Fame

Morissette says she examines only the criticisms that trigger her, using them as material for shadow work.

“I think Courtney Love was calling me fake, which is so funny. And she also apologized later and said very kind things”

Call Her Daddy: Alanis Morissette: Anger, Attachment, & Postpartum (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 30:43

Morissette says respected fellow artists disparaged her publicly and that Sinéad O'Connor later apologized.

“a lot of artists whom I respected and lived for were disparagingly speaking about me. Later, Sinead apologized, which was really classy”

Call Her Daddy: Alanis Morissette: Anger, Attachment, & Postpartum (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 30:03

Morissette says she faced severe hostility in the 1990s, including websites devoted to how to kill her.

“There were websites constructed to figure out how to murder me most elegantly”

Call Her Daddy: Alanis Morissette: Anger, Attachment, & Postpartum (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 29:44

Morissette argues that fame has shifted from being a means to an end to being pursued as an end in itself, and that it amplifies existing pain and trauma.

“fame used to be a means to an end, Joni Mitchell or commentary on the Vietnam War. Like it was a means to an end. Now fame is the end”

Call Her Daddy: Alanis Morissette: Anger, Attachment, & Postpartum (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 27:12

Nurmagomedov argues that wealth is harmless in one's hands but corrupting once it enters the heart, and says he believes most people in hell will be wealthy.

“But as soon as that wealth gets into your heart, it becomes very difficult to share it with others”

Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 3:15:27

Nurmagomedov defines legacy as public recognition and inspiration, noting that many champions reach the top without inspiring anyone.

“There are people who became champions. There are people who rose to the top of their field, but they just don't inspire anyone”

Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 1:43:00

Nurmagomedov says people cannot know how they will behave once they gain success, wealth and power, and should avoid boasting about it in advance.

“I think it's better if people don't throw around such big words. Because you never know how you'll carry yourself once you actually get there”

Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 35:38

Nurmagomedov argues that becoming a champion is easier than staying one, because money, contracts and travel cause fighters to miss training.

“Reaching the championship and staying there, reaching it is one thing, but staying a champion, that's totally different. It's incredibly tough”

Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 32:02

Lillard apologizes to an influencer he snapped at during the Scream 7 premiere.

“So if that young lady's out there, I apologize. I was a dick”

Morbid: Carrie, Cult Classics & Chaos: A Sit Down with Matthew Lillard (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 50:22

Lillard says he is experiencing a career resurgence and is more popular than ever.

“I'm having this crazy resurgence in my career as an actor and my popularity. I've never been more popular”

Morbid: Carrie, Cult Classics & Chaos: A Sit Down with Matthew Lillard (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 47:40

Lillard says he was long jealous of his former roommate Paul Rudd's success, which harmed his mental health.

“But I was, for the longest time, so jealous of his success”

Morbid: Carrie, Cult Classics & Chaos: A Sit Down with Matthew Lillard (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 23:30

Carlile says she is driven but not competitive, and feels happy for others who beat her for awards within seconds.

“I'm driven, but I'm not competitive”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Brandi Carlile (Mar 31, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:57

Carlile describes Elton John as having reached iconic status without narcissism and as genuinely curious about other people.

“maybe the most iconic status that you can possibly reach with absolutely no trace of narcissism”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Brandi Carlile (Mar 31, 2026) · Listen from 41:19

Carlile says she still experiences fan-like awe with her heroes and that staying in touch with it keeps her accountable to her audience.

“staying in touch with that part of myself keeps me honest in my responsibility within my job”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Brandi Carlile (Mar 31, 2026) · Listen from 40:34

Stella McCartney said she went into fashion as a creative path that let her stay out of the spotlight.

“for me going into fashion was a more creative way of doing things from just standing slightly behind the kind of spot”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Paul McCartney (Oct 13, 2026) · Listen from 6:09

Stella McCartney said seeing the world while touring with her parents was among the biggest privileges of her situation.

“the biggest privileges actually of being in my situation is being able to just truly see”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Paul McCartney (Oct 13, 2026) · Listen from 6:42

Bhagat describes his decades of hustle as driven by insecurity, likening himself to a rat with its tail on fire.

“So if you have a rat whose tail's on fire, he's going to run the fastest”

Tomorrow, Today: India's Gig Economy, Education & The Future of Work | Chetan Bhagat | Tomorrow Today (Sep 29, 2026) · Listen from 1:16:40

Bhagat says he stopped making films because working in Bollywood became draining.

“I just got tired of Bollywood. It's very, very draining to work with those people with like lower IQ than you”

Tomorrow, Today: India's Gig Economy, Education & The Future of Work | Chetan Bhagat | Tomorrow Today (Sep 29, 2026) · Listen from 1:16:47

Thompson said that on the rare occasions she declines a selfie, fans have taken it well and understood.

“every time I have said no, and it's quite rare, people have taken it so well because they seem completely to understand”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 15:12

Thompson said she keeps her Oscars in the lavatory to keep them in their place.

“The Oscars are in the lavatory because that just keeps them in their place”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 6:55

Bateman argued that Thompson is treated as a respected actor rather than a celebrity, whose sightings cause a frenzy.

“She's a respected actor as opposed to a celebrity. You see a celebrity out, it's like a giraffe has escaped the zoo”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 12:19

Bateman argues that celebrity culture is permissive enough that famous people need not grow, making Lopez's self-work notable.

“there's this real permissive culture around celebrity and you don't kind of have to be the best part of you and you don't have to grow”

SmartLess: "Jennifer Lopez" (Jun 15, 2026) · Listen from 40:18

Arnett argues the public cannot truly know celebrities' experiences until hearing from them directly.

“Until we hear from them what their experience is, we don't really know”

SmartLess: "Jennifer Lopez" (Jun 15, 2026) · Listen from 1:02:56

Arnett rejects the view that intense paparazzi attention is simply the price of fame.

“there are a lot of people who go like, oh, well, that's the price you pay for fame and all that kind of bullshit”

SmartLess: "Jennifer Lopez" (Jun 15, 2026) · Listen from 26:33

Rodrigo says she regrets not having a normal childhood, describing a lonely upbringing as a homeschooled only child.

“I'm a homeschooled only child. Like, it was very lonely, like, upbringing”

The Daily: Popcast: Olivia Rodrigo Tried Writing Love Songs. Then Life Got Messy. (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 1:11:51

Rodrigo says the audience accounts for most of what makes a concert great.

“it's like 75% of what makes a concert great is the audience”

The Daily: Popcast: Olivia Rodrigo Tried Writing Love Songs. Then Life Got Messy. (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 1:02:25

Kiatipis recounts that a planned game in Abu Dhabi drew so many people it could not be played.

“10,000 people showed up. We ordered like 40 police. We had like 10 security assigned to us”

Digital Social Hour: NBA Players Are Scared to 1v1 This YouTuber... | DSH #1949 (May 5, 2026) · Listen from 26:46

Kiatipis attributes his worldwide fame to immersing himself in local cultures.

“the reason why the fame has gotten so high because I really tap into the culture. I learn languages. I eat their food”

Digital Social Hour: NBA Players Are Scared to 1v1 This YouTuber... | DSH #1949 (May 5, 2026) · Listen from 25:23

Von says his Road Rules fame without money taught him popularity had little value and prepared him to handle later fame differently.

“one thing was i realized at that time that like there wasn't a like being popular was cool but there wasn't like a ton of value to it”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #656 - Fahim Anwar (Apr 30, 2026) · Listen from 1:28:18

Von says that after doing meet-and-greets at every show he lost the ability to smile genuinely for photos and had to adopt a different face.

“But I couldn't smile anymore. The muscles in my mouth”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #651 - Ella Langley (Apr 7, 2026) · Listen from 42:29