were copying. Needless to say, many stuck with the OGs. As of this writing, CopyCat Beauty has been discontinued, and Bregoli has not returned to the makeup market.
Bregoli and her mom spouted anti-Muslim rhetoric
Danielle Bregoli and her mother, Barbara Bregoli, came as a pair after their introduction to the world in 2016. On television, in interviews, and even on social media, the Bregolis were once a package deal that fueled one another's outlandish misbehavior. The daughter would often go on Instagram Live, and Barbara would make an appearance. In one particular Live, though, the duo were caught misbehaving on a whole other level.
In the 2017 livestream (via The Sun), Danielle and Barbara were in an argument with an unknown caller on Barbara's phone. It's unclear exactly what was being argued about, but Mama Bregoli was yelling into her phone, seemingly at one of Danielle's peers, "You used to beg my daughter to come and stay at your house ... your momma has been selling [herself] in Fort Lauderdale!" The two continued to criticize the girl's mother, with Barbara eventually screaming into the phone, "You're a f***ing Muslim! Hussain ain't f***ing Christian — it's a f***ing Muslim," a comment Danielle laughs at.
Then, to their surprise, and seemingly their enjoyment, Danielle's peer brings her mom to the phone, causing both of the mother/daughter duos to shriek in conflict. Can definitely see where Bregoli got some of her unfortunate behavior from...
She assaulted a Spirit passenger
In her 2017 single, "Hi Bich," Danielle Bregoli dissed her haters and rapped, "All y'all look like you still fly Spirit." Funny enough, though, Bregoli herself was caught flying Spirit Airlines. Well, until she got kicked off the plane for causing a commotion before her flight took off.
While boarding their flight out of LAX, Barbara Bregoli, who was wearing a cast due to an injured foot, was taking her time putting up her carry-on overhead. According to TMZ, a fellow passenger became impatient with her and started making rude remarks. In one of the videos of the interaction, Barbara tells the woman to be patient and claps back at her comments with, "I have three college degrees, b***h, what you got?" The woman, probably recognizing her, said to the teen her infamous slogan "Catch me outside, how 'bout that?" which triggered Bregoli into charging at her and threatening to truly catch her outside.
The view in the video is obscured, but TMZ speculated that Barbara pulled the passenger forward, Danielle punched her face and then was pulled back by her mama. Sheesh! All three people involved in the incident ended up being escorted off of the flight and were banned from using Spirit.
She got into two fights with Woah Vicky
Victoria Waldrip — known by her stage name Woah Vicky — is an internet personality whose impersonation of stereotypical Blackness gained her infamy. Despite their four-year age gap, Waldrip and Danielle Bregoli were often compared. Their feud began in 2017, and the reason why depends on who you ask. Waldrip claimed the "These Heaux" rapper was threatened by her. Regardless, a beef began.
In 2018, video showed Bregoli and Waldrip standing outside with their entourages surrounding them. 11-year-old Lil Tay was also at the scene (feels random, right?) asking if the two would fight. Well, they did. After verbally baiting each other, Bregoli managed to get behind Waldrip and punch and pull the back of her head. The rest of the fight is out of view, but ends with Bregoli's team member carrying her away, and Waldrip and Tay yelling after her. Bregoli explained in a tweet that the fight started because Waldrip and Tay had called one of her friends the n-word.
According to Waldrip, the second Woah Vicky versus Bhad Bhabie fight in 2019 was brought on because Waldrip was spending time with Bregoli's boo, Lil Gotit. In the footage, Waldrip has Bregoli pinned down and pulling her hair. Waldrip dropped a diss track against Bregoli, and Bregoli continued to talk bad on her name. In 2022, Waldrip told The Shade Room Teens the whole thing was for clout and she didn't take it seriously. Well, it worked!
Bregoli's accused of blackfishing ... again
Once again, Danielle Bregoli came under fire for blackfishing, this time not because of her hair, but because of her skin tone. In selfies she posted, the rapper's skin looked noticeably darker, igniting another round of upset from fans. Whether it was a tan or a filter is unknown. To clear things up, Bregoli took to her Instagram Live, but this only made matters worse.
During the livestream (via Buzzfeed), Bregoli addressed the accusations that she was trying to act Black by saying it was a possibility due to her upbringing. She tarnished this moment of insight when she compared her upbringing to Tarzan growing up amongst monkeys. Not a very appropriate analogy considering what she was accused of. But then she went on to take back the possibility she was trying to act Black and asked a not-so-well-thought-out rhetorical question to her viewers, "Who wants to be Black? I don't understand that I really just can't comprehend it." This led to a million more memes and callbacks to when she had box braids.
Months later, Bregoli apologized for her statement. She explained that the question was not meant to disparage being Black, but a phrase used to deny that trying to look Black was her goal. She posted on Instagram, "i didn't mean it in a bad way i was saying like 'who are you talking about' not meaning it's bad to b that."
Fans think Eminem copied one of her songs
In the conversation regarding the greatest rappers of all time, Danielle Bregoli is not usually mentioned. That was until her fans believed the world-renowned — and fellow controversial White rapper — Eminem, born Marshal Mathers, was accused of ripping off one of her songs.
In 2018, Mathers surprise dropped his comeback album, "Kamikaze," which featured a plethora of disses of other rappers. His track "Not Alike," featuring Royce Da 5'9", specifically targeted his longtime feud with Machine Gun Kelly. Although the song focused on the differences between him and MGK, Bregoli fans believed the track and Bregoli's hit song "Hi Bich" were alike.
Videos were posted of the two songs being played side by side and compared their similar flows. One supporter tweeted (via NME), "It's weird to think that a rapper who is by many still known as the goat took his flow from a 14 year old girl who got famous from being weird on Dr. Phil's show." Initially, Bregoli quote-tweeted one of the comparison videos and wrote, "I'll take that compliment." Her tune soon changed to a petty one, though. Bregoli decided to go back into the studio and re-record the last lines of the final song of her mixtape "15" to reference "Cleanin' Out My Closet," a famous Mathers track. She later claimed on her Instagram Story (via Complex) that the idea that he stole her flow didn't stand up in her mind, but who knows if it was an homage or a diss?
Skai Jackson put out a restraining order against Bregoli
Disney alum Skai Jackson got into hot water with Danielle Bregoli after she left a flirty comment on NBA YoungBoy's Instagram in 2020. Bregoli and YoungBoy had previously dated and she even got a tattoo in his honor, so it wasn't too surprising when she popped off on Jackson for trying to get with him. She called Jackson a "Disney Thot" and told her to unblock her so they could fight. Later, she took to Instagram Live (via The Shade Room Teens) where she threatened the actress, "Why you so obsessed with me b***h," Bregoli shouted on her live, "I will literally kill you!"
Then, their mothers got involved. Kiya Cole, Jackson's mom, commented (via The Shade Room Teens) that she wanted Bregoli's address so she could settle this in person with her mother Barbara. Well, Barbara replied in the comments, and the two fought like teenagers, creating a whole thread of threats and insults.
Jackson finally engaged, but not online; She took this to the courts. She petitioned for and was granted a temporary restraining order against Bregoli and expressed fear for her life. Jackson never addressed the issue directly to her fans, but Bregoli continued her public tirade. "Go get your restraining order," Bregoli wrote in an Instagram caption (via Insider), "Imma go get checks." A couple of months later, Jackson dropped the order in June 2020 since Bregoli had sought treatment at a rehabilitation center.
Bregoli feuded with Iggy Azalea
Most female rappers get pitted against each other, especially if they are similar. So, when Danielle Bregoli came onto the scene, she was naturally compared to Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, another White rapper who has been dragged for imitating Blackness. She addressed this in her 2018 remix for her song, "Hi Bich," where she told her fans to stop comparing them and that Azalea was washed up.
Bregoli explained to The Daily Telegraph that Azalea had insulted her in an Instagram comment (where most feuds seem to begin). A photographer had posted a photo of Bregoli, asking who was coming to her next concert, which Azalea replied to with, "Are you?" Bregoli believed this was an insinuation that Azalea didn't think anyone wanted to go to her concerts. When the two crossed paths at a party, Bregoli confronted her about the comment. Azalea declined to engage, which led to Bregoli infamously splashing water at her. Azalea's wig got wet, but she wasn't baited into fighting by Bregoli's prompting.
The "Fancy" rapper was ultimately unbothered. She tweeted (via US Weekly) at the time, "Imagine me scrambling around on the floor in a dirty night club trying to hit a teenage girl. Girl. NO." Bregoli doubled down online (via E! News) and said Azalea was jealous of her. But Bregoli later denied (via US Weekly) their feud in a shady way, writing, "There is NO beef wit [Azalea] as I was just told it's not smart to beef wit no one that hasn't had a career since 2014."
She was accused of blackfishing one more time
The Internet came for Danielle Bregoli again in 2022 when she posted more videos on Instagram with noticeably darker skin and seemingly larger lips. In the videos, she looked almost unrecognizable, and the accusations of blackfishing resurfaced. Commenters even suggested she may have gone under the knife to achieve this new look, something Bregoli has denied many times over.
Bregoli has grown, though. This time, instead of going on a rant with poorly chosen words, the Internet personality posted a screenshot of the foundation her makeup artist used, and it was, indeed, a product in her natural shade range. "Don't y'all ever ask me again why I don't b on ig!" she wrote in her next Instagram story (via The Shade Room). "I don't make no money on here I don't need to b on here I do it for my fans but y'all take it too far everytime it's honestly sad and weird." At this point, Bregoli was predominantly making content for her OnlyFans and only using Instagram to promote the new venture. Fingers crossed that this marks the final time Bregoli is called out for this kind of thing!