Celebs You Didn't Know Have Strange Alter Egos
There's so much more to celebrities than meets the eye, and we're not talking about weird hobbies. Some celebrities actually have alter egos that pop up from time to time. Read on to learn about the strangest alter egos in Hollywood.
Justin Bieber as Shawty Mane
He may not bust him out too often, but Justin Bieber's been known to tap into a personality known as Shawty Mane when he raps. Back in 2010, the Biebs shared a video of himself on Twitter performing Cam'ron and Vado's song "Speaking in Tongues" and introducing his alter ego. The next year, according to XXL Magazine, he tweeted out Shawty Mane's involvement with Chris Brown and Asher Roth on the rappers' then-upcoming projects. But Bieber was quick to warn fans that he had no plans for a rap career. In XXL's July/August 2011 issue, he shared, "I just do it for fun...I don't think people would take me seriously if I came out with, like, a rap album."
However, the young artist surprised everyone by rapping on Maejor Ali's track "Lolly" alongside Juicy J. Since then, he's collaborated with rappers on new songs but hasn't done much rapping himself. We have to say though, we're curious to see how the world would respond to a Shawty Mane rap album. How do you think it would do? Platinum or triple-platinum?
A.J. McLean as Johnny No Name
Backstreet Boy alum A.J. McLean introduced everyone to his alter ego, Johnny No Name, in early 2000. During the very first night of his solo tour, Johnny No Name, dubbed as a "British troublemaker from Nashville," was dressed in a white pimp suit and performed nearly every song on the set list, according to MTV. At the end of the concert, McLean made an appearance as himself, but it was short-lived as a man wearing a "Police" shirt handcuffed the pop singer and took him offstage.
Speaking with MTV, McLean explained No Name's arrest: "Every time he does a solo show he gets off his probation, and then at the end of the show he has to go back to jail. I don't know what he does, but he's always in trouble." Good thing the American justice system was so forgiving to recognize No Name's talents and allow him to perform for the people! We wonder when we'll see the British transplant again—it's been way too long!
Lady Gaga as Jo Calderone
The Mother Monster revealed her alter ego, Jo Calderone, to a huge audience on the 2011 VMAs stage. Without breaking character, Lady Gaga opened the ceremony, performed her hit song "Yoü and I," and hung out with Kanye West in the crowd—all as her male persona. But that's not all. She also won the Best Female Video VMA for her song "Born This Way" and had Calderone accept the award on her behalf. In his acceptance speech, he shared, "I know if she was here tonight, she would want me to thank her Little Monsters."
If you were a little confused by her alter ego's appearance all those years ago, you weren't alone. In the VMA press room, Entertainment Weekly was able to learn more about the mysterious Calderone. "I'm from Jersey. My family is from Palermo, Sicily," Gaga as Calderone shared, "and I'm not a singer or a model or an actor or anything." Regardless, the fictitious man from Jersey would go on to appear in Gaga's music video for "Yoü and I." We haven't seen a glimpse of the guy since, but we like to think he lives on somewhere in the back of Lady Gaga's brain. Maybe he'll make an appearance in the next season of American Horror Story! We can only hope.
Eminem as Slim Shady
Nobody understands the appeal of an alter ego quite like Marshall Mathers himself. While he took the moniker of Eminem to pursue rapping, he embraced the more violent side of his personality with the unpredictable character known as Slim Shady. In a VladTV interview (via Billboard), his former D12 bandmates explained that Slim Shady was a way for Eminem to become someone new: "Basically the whole thing of D12 is everybody has an alter ego, so try to be the villain, a person completely different from who you are."
While Slim Shady hasn't resurfaced recently, Eminem noted in a June 2010 interview with The New York Times that Slim Shady certainly hasn't gone away for good. Regarding Slim Shady's absence from his album Recovery, Eminem states, "Shady still exists. But I don't think the subjects on this record call for, you know, bring the chainsaws and axes out and murder everyone on this record." We're ready for Slim Shady when you are, Eminem.
Beyoncé as Sasha Fierce
By now, everyone knows about Beyoncé's alter ego Sasha Fierce, but that doesn't make the personality any less strange. According to an interview with Oprah, the megastar adopted Sasha Fierce to deliver a memorable stage presence at each of her performances. But it doesn't take much for Beyoncé to get in and out of character. Beyoncé describes the emergence of Sasha Fierce in her act, saying, "[It's] usually when I hear the chords, when I put on my stilettos. Like the moment right before when you're nervous ... Then Sasha Fierce appears, and my posture and the way I speak and everything is different."
But don't expect Sasha Fierce to show up on stage anytime soon. In an interview with Allure Magazine (via MTV), Beyoncé let readers know not to expect any more of her alter ego in the future: "Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her." Why? "I don't need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I've grown and now I'm able to merge the two," Beyoncé explained. Well, that does make sense. Have you seen Beyoncé on stage? The woman doesn't need any help pulling off a show. She's fierce all on her own.
David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention one of the biggest alter egos in music history, Ziggy Stardust. The late David Bowie's alternate persona helped shape both his career and the entire pop music industry. Before his release of "Space Oddity," Bowie mused that the music scene was "What you see is what you get." According to Rolling Stone, he thought, "It seemed interesting to try to devise something different, like a musical where the artist onstage plays a part."
Thus, Ziggy Stardust, an alien rockstar, was born, and his story was told in the 1983 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. To this day, the character is known for his iconic bright red mullet and the colorful lightning bolt on his face. Clearly a career move birthed from Bowie's one-of-a-kind creative mind, Bowie reflected on Ziggy years later in an interview: "I mean he was half out of sci-fi rock and half out of the Japanese theater. The clothes were, at that time, simply outrageous. Nobody had seen anything like them before." And we haven't seen anyone quite like Bowie or Ziggy since. While Bowie passed away in January 2016, he and his music live on forever in the hearts of fans around the world.
Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines
Country star Garth Brooks surprised many when he debuted his alter ego, rocker Chris Gaines, in the late 1990s. He traded in his cowboy hat for a box of hair dye and dropped the album Garth Brooks in ... The Life of Chris Gaines, which went multi-platinum. Garth was supposed to portray Gaines in the movie The Lamb, but plans for the film eventually fell through.
However, Garth did succeed in performing as Gaines when the country man hosted SNL in September 1999. He sang "Way of the Girl," which, according to Rolling Stone, included such lyrics like "Some they in it for money, some they in it for love, some they in it for romance, my baby's all of the above." Smooth, Gaines. But alas, it seems like the edgy pop star has retired, as he's been out of the spotlight for nearly two decades.
Bono as MacPhisto
According to Time Magazine, U2 frontman Bono showcased his devilish side with his alter ego, MacPhisto—a glamorous version of the... well, devil. Apparently, Bono wanted to add a little contrast to the band's image after the release of Joshua Tree with the help of a glitzy gold suit, white makeup, and, of course, devil horns. In the early 1990s, MacPhisto performed each set of U2's European ZooTV tour, sharing his opinions on politics with the crowds.
The Irishman returned as MacPhisto years later to perform "If We Don't Help People With AIDS, We're Going to Hell" on Jimmy Kimmel Live with celebrities like Kristen Bell, Neil Patrick Harris, and Halsey. With champagne in hand, he emerged from a bathtub on stage and warned the famous faces they'd be heading to hell if they don't act more charitable. With such a good, albeit oddly-delivered, message, it's only a matter of time until MacPhisto reemerges again. He's the devil Hollywood needs!
Nicki Minaj as Roman Zolanski, Martha Zolanski, Harajuku Barbie, and more
Nicki Minaj is not a woman to be messed with. While she can hold her own in the rap scene, it's clear she's not afraid to get a little help from her friends—or rather, her alter egos. Minaj has countless personalities that she adopts to assist her with her music. Roman Zolanski, for one, is a "gay, paranoid and violent alter-ego" according to Paper Magazine. He was first introduced in "Roman's Revenge." But Roman wasn't the only alter ego to make an appearance in Pink Friday. His mother, Martha, a British woman, also showed up along with Harajuku Barbie, a girlier version of Minaj herself. Over the years, Minaj has also introduced the world to the alter egos Nicki Lewinski, Point Dexter, Child, and Nicki the Ninja.
Minaj talked about taking on new identities with New York Magazine in 2010, explaining that she created personalities as a way to cope with her parents' fighting when she was a child. "'Cookie' was my first identity—that stayed with me for a while," she shared. We hope her modern-day alter egos come from a place of creativity rather than trauma. But we're not ashamed to admit we could use a guidebook to keep up with all of Minaj's imaginative personalities.