Life as a celebrity is a sought-after dream that millions aim to achieve one day, primarily because of the “easy to achieve” and glamorous appearance. The common perception is that all you need to do is find the right connections, be independent, continue to work hard, and hope that one day you create lightning in a bottle, which kick-starts your career. Its deceitfulness aids the perception of it being simple when people quickly become famous and collaborate with celebrities immediately. It’s almost as if it was all planned out from the beginning. Some celebrity stories suspiciously sound like someone planted them to build a fanbase that could print money for the team behind it. Celebrity faking their stories is widely known as an “Industry Plant.” In this article, we’ll put those publicly deemed plants under a microscope to better understand the phenomenon.

The Origins of The Term “Industry Plant”

The definition of “Industry Plants” is an individual or group who claims they’re independent with humble beginnings despite being backed by a large label. Accusations of being an industry plant aren’t exactly a new phenomenon. The terminology of “Industry Plants” dates to the 2010s, with hip-hop forums accusing several artists like Drake and 50 Cent’s rise to fame feeling manufactured. One case of an “industry plant” is a particular podcaster named Bobbi Althoff.

The Case of Bobbi Althoff

Althoff had a sizable fanbase, making relatable videos with the mom audience side of TikTok. She then started “The Really Good Podcast,” where she interviews celebrities. However, within months of the start of the podcast, Althoff managed to bring prominent comedians and musicians. The speed at which she began climbing the “celebritydom” ladder for the guests seems impossible.

Many argue that Althoff could be lucky or put in a lot of hard work regarding bookings. Bobbi even claimed that her determination and hustling landed her interviews with these A-list celebrities in an interview with Cosmopolitan. On the other hand, Business Insider’s Kieran Press-Reynolds and Maria Noyen spoke with an industry expert, saying that it is unrealistic.

Eric Schiffer, a crisis and celebrity PR expert, would explain, “Hollywood is a relationship town…People often develop friendships with people they work with and partner with, and so they will help each other at times and help in a case like Bobbi might be bringing one of their stars in their stable to do her show”. Eric’s explanation means that for Althoff to book these high-profile people, she would have needed an extensive network to book people for her podcast. However, we don’t have proper evidence to suggest that either claim is valid. The same is true for the following case, which has sparked accusations of being an industry plant: Lil Nas X.

The Case of Lil Nas X

Montero Lamar Hill, or Lil Nas X, is a musician who developed a massive following thanks to his hit release of “Old Town Road.” The questionable aspect is that nobody knew Lil Nas X beforehand. Yet he dove into stardom, collaborating with Billy Ray Cyrus, the father of Miley Cyrus, and made a song that generated over 1.2 billion views since its release five years ago. Lil Nas X’s speed to fame and connections made the internet believe he had to be well-connected with the music industry beforehand. Thus began the conspiracy that Lil Nas X had to be an industry plant.

Lil Nas X would discuss these accusations in an interview with Zach Campbell on his YouTube channel. Lil Nas X would explain his rise to fame, saying, “I worked really hard to get where I am. I had so many sleepless nights…so many teared-up nights trying to get to these dreams”. He would also make jokes on Twitter regarding the discussion, but other than that, Lil Nas X didn’t give much of a deeper explanation. It seems Nas has grown tired of fueling rampant speculation over his career growth.

The Possible Negative Effects of An Industry Plant

So far, we have covered two cases with recent creators whose backgrounds are considered “dubious” by many people on the internet. However, why do people care about whether someone is an industry plant? How can, if revealed, a celebrity’s admission that their humble origins are fake affect the industry’s reputation? For starters, it makes the industry feel more artificial. Fans of a musician, podcaster, or artist would feel betrayed that someone they connect with, thanks to their natural growth through dogged determination, was planned out.

The entertainment industry would feel shallow if all these creators were made just for printing money. Imagine feeling touched by an artist’s origins of struggle and hardships to get to the top of success, feeling inclined to support them in any way you can, only to find out a multi-million-dollar company pretty much backed them. It would make anyone feel betrayed or even angered if their exposure came to light. This sense of betrayal is incredibly valid, especially if you’ve poured resources (time, money, emotion) into their success. However, upon the term gaining more attention from the public, it seems that the terminology is becoming incredibly overused and hurled at anyone who rose to the top fast enough, hard work or not.

The Over-usage of The Term

Anybody who suddenly blows up gets called an Industry Plant even before trying to do their research. For example, Billie Eilish has long been accused of being one of these plants because her parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell, happened to be actors with many connections across Hollywood. Eilish’s case doesn’t fit the definition of an “Industry Plant.” If anything, this fits the term “Nepo baby,” which is an entirely different conversation. Yet, it often gets confused with Industry Plants because its over-usage has morphed its meaning.

The internet has become a prominent medium for anyone to become famous. Every day, an individual randomly blows up and becomes famous for doing anything, creative or not, from subjects of singing to gaming. These supposed nobodies become somebodies, yet who’s to say they are authentic? We won’t ever know if someone is humble, but it does feel like using the words “Industry Plant” is very targeted towards celebrities and creators who aren’t as widely loved as others or if they’ve found themselves in hot water. Ultimately, we may never know; Hollywood works in mysterious ways that we won’t know unless we’re in it.

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Works Cited

Campbell, Zach. “Lil Nas X Talks “Gay Agenda” + Being A Industry Plant & New Music | THAT’S A BOP!” YouTube, 31 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHBjaLL36Ak. Accessed 19 August 2024.

Cunningham, Kyndall. “From 4batz to Drake, why everyone is being called an “industry plant.” Vox, 11 April 2024, https://www.vox.com/culture/24114819/industry-plants-music-pop-rap-internet-hottest-conspiracy. Accessed 9 August 2024.

Reynolds, Kieran Press, and Maria Noyen. “Bobbi Althoff’s Rise Has Been Plagued by Criticisms and Controversies.” Business Insider, 4 November 2023, https://www.businessinsider.com/bobbi-althoff-drake-offset-scarlett-johansson-controversial-interviews-2023-10. Accessed 15 August 2024.

Truffaut, Olivia, and Davis Bates. “Bobbi Althoff, TikTok Influencer, on Going Viral and Interviewing Drake.” Cosmopolitan, 9 August 2023, https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a44762496/bobbi-althoff-tiktok-podcast/. Accessed 16 August 2024.