All The Times Gwen Stefani Made Us Love Her Even More
Since first bursting onto the entertainment industry scene, Gwen Stefani has gone from "Just A Girl" to a global megastar. The singer first rose to fame as the frontwoman of the band No Doubt and has morphed into a chart-topping solo artist. Music is but one of the lanes she's conquered: Stefani ventured into fashion and became a very successful designer, earning over a billion in retail sales. What's more, she's an on-and-off coach on NBC's "The Voice" and has dipped her toes into acting.
Stefani's evolving sense of style earned her fashion icon status. In 2019, she was awarded the Fashion Icon Award at the 2019 People's Choice Awards. While the mom-of-three may have reinvented her image numerous times throughout her career, her staple is undoubtedly her bold red lipstick, something she has noticed fans emulating. "I have a really vivid memory of doing a meet and greet in LA and over 300 women turned up. So many of them were wearing red, it was quite surreal," she told Marie Claire in 2017. "I could see myself in every one of their looks but then each person looked so unique because of the rest of their makeup and their outfit."
With millions of record sales to her name and many adoring fans around the world, let's reminisce over the times that made us love the "Don't Speak" hitmaker even more than we already do.
Gwen Stefani and Julia Roberts shared a freakout
In an "Access Hollywood" video clip from the early 2000s, Julia Roberts was captured freaking out after spotting Gwen Stefani on the red carpet. While in the middle of an interview, Roberts was too shy to turn around and make eye contact with the No Doubt singer in case things got awkward. While fiddling with her brunette curly locks, Roberts admitted she had been singing along with Stefani's music earlier that day.
In the end, the pair ended up meeting for the first time, which proved to be a wholesome moment. Just like Roberts, Stefani couldn't believe her luck and appeared to be just as big a fan. Roberts and Stefani held hands during the red carpet interview and shared an adorable hug. While Roberts' face was turned away from the camera, Stefani mouthed how much she loved the iconic "Notting Hill" actor. To be fair, if we were there too, we'd be far too starstruck over the two of them.
When George Clooney joined up with Stefani for James Corden's Carpool Karaoke segment some years later, the "Michael Clayton" star invited pal Julia Roberts to tag along. After he let her know that "Gwen's here," Roberts rushed to the vehicle. There's a lot of love there, no doubt about it.
A star-studded Carpool Karaoke episode
Now, about that aforementioned Carpool Karaoke video. On a 2016 episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden," Gwen Stefani participated in the recurring segment and, as previously noted, was accompanied by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Before the "Ocean's 11" stars joined the fun, Stefani and Corden sang songs from her solo career and from her No Doubt days. Stefani also taught Corden (and all of us) the lyrics to the fast rap from her hit single "The Sweet Escape."
In the middle of the 14-minute segment even better, Stefani and Corden were joined by the pair of legendary actors. All four sang their hearts out to Stefani's chart-topping single "Hollaback Girl" and reminded us all how to spell "bananas." At the end, they belted out to Queen's "We Are The Champions." As one YouTube commenter wrote, "If you're sitting in a car with Gwen Stefani, Julia Roberts and George Clooney, you really are a champion."
So, how did this group come to be? It looks like we have Roberts' love of Stefani to thank. "I think it was Julia who reached out," "Late Late Show" producer Rob Crabbe told ET. "She mentioned she'd love to do 'Carpool Karaoke' if we were ever going to do one with someone like Gwen Stefani ... and we happened to be doing one with Gwen Stefani in the next two days." If that isn't fate, what is?
Gwen Stefani's dreams of being a star came true
Long before she was a household name, Gwen Stefani had stars in her eyes. In a video clip from 1991, a young Stefani shows off a striped bodysuit she'd crafted for one of her early No Doubt concerts. Calling it an "Elvis Jailhouse Rock" look, the "Orange County Girl" put together something that may remind fans of the outfit she wore in her 2007 "The Sweet Escape" video, which starts out in a prison.
The throwback clip proved that Stefani has always had a passion for fashion and designing, making her later work in fashion even more authentic and real. When asked what it's like to live near Disneyland, the future megastar said it was a "sad thing" because "you can never go because it costs so much." At this point, No Doubt was playing a lot of live shows but had yet to sign a record deal, despite being a band for over four years. A pre-fame Stefani admitted to wanting to be a celebrity years before No Doubt's breakthrough and almost seemed to laugh at the notion. Little did she know, her rise to superstardom was only a few years away.
As for not being able to afford trips to Disneyland, it's safe to say those days are long gone. The former Anaheim resident has performed at the iconic theme park and played tour guide when Blake Shelton visited for the first time.
A Twitter mixup involving Lady Gaga
In 2016, Gwen Stefani released her third studio album, "This Is What The Truth Feels Like," and hit the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard 200. Due to the popularity of the record, it comes as no surprise that fans tweeted the singer expressing how much they dug the music. "Really loving @GwenStefani's new album," user gagamonster96 tweeted, adding a gif of Lady Gaga dancing. Stefani ended up seeing the positive post and initially thought it was Gaga herself who sent her the message. "wow that means a lot thank u muffin gx #ThisIsWhatTheTruthFeelsLike," she replied.
After a user alerted Stefani that it was a fan and not Mother Monster herself, she handled the situation well and wrote "oh gx" with the embarrassed face emoji. While Stefani may have gotten it wrong this time around, there have been other occasions where the real Gaga tweeted the pop icon. After No Doubt put out new music in 2012, the "Bad Romance" hitmaker informed her Twitter followers of their return. Two years later, Gaga promoted Stefani's single "Baby Don't Lie."
It was an honest and sweet mistake, and we adore Gwenny Gwen Gwen for it.
Getting the giggles over Blake Shelton
Musicians Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton first formed a romance in November 2015, over a year after meeting one another on NBC's "The Voice." Since making their relationship official, the pair has become one of pop culture's most high-profile and talked-about couples.
When Stefani appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2016, the host insisted they discuss the rocker's then-fiancé halfway through the interview. When Stefani said she "thought it would be a good idea not to talk about Blake to see what would happen," the pair ended up just looking at images of the couple together. Stefani couldn't help but giggle through the segment and gush over her man. DeGeneres jokingly asked how it felt when Shelton "popped the question" for her to be his mentor on "The Voice" and admitted she rehearsed that question prior to their chat. Stefani stated she wanted to be on the show as much as possible and "got so much out of it," before laughing hysterically about bagging herself a country singer as well as a paycheck.
Stefani's other half has also gotten lovey-dovey in interviews. "An Okie boy and a California girl look on paper like an unlikely match, but what matters is she's a great human being," Shelton told People in 2020. "She is the most understanding, kind-hearted person I've ever met and I learn something from her every day."
Gwen Stefani would rather avoid 'the G word'
Before tying the knot with country singer Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani was married to Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale. As previously reported by People, Stefani and Rossdale got married in September 2002 and called it quits in 2015. The pair share sons Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. Even though nothing was confirmed, headlines suggested Rossdale cheated on Stefani with the family nanny, per The Sun.
Like a lot of singers, Stefani dealt with the heartbreak by writing songs about the split. While promoting the heart wrenching "Used To Love You" single with Ryan Seacrest in November 2015, Stefani opened up about the dissolution of her marriage and stated everything blew up the day after the Grammys. The unexpected personal questions about her relationship with her ex left the former No Doubt frontwoman feeling "awkward" and "nervous." The "Wind It Up" hitmaker also joked that the room suddenly felt hot before taking off her jacket.
While Stefani may not have felt totally excited to have a conversation about her former relationship on a radio show, she wasn't shy about getting sassy. When Seacrest questioned if Rossdale had heard Stefani's new single, she hilariously replied, "Did you just say the G word?" In the background, others laughed while Stefani herself said she was giving an "uncomfortable giggle."
Getting competitive on The Voice
Since 2014, Gwen Stefani has been an on-and-off coach on NBC's talent show "The Voice." During a 2019 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," she revealed it felt like "magic" to be on the show, stating she loves being in the role of sharing her experiences to aspiring singers. Stefani's beau Blake Shelton has been a coach on "The Voice" since the start and has won the show numerous times. At this point, Stefani had never come out on top with any of her contestants, leaving her feeling super competitive.
The "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" singer openly admitted that she wanted to win and that she's not usually super competitive, but the show changed things for her. "When it comes to people's dreams, you get really attached," she said before confidently expressing that she was going to beat Shelton and the other two coaches, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend. During one of the episodes that season, Stefani took her competitiveness to the next level and blocked Shelton so he couldn't steal one of the contestants she wanted. While bragging about blocking him, Stefani knew he would want the contestant on his team as they have similar taste.
Stefani didn't end up winning that season but did take home the title the following year. During another appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," she said she was relieved to have finally beat Shelton after all this time.
How Blake Shelton won over her family
Leaf it to Blake Shelton to win over Gwen Stefani's family in the most unexpected way. When Shelton and Stefani appeared on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" with fellow "The Voice" stars John Legend and Carson Daly, Stefani shared all it took was a visit to Oklahoma for her kin to be wowed by her significant other.
"I remember the first time I went to Oklahoma with my family," she said. "We are from Anaheim and we'd never seen even trees before. We were like, 'Wow, this is crazy.' And we're driving and Blake's in his truck and there's a tree that had been blown down on the road." The Grammy winner went on to share that Shelton got out of his truck, pulled out a chain, wrapped it around the tree, and pulled the tree off the road in order for them to carry on their journey. "My whole family is like, 'Oh, oh my God, he's a man!'" Stefani recounted enthusiastically, to which Clarkson burst out laughing and clapped. The No Doubt member was clearly proud to call Shelton her man and there's nothing better than seeing her happy.
Shelton sure seems to get on well with Stefani's family. As he said on KFROG in 2021, "I take it very serious, but I also have a blast with it. ... I can't imagine my life without these kids now."
A fan's tattoo wowed Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani loves a fan interaction while on stage, and she sure knows how to create a memorable moment. At one of her shows during her Las Vegas residency, for example, someone in the crowd had traveled from Scotland to watch her concert and hold up a sign with a one-of-a-kind request. The fan asked her to autograph a tattoo of her face that'd been inked to his leg, and, of course, the pop star agreed. Before bringing the fan up on the stage, she asked him to speak into the microphone so the rest of the crowd could hear that he is indeed from Scotland
After complimenting his legs, Stefani soon realized how huge of a fan he was after she spotted the huge portrait of her face inked on the back of one of his calves. On the other? Michael Jackson. Stefani asked the fan to sit down on the stage and she added her John Hancock in blue Sharpie.
Now, this wasn't the only time Stefani came face to face with... well, her face. As she shared on Instagram in 2017, she was introduced to another fan who happened to have a rendering of Stefani's mug on her arm.
The charitable side of Gwen Stefani
When Gwen Stefani signed on to do a Las Vegas residency in 2018, she also agreed to help those in need. For every ticket purchased, she donated $1 to Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, a Las Vegas nonprofit that provides medical treatments to children facing life-threatening illnesses. In an interview with TravelGirl, Stefani said, "I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do something within the local Vegas community to give back," adding, "I love supporting and helping kids and Cure 4 the Kids is a non-profit organization that provides medical treatment to children facing a number of life-threatening conditions, like cancer. They assist children and their families regardless of insurance or the ability to pay. To be able to partner with Cure 4 the Kids Foundation has been very special to me."
As seen on the organization's official YouTube channel, the "It's My Life" hitmaker has paid the nonprofit a visit, and she's made such an impact to the point where they have a treatment room inspired by her. In 2019, she attended a ribbon cutting event for a new location. In November 2021, People reported that Stefani gave the charity a check for $185,000 after raising money for the past three years. What an incredible gesture for an amazing cause.
She called out a young fan's bullies
Gwen Stefani is not here for bullying, and she is very here for her fans. One such example was caught on camera and Stefani shared it on her Instagram page. During a concert in 2016, the singer noticed a woman holding a sign that explained her son was bullied from first to fifth grade. Stefani read the sign out loud to the crowd: "He would come home every day upset, but he'd go to his room, listen to your music, and smile." The "Spiderwebs" hitmaker immediately stopped reading and demanded that the young boy get on stage with her. She posed with him, hugged him, took photos, and swung him around the stage lovingly. At one point, she held both of the visibly emotional kid's shoulders and chatted with him off-mic.
"About 3 years ago when things were hard in my life I prayed to God everyday that I could get a chance to use my gift that God gave me and make a difference in some way in this world," Stefani captioned her post. "last night this little guy was the answer to my prayers #zerotoleranceforbullies #onelove #thisiswhatthetruthfeelslike Gx."
To top it all off, the mom and son were invited backstage to hang out with Stefani and her sons Kingston and Zuma.
Gwen Stefani got her own back with Hollaback Girl
Legend has it that Gwen Stefani's hit "Hollaback Girl" is apparently a response to something Courtney Love said in Seventeen in 2004. "I'm not interested in being the cheerleader," the Hole frontwoman insisted. "I'm not interested in being Gwen Stefani." Even though the No Doubt singer has never confirmed who the song is about, what she told Billboard in 2019 pretty much implies it was inspired by Love's diss. "I was being bullied by someone and was being called a cheerleader, which was a bad thing!" she said. "Growing up, that was not cool. I thought I was the opposite of that. I told Pharrell we should write a song about that."
Stefani embraced the word "cheerleader" and decided to get her own back. For the "Hollaback Girl" music video, she shot the scenes at a high school and made sure it had a cheerleading theme. "I've never been a cheerleader. "So I was, like, 'OK, f*** you. You want me to be a cheerleader? Well, I will be one then. And I'll rule the whole world, just you watch me," she said in a 2005 NME interview.
During her Carpool Karaoke episode, Stefani stated she will never reveal the true inspiration behind the song but did say she "won" in the situation. She's not exaggerating: On the US Hot 100, the single became Stefani's first chart-topper and earned her two Grammy Award nominations.
Being on the radio never gets old
As a member of No Doubt and as a solo artist, Gwen Stefani has probably heard her music on the radio once or twice throughout the years. For those who assume Stefani's become jaded about it, you're completely wrong. During an Instagram Live in 2017, the "What You Waiting For?" songstress told fans she was waiting for her Christmas single with Blake Shelton, "You Make It Feel Like Christmas," to get played on her favorite LA radio station. "I'll never take this for granted, this is literally huge for me right now," she explained while in the car on her way to the NBC studios for "The Voice."
When the tune finally played, Stefani screamed out loud and started to freak out over IG Live. In between singing the lyrics, the mom-of-three opened the car window and started shouting "I'm on the radio" to those standing outside. The wholesome moment proved how humble and appreciative the singer is to be supported after all these years.
In the early days of No Doubt, it seemed like she might never hear her voice over the airwaves. "The programme director at our local radio station said, 'It will take an act of God to get you on the radio,'" she once told GQ. Clearly, things worked out in Stefani and the rest of the band's favor.