For some people, idolizing their favorite celebrities becomes a personal obsession that results in them going to great lengths to appear more like them. Some individuals spend thousands or even hundreds of thousands on plastic surgery and other procedures to recreate a celebrity’s likeness. The thing we must keep in mind about stars is that many of them have a beauty entourage with makeup artists, stylists, and cosmetic doctors to make them look their best. The result is gorgeous people who are partly blessed by genetics but really shine thanks to their teams of stylists.
Now, we would venture to say that most of us feel envious looking at some of the most handsome celebrities. It’s only natural! What’s not so natural (but we’re not judging, live your life, people), is spending absorbent amounts of money to alter one’s own image to look more like them. Let’s meet some normal folks who are trying to attain the extraordinary.
Meet the People Trying to Look Like Kim Kardashian
Of all the celebrities out there, we can think of no other star who has changed the face of beauty more than Kim Kardashian. In fact, there are probably more documented cases of folks going under the knife to look like her than any other celebrities out there right now.
Jennifer Pamplona
Jennifer Pamplona reportedly spent more than $470,000 to emulate Kim’s appearance. “I fell in love with surgery a long time ago, but after seeing Kim Kardashian I wanted to look like and have curves like her,” she told News.com.au in 2017, per Nicki Swift. Her surgeries reportedly included breast and butt implants, liposuction, and a nose job. For good measure, she had a few ribs removed, but get this — she wants even more work done. “Surgeons have said it’s not possible, they think I’m too exaggerated and that I don’t need anymore,” the superfan said, “but I’m determined to make it happen.”
Pamplona Has Amassed a Huge Social Media Due to Her Likeness to Kim Kardashian
According to Nicki Swift, Pamplona has used her costly resemblance to the TV reality star to build a following on Instagram, where she promotes her own cosmetics line to her 1,000,000 followers. Just like the Kardashian celebrities, this person is looking to build a brand based on her appearance.
As With Many Obsessed with Celebrities, She’s on a Mission
“I’ve spent a lot of money to become Jennifer Pamplona, but I don’t see it as an expense. More as an investment, she told Life and Style Magazine. “I will become more famous than Kim Kardashian.”
Claire Leeson
Pamplona is in very good company with others who want to look like the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star. But, not every person is happy with their results. According to the Daily Mail via Nicki Swift, Claire Leeson spent $18,000 to try to further her likeness to the reality star. Does she have any regrets?
Leeson Already Resembled Kim Kardashian She Just Took It to the Next Level
“I always had a resemblance to Kim and I thought I could capitalize on that by copying her look,” Leeson said in 2016, admitting that she underwent breast augmentation and wore butt pads for photos. Unfortunately, time has changed how she feels about the work she has gotten done.
‘Sick and Tired of Being Compared to Kim Kardashian’
Leeson is not thrilled with the outcome of her plastic surgery, explaining that her resemblance to the star has garnered her too much ridicule. “I’m sick and tired of being compared to Kim Kardashian,” she confessed. “I feel like a bit of an idiot and I regret saying I wanted to be like her.”
It’s Not Just Women Who Are Obsessed with Looking Like Kim Kardashian
Plastic surgery used to be a taboo topic but as society has become more accepting and the practice becoming completely mainstream, more and more men are going under the knife to boost their attractiveness. In some cases, men are so obsessed with female celebrities that they actually want to look like them too.
Jordan James Parke
As of 2018, Jordan James Parke has spent upwards of $130,000 to make his face look more like Kardashian’s, Nicki Swift reports. That’s a huge chunk of change! What did he spend all that money on?
‘You Name It, I’ve Pretty Much Tried It’
“Botox in my forehead between my eyebrows, my eyes, sides of my face. I’ve had lip filler, chin filler, cheek filler,” he shared in a YouTube video, and that’s not all. “I’ve had my nose done, and I have regular vampire facials as well which obviously Kim has done. Chemical peels … You name it, I’ve pretty much tried it.”
Parke Has Made a Career Out of Our Obsession with Celebrities and Their Beauty
In the YouTube clip, Parke’s mom says she hopes her son would slow down. But, that’s simply not going to happen. According to Nicki Swift, Parke’s “filler addiction” got so out of hand at one point that he was featured in a 2015 episode of Botched to repair his lips. In an appearance on This Morning, he revealed that cosmetic procedures remain “a hobby” for him. So much so, in fact, that he’s made a career out of it. He’s currently the owner and managing director of The Lip King Aesthetics.
A Woman Named Kitty Dropped Big Bucks to Look Like One of Her Favorite Celebrities
There is no denying Jennifer Lawrence‘s natural beauty and appeal. Is it worth $25,000? A woman named Kitty certainly believes so. According to ABC News, Kitty has spent at least that much money on plastic surgery to look like her idol.
“I can appreciate that her personality is spunky and fun,” Kitty said in the ABC News segment. “I can appreciate that her body is banging.”
Following At Least Six Surgeries, Kitty Feels Like She’s Gotten Closer to J-Law’s Likeness
Kitty explained that as Lawrence’s popularity began to rise, more and more people began to compare her to the Oscar-winning actor. Kitty shared that the birth of her daughter was a trigger to take her natural resemblance to Lawrence to the next level through liposuction, breast implants, a nose job, and fat grafts.
An Obsession with Superman and the Actors Who Have Portrayed the Character
Herbert Chavez became obsessed with Superman at age 5, Nicki Swift reports. In an episode of Botched, he disclosed that he was once the Guinness Book of World Records holder for the “most Superman memorabilia.” He soon could hold a record for the most plastic surgeries to look like Superman.
Herbert Chavez Has Had No Fewer Than Twenty Surgeries
Chavez has reportedly undergone more than 20 surgeries, including rhinoplasties, pec implants, jaw work, and liposuction He also revealed that his surgeries are now free because he has gotten so much press which has resulted in a ton of business for his plastic surgeon.
People compare him most to Christopher Reeve and we must admit we see the resemblance. Piercing blue eyes? Check. Chiseled jawline? Check. Handsome, thin nose? Check. We think he’s nailed it.
It’s Not Easy Being the Man of Steel But That Won’t Stop Chaves from Becoming the Man of Plastic
“It is hard living up to people’s expectations as a living superhero,” he said in an interview, according to Nicki Swift. While he claims he’s “happy as Superman,” Chavez explained there’s still one surgery more than any else that he needs for his transformation to be complete: a leg-lengthening procedure. Believe it or not, that’s a real thing. According to the Paley Institute, where the “world’s most experienced limb lengthening surgeon in the world,” practices, it costs up to $250,000!
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Tobias Strebel
A fan’s plastic surgery story ended in utter tragedy. Tobias Strebel, an aspiring artist, appeared on an episode of TLC‘s My Strange Addiction to discuss his addiction to plastic surgery in an attempt to look more like pop star Justin Bieber, according to Nicki Swift.
Strebel Wanted Bieber’s ‘Baby Face’
In an interview for My Strange Addiction, Strebel revealed that he spent more than $100,000 to try to accomplish Bieber’s “baby face.” On his plastic surgery journey, Strebel’s efforts drew a lot of attention and he even appeared on an episode of Botched.
The Sad Part
In August 2015, a 35-year-old Strebel was reported missing, and just a few days later, he was found dead of an apparent drug overdose. People reported at the time that police did not connect Strebel’s death with his addiction to plastic surgery, but instead, pointed to a recent breakup.
Lindsay Lohan’s Sister Made It Weird
As you have seen, there is no shortage of people who want to look like celebrities, but one woman had a closer connection to celebrity than most. Ashley Horn, Linday Lohan‘s (estranged) sister, went under the knife to sharpen their family resemblance.
Ashley Horn
According to InTouch via Nicki Swift, Horn spent $25,000 to look like Lohan. “I’ve gotten rhinoplasty, a bit of refinement underneath my cheeks and jawline, some fat injected into my chin and some fat injected into my upper cheeks,” Horn purportedly said, adding that the results made her look “hotter than Lindsay.”
A Reversal
In 2013, Horn changed her tune. She appeared on a talk show to dispel rumors that she had surgery to try to look like Lohan. In fact, she even passed a lie detector test and delivered a personal message to the Mean Girls lead, saying, “I am so sorry for letting the media use me to drag you into this.” We’ll let you be the judge.
Sahar Tabar
The woman in the above photo is known online as Sahar Tabar. She amassed tons of attention on Instagram for posting gaunt images of herself and her likeness to Angelina Jolie. According to the Guardian, Tabar—who was born Fatemeh Khishvand—was sentenced to 10 years in jail because of the intense pictures she shared on social media. According to various reports, Tabar was charged with the corruption of young people and disrespect to the Islamic Republic.
An Appeal to the Angelina Jolie
After she was arrested, Tabar made a plea directly to Jolie. The Guardian reported that Tabar told Jolie that “the Islamic Republic has a history of tormenting women. We need to be united against this gender apartheid.”
Unfortunately, Tabar is still in custody and she is awaiting a pardon that might never come.
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Move Over, Kim! Kylie Is the One to Watch
With the rise of beauty mogul, Kylie Jenner, more and more people are throwing down serious cash to look just like her. She really did herself a favor when she, herself, got plastic surgery to make her lips fuller. Of all the celebrities spawning look-a-likes today, Kylie is likely going to be the queen of the lip-enhanced hordes before too long.
Meet Kyleigh Potts
Kyleigh Potts, a transgender woman who reportedly spent more than $75,000 to look like Jenner, might be the most dramatic case so far. Potts told the Daily Mail that she’s had lip fillers, breast implants, a chin implant, and a nose job.
An ‘Ultimate Goal’
“Kylie Jenner has always been my ultimate goal and inspiration,” she said in the interview. “I feel like I have always emulated her and like her, I didn’t start out beautiful, I built myself beautiful.” Potts admits that she empathizes with Jenner’s “ugly duckling” past.
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Potts Wants Even More Work Done
Potts stated she isn’t finished with the surgical alterations just yet. “I want to get butt implants, to pin and reshape my ears, a bullhorn lip lift, a blepharoplasty to help open up my eyes, lower my hairline, and voice change.” Let’s hope these surgeries make Potts very happy as she strives to get to her goal.
Wow! These folks are really committed to looking just like their favorite celebrities. They are clearly not the least bit afraid of getting work done to help them achieve their goals either. Celebrities are gorgeous, we get it! It’s up to each and every one of us to decide if we wish to emulate them or stay true to the looks we were born with. If you would like even more content about celebrities, keep reading! We’ve got a list of celebrities who ended up marrying “normals.”
Discover the Celebrities Who Got Hitched to Normals Below:
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley were high school sweethearts before they got married. The couple has been together 40 years and married for 31 of those years. In a 2020 interview with People, Bon Jovi named “mutual respect” as the key factor in their successful relationship. And it’s been a fruitful one! The pair have four children together.
When Hurley was asked about the early days of their relationship she had a gut feeling about the fame that her husband would find. ″I always said I was good at spotting potential too,” she explained to People. “I have a gift.”
Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery
If you have ever needed a reason to put a little effort into getting ready before making a run to the grocery store, let Ellen Pompeo inspire you. She met her future husband, Chris Ivery while shopping for groceries. The Grey’s Anatomy star and music producer struck up a conversation that would later bloom into a relationship and finally romance. Fun fact: both are from Boston but their paths did not cross until they were both living in Los Angeles.
Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso
While filming 2003’s Stuck on You in Miami, Matt Damon first caught glimpse of Luciana Barroso who was working at a bar where he and cast members were hanging out. He later told Ellen Degeneres about the encounter saying that he “literally saw her across a crowded room.” He also described their meeting as one of fate.
The couple has four children and celebrated their 15th anniversary in 2020. One of the secrets to their relationship, Damon shared with Vogue, is that he and Barroso have a pact to never be apart for more than two weeks. We’re not sure how that’s even possible with his grueling filming schedules but if it’s working, it’s working!
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Reese Witherspoon shared with Elle that she met her current husband, talent agent Jim Toth, when he rushed in to rescue her from a drunk admirer at a house party. In fact, it was Toth’s friend who was embarrassing himself by talking to Witherspoon. That’s such a normal meet-cute. Withing the same year that they met, in 2011, Toth proposed to Reese. Her kids from a previous marriage to Ryan Phillipe even participated in the wedding. The couple welcomed their son, Tennessee James, in 2012
Witherspoon is known today not just as an actor but as a powerhouse producer with her own production company, Hello Sunshine. She credits her husband for believing in her vision and helping her find the confidence to branch out from acting.
Julianna Margulies and Keith Lieberthal
Julianna Margulies married a “normal” but, in all fairness, her normal looks like a movie star. Her partner Keith Lieberhal looks like he plays a lawyer on TV but he’s actually a practicing attorney. Margulies explained to Ellen DeGeneres in 2011 that the connection was “immediate.” And, they met by chance!
“I met my husband at a dinner party that I wasn’t going to go to through an agent I didn’t sign with,” The Good Wife actor shared. “I just started a Broadway show so I didn’t want to stay out late. Famous last words. I went, and there was Keith.”
The couple got married in 2007 and have one son, Kieran, who they welcomed in 2008.
Julia Roberts and Danny Moder
Superstar Julia Roberts also married a normal, sort of. He’s also in the entertainment industry, so a little less normal than most folks. Roberts met a cinematographer, Danny Moder when he was a camera operator on The Mexican. The rest is history! After 20 years of marriage and three kids, the couple is still going strong. However, they’re extremely hush-hush about their private life so not a ton is known about their romance.
George Lucas and Mellody Hobson
Star Wars creator George Lucas married “an investment guru,” which may be an understatement. Mellody Hobson is the president of Ariel Investments, a Chicago-based financial firm, and sits on the board of a plethora of companies and charities. She has a stellar reputation in Chicago and is not seen as a normal there. She’s also the mother to their daughter, Everest, who was born in 2013, the same year that the couple got married.
Jon and Tracey Stewart
While making the 1997 film, Wishful Thinking, a production assistant for the film arranged for a blind date between Jon Stewart and Tracey McShane. For those of you out there that don’t think blind dates are worth it, think again! The couple hit it off and were married by 2000. The couple are proud parents to two children. Tracey (now Stewart) is an animal activist and she runs a preserve in upstate New York.
Kevin and Danielle Jonas
Joe Jonas married Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, and Nick Jonas calls international star Priyanka Chopra his wife, which makes Kevin Jonas a bit different from his younger brothers. He was the first Jonas brother to marry and he wed hairdresser Danielle Deleasa in 2009. The Jersey girl did not stay a normal for long. She would soon become very recognizable thanks to the reality series, Married to Jonas.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita
Modern Family‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband, lawyer Justin Mikita, have two different first meeting stories. Ferguson shared that, though they’ve used the answer “through mutual friends,” the pair actually hit it off at the gym. They’ve been married since 2013, in a ceremony officiated by none other than playwright Tony Kushner (very much not a normal). The couple has a son named Beckett who was born in 2020.
Terry Crews and Rebecca King-Crews
Nine-Nine star Terry Crews has been with his wife Rebecca King-Crews throughout his rise to fame. The pair got married in 1989 and have five kids. King-Crews is a musician by trade, so she knows exactly what the entertainment industry is like. Their shared experience as well as their commitment to marriage maintenance, including a 90-day “no sex” pact to reconnect in other ways, have kept their bond rock solid for over 30 years. We should all be so lucky!
Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied
An Academy Award isn’t all Natalie Portman got from her time starring in the 2010 drama Black Swan. Portman also got a husband out of the experience. She and dancer Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed her routines, hit it off on set (so he’s normal-adjacent). In 2011, she dedicated her Oscar to her “beautiful love” and their then-newborn son, Aleph.
They married in 2012 and welcomed their daughter Amalia in 2018. Millepied continues to direct the LA Dance Project, a company that he founded.
Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni
Cynthia Nixon has no doubt been inspired in her public advocacy work by her wife, Christine Marinoni. Marinoni is an education activist and the previous director of New York City’s Alliance for Quality Education, an organization with a mission to ensure that public schools have the resources they need. What a great cause!
Marinoni gave birth to the couple’s son, Max, in 2011 and has been outspoken about the miscarriages she endured prior to that. The pair married in 2012.
Lisa Kudrow and Michel Stern
Many of the cast of Friends went on to marry other celebrities in the entertainment industry but Lisa Kudrow chose another path. In fact, she fell in love with someone out of the business entirely, French advertising executive Michel Stern. That’s not exactly normal but who couldn’t love an ad exec?
They wed in 1995, and when she became pregnant with their only son Julian Murray, it was written into the show (Phoebe was a surrogate for her brother). The secret to the couple’s long run, Kudrow told Glamour, is that they don’t make promises they can’t keep, like feeling the same way about each other forever. “But we are promising to work on whatever problems come up,” she explained. “We’re committed to our marriage working.”
Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego-Saldana
An injury prevented Marco Perego-Saldana from having a professional soccer career (he’s almost normal, oka?). But, thankfully, it allowed him to find his other passion: art and probably the other love of his life. It’s unclear exactly when he met Guardians of the Galaxy hero Zoë Saldana, but the world found out that they had married in secret in 2013, Oprah Magazine reported, and that Perego-Saldana had progressively taken his wife’s last name. They now have three boys, including a set of twins, who they’re striving to raise in a gender-neutral environment, according to Us, which includes parents sharing housework and other stereotypically gendered domestic tasks.
Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe
Once upon a time… In 2008, human rights lawyer Alexi Ashe went with her sister, who worked in set design on Saturday Night Live, to former cast member Chris Kattan‘s wedding. That’s where the show’s head writer, Seth Meyers, another guest, first saw her. The late-night host got hitched in 2013, and the pair balance their hectic schedules while raising three children: Adelaide, Ashe, and Axel.
Alexi Ashe fights human trafficking as a Brooklyn district attorney. She might be a normal but she is a superhero to many, no doubt.
Paul Rudd and Julie Yaeger
It never hurts to be kind! In 1995, an on-the-rise Paul Rudd traveled to New York and went straight to the office of his new publicist. Julie Yaeger, who worked in the same firm, was there to give a helping hand. She offered to store his luggage so he wouldn’t be late for an audition. Eight years after that, they got married, and 26 years and two kids later, they’re still together. She left her normal status behind and branched out by writing the screenplay for the 2017 film, Fun Mom Dinner.
Eddie Redmayne and Hannah Bagshawe
Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe were friends for over a decade before taking their normal friendship to a whole new level. The couple met while attending a charity event while in boarding school (how British!). Their friendship finally blossomed into a romance after Bagshawe visited Redmayne on set while he was filming Les Misérables. Those sweet vocals must have done the trick! The couple eventually wed in 2015 and they are parents to two children: Luke and Iris.
Aaron and Lauren Paul
Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and his wife Lauren (née Parsekian) have a pretty magical first kiss story. The actor told Jimmy Kimmel that it happened on a Ferris wheel at Coachella, the California music festival where they first met. In 2018, they welcomed their daughter, Story Annabelle, ET reported. In March 2022, they welcomed their second child, Ryden Caspian. In her professional life, Lauren co-founded the Kind Campaign, a non-profit organization that combats bullying among young girls. She might be a normal but she’s fostering needed change as bullying is a terrible blight.
Wanda Sykes and Alex Niedbalski
Comedy legend, Wanda Sykes first spotted her future wife, Alex Niedbalski, while taking a ferry. You can’t get much more normal than that, right? Soon after, a friend introduced Sykes to a French woman who could help Sykes find the right granite countertops for her kitchen remodel. That French woman was none other than Niedbalski. The pair got married in 2008, and Sykes came out to the public just one month later. Together, they have 11-year-old twins: Olivia and Lucas.
Ken Jeong and Tran Ho
Before Ken Jeong was famous for his roles in Community and Dr. Ken, he was an actual doctor, a general physician, and that’s how he met his wife, also a physician, Tran Ho. The couple met at a singles mixer for doctors. You know just normals doing normals’ stuff. Speaking to NPR, Jeong said that he was offered his role in The Hangover while Ho was being treated for Stage 3 breast cancer and that she encouraged him to take the role and not feel guilty about it. She’s been cancer-free for a decade, and the couple share two children: Zooey and Alexa.
Gal Gadot and Yaron Varsano
Wonder Woman‘s Gal Gadot has been married to normal, Yaron Varsano, a real estate developer, for 14 years. In an interview with Glamour, she shared that they met “at this very strange party in the Israeli desert”—all about wellness and holistic healing. They weren’t into the overall vibe, but it turned out they were into each other. On their second date, Varsano told Gadot that he knew he wanted to marry her eventually. His wish came true and the couple have had three kids together through the years: Daniella, Alma, and Maya.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
American treasure, Meryl Streep, has something in common with her spouse, Don Gummer, they are both artists (not exactly normal, but you know). The three-time Academy Award-winning actress married the sculptor in 1978. They met when Streep was grieving her boyfriend, John Cazale, who died of lung cancer.
According to Michael Schulman’s Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, as reported by People, Streep had to leave the apartment she and Cazale shared, which led to a romance that would end up spanning decades. To help her move, Streep’s brother brought along a friend: Gummer. Though her family worried that she’d moved on too quickly, Streep and Gummer have been married for 43 years and have four children. Each of the children has chosen a life of not normalcy and all have careers in entertainment.
Christian Bale and Sibi Blažić
Oscar-winner Christian Bale met his future wife, Sibi Blažić, through his friend, Winona Ryder (totally normal). The circumstances weren’t all that glamorous on Blažić’s part. At the time, she was working as Ryder’s personal assistant, Marie Claire reported. In addition to being an assistant, she was also trying to launch a career in modeling. She and Bale have been married since 2000 and have two children, but don’t expect to hear many more details about how they fell in love or much else. They are incredibly private about their personal lives and the lives of their kids.
Patrick Dempsey and Jillian Fink
Another Grey’s Anatomy actor to grace this list, Patrick Dempsey, and his makeup artist wife Jillian Fink met when Dempsey came into Fink’s salon for a haircut. However, they very nearly called it quits a few years ago. Before they decided to end things for good, they called off their divorce and made another go of it. “I didn’t feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work,” Dempsey told People in 2016.
He credited counseling for helping their family, which includes three children, get through the rough patch, and in 2019, the pair celebrated their 20th anniversary.
There you have them! The celebrities who married normal ones. There aren’t many who choose to go this route but we’re always happy to learn about these sorts of relationships as they truly feel genuine. Further, they give us all the excuse to think that we might one day find love with our celebrity crushes! If you liked learning about these celebs, you might also want to read about the wildest celebrity weddings of all time!