5 Oscar nominees who have previously graced reality TV screens

For many, the most awaited evening of the year came on March 10, 2024, with the 96th Oscar Awards airing on ABC, 7 pm ET onwards. Like every year, the Academy this year too saw its categories packed with the best achievements in cinema in the last 12 months.

As unlikely as it may seem, some of these nominees have also appeared on reality TV before. Fans curious to see some of the biggest names in the Oscars being themselves on TV can tune in to their reality shows to revisit their old and candid selves.

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5 big names from the Oscars that appeared on reality TV shows

1) Emma Stone

Emma Stone got noticed after her 2007 performance in the comedy/drama Superbad. However, it wasn't her first attempt at exhibiting her talent. She was cast in In Search of the Partridge Family, a famous 1970s musical sitcom that attempted a revival on VH1 in 2004. The talent show that also pushed David Cassidy to fame saw Emma singing Meredith Brooks' 90s song, B*tch, and winning the competition.

Unfortunately, the show didn't go past its pilot but has an Oscar-winning star engraved in its history. Emma went on to win the prestigious award for her acting skills in 2017's La La Land, and again this year for her role in Poor Things.

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2) Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper has been an Oscar regular for the last few years after he bagged nominations for American Hustle, American Sniper, Silver Linings Playbook, and The Star is Born. This year the legendary star was once again nominated for his directorial Maestro.

However, like most stars on this list, Cooper also made his debut on a reality TV show. He was a host of an adventure travel show called Globe Trekker, which ran successfully for 17 seasons till 2010. He hosted nine episodes of the popular show in the early 2000s, which helped catapult his career to what it is now.

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3) Tom Hardy

Hardy started his glorious career on a British modeling reality show called The Big Breakfast. He even won the show's Find Me a Supermodel segment at the age of 21, in 1998, which bagged him a modeling contract with popular modeling agency, Models 1.

Known for his dedication to the characters he is playing, Hardy received an Oscar nod for his supporting role in 2016's The Revenant, where he played the memorable role of John Fitzgerald, a trooper who helped Leonardo Dicaprio's Hugh Glass navigate through the wilderness.

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4) Lady Gaga

The singer and actress also made her first appearance on screen in a reality TV show. Bradley's A Star is Born co-nominee appeared on MTV's fan-favorite prank show Boiling Points in 2005.

The show tested random people's patience in stressful situations for $100. Lady Gaga, then Stefani, broke her silence when the lunch she was still eating was removed and replaced after being covered in literal garbage.

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5) Justin Timberlake

The first introduction to Justin Timberlake's singing skills happened on the singing reality show Star Search. Timberlake appeared on the show as an 11-year-old in 1992, which rocketed him to The Mickey Mouse Club a year later, a show that is known to have promoted stars like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell.

Timberlake won an Oscar for Best Original Song for his track Can't Stop the Feeling in 2017. Like Justin, Oscar-nominated Steve Odekerk also found fame in Star Search.

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Apart from these Oscar-winning stars, others like Jennifer Hudson, Morgan Spurlock, and Dustin Lance Black also owe their success to TV shows. Jennifer famously appeared on American Idol, before winning Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls.

Meanwhile, before being nominated for Super Size Me, Morgan appeared on MTV's I Bet You Will, where random people were asked to do ridiculous things. Dustin won Best Original Screenplay for Milk in 2008, before being a producer for Faking It, the US version of the hit British reality show.