Reality TV Stars Who Transitioned to Acting

From Kim Kardashian to Nene Leakes, see which reality TV stars later tried their hand at acting

Kim Kardashian, Glen Powell, Jennifer Hudson. Photo: Eric Liebowitz/FX; Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures; & Amblin Entertainment; DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection

While reality TV stars make their bank by being themselves on television, every now and again, opportunities to explore their more artistic sides come to their door and they happily oblige.

From Kim Kardashian’s standout role as Siobhan in American Horror Story: Delicate to Nene Leakes’ iconic performance as coach Roz Washington on Glee, when Hollywood calls, the actors and actresses answered the call. And while reality TV can be polarizing, it’s served as a launchpad for some of your favorite Oscar winners of today — and one is an EGOT!

See which reality TV stars have tried their hands at acting.

Glen Powell

Glen Powell on ‘Endurance 2’.Discover Kids

Long before he was making the ladies swoon in Anyone But You and chasing tornadoes in Twisters, 13-year-old Glen Powell was vying for the top spot during the second season of a short-lived reality TV series called Endurance.

The competition show was “basically a kids’ Survivor-type show,” as he described it while on The Late Show with Steven Colbert, and it aired on Discovery Kids.

Powell apparently didn’t have the requisite endurance, and was eliminated the first week. “The really sad part is that I wanted to be on the show really bad and I got kicked off on the first episode,” he said.

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian in ‘American Horror Story: Delicate’.Eric Liebowitz/FX

While Kim Kardashian has built an empire being herself on television, her latest endeavor required her to tap into a separate skill set.

Earlier this year, the mom of four announced she would be joining the cast of American Horror Story season 12.

“Kim is among the biggest and brightest television stars in the world and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AHS family,” series creator Ryan Murphy shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

The reality TV star made her debut on the hit FX show on Sept. 20 and nailed her role as Siobhan, the publicist to actress Anna Victoria Alcott, played by Emma Roberts.

The stint on AHS isn’t Kim’s first foray into acting. The SKIMS founder also guest-starred in season 4 of How I Met Your Mother and made a cameo in 2008’s Disaster Movie.

Nene Leakes

Nene Leakes in ‘Glee’.Adam Rose/Fox/courtesy Everett Collection

Nene Leakes is known for her big personality and bluntness, so playing the role of Roz Washington on Glee was a no-brainer. Though her character goes down as one of the most iconic on the show, it seems Leakes almost missed out on the opportunity.

“One day I got all these calls from this guy. He kept on saying ‘My name is Ryan Murphy’ and I thought, ‘I don’t know a Ryan Murphy,'” Leakes told Larry King of how she got the role. “He said, ‘I’m the creator of Glee’, and I thought it was someone playing games on my phone.”

Leakes later relayed the incident to her manager, who gave Murphy a call back and later confirmed to the Real Housewives of Atlanta star that it was, in fact, the real TV whiz Ryan Murphy blowing up her phone.

The two would later have a meeting that not only scored Leakes the role of Roz Washington for four seasons on the TV musical, but gave way to her portraying Rock on The New Normal.

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson in ‘Dreamgirls’.DreamWorks/courtesy Everett Collection

In one of the biggest comeback stories of all time, Jennifer Hudson launched her now-colossal career following a bout on American Idol.

After being eliminated (arguably early) from the singing competition show, the now-EGOT scored a breakout role in Dreamgirls, opposite Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Anika Noni Rose. She would win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie White.

Hudson followed up her Oscar win with two Grammy wins, a Tony Award for serving as producer on A Strange Loop and an Emmy for 2020’s Baba Yaga.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone on ‘In Search for the Partridge Family’.NBC/YouTube

A young Emma Stone partook in a VH1 reality competition series called In Search of the New Partridge Family. The show was pretty much as the title suggests — competitors were vying for a spot on a TV series called The New Partridge Family —and though Stone won the role of Laurie Partridge, the show never got picked up.

“You go in there rolling your eyes, thinking, ‘This is just a reality search competition,’ but then you’re there for seven weeks, and you just really, really want to win,” Stone recalled, per Entertainment Weekly.

Julianne Hough

Julianne Hough in ‘Footloose’.KC Bailey/Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

She made her name as one of the pros on Dancing with the Stars, and in 2011, Julianne Hough transferred her famous moves to the big screen when she played Ariel Moore in the remake of Footloose.

Hough later established a solid acting career with roles in Rock of Ages, Safe Haven, Dirty Grandpa and Grease Live!.

Yaya DaCosta

Yaya DaCosta in ‘Chicago Med’.Elizabeth Sisson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

You may recognize her as April Sexton on Chicago Med, but if you were wondering why Yaya DaCosta’s face may be so familiar, it’s because she competed on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model.

When America’s Next Top Model cycle 21 alumna Winnie Harlow spoke out in 2018 saying that the reality show didn’t really do much for her modeling career, she faced a lot of backlash. However, DaCosta understood where Harlow was coming from.

“A lot of people supported her and understood and a lot of people didn’t understand where she was coming from,” DaCosta told PEOPLE. “I think that reality TV is successful inherently because it’s based in illusion. And that’s fine — there’s something fun about that. But as long as girls who do that know that’s what it is. If you want to be a reality star, fine. If you want to be a model, get an agent. Do something else. I’ve always wanted to act so I’m just blessed to be where I am.”

Outside of playing an emergency room nurse on the hit NBC show, DaCosta also portrayed Whitney Houston in the Lifetime biopic Whitney and had a small role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

Jamie Chung

Jamie Chung on ‘The Real World San Diego’. MTV

With credits such as Lovecraft Country, Once Upon a Time, The Hangover Part III, Days of Our Lives, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and many more, it’s easy to forget that Jamie Chung got her start on The Real Word: San Diego.

“I have no shame in my humble beginnings. They kick-started my career. They gave me the opportunity to live with six other strangers in a house. And I think those are the growing things,” she told PEOPLE in 2021.

“I don’t think we have that with social media. You can’t have a conversation and have disagreements and live with each other for three months. That’s insane to do.”

Katharine McPhee

Katharine McPhee in ‘The House Bunny’.Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Another American Idol alumna, Katharine McPhee also found success on the silver screen following her stint on season 5 of the show.

She appeared in films such as House Bunny, Peace, Love and Misunderstanding, The Tiger Rising and more — not to mention TV shows Smash and Scorpion.

Lio Tipton

Lio Tipton in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’.Ben Glass/Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection

Following their run on America’s Next Top Model, Lio Tipton was a standout in films such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, Warm Bodies and Two Night Stand.

“All the roles that I’ve gotten — people don’t know that I’m from [ANTM] until later,” Tipton told Complex in 2012. “Mostly I’ve realized that if someone in a room judges the fact that I was on a modeling show, I don’t know if I’d want to work with them anyway. It’s like judging someone’s intelligence or someone’s present life on some past, or lack of past. I think it’s silly.”

Tipton added, “Modeling was something I stumbled into; acting was planned out. I actually moved out to L.A. for writing and directing, and I acted all through growing up … I don’t like modeling. But America’s Next Top Model was fun.”

In 2021, Tipton revealed they are nonbinary and would now be going by the name Lio.

“Hi. My name is Lio. My pronouns are they/she,” Tipton began. “I am proud to announce I am queer and I identify as non binary.”

“I hope to give as much love and support back to those who continue to show love and support for the Pride community at large. 🏳️‍🌈❤️ Lio,” they concluded.

Jacinda Barrett

Jacinda Barrett on ‘The Real World London’.MTV/courtesy Everett Collection

Most people might recognize Jacinda Barrett for her role as Diana Rayburn in Bloodline. And though she also appeared in other TV shows such as Zero Hour and Suits as well as movies like Poseidon and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the Australian native actually got her start on The Real World back in 1995.

These days, the star keeps a relatively low profile, with her last acting credit occurring in 2021’s Hide and Seek.