At this point in time, it’s safe to say that a good portion of our population is familiar with Danielle Bregoli — better known as Bhad Bhabie — in some capacity. The 15-year-old Florida internet star shot into fame in 2016 with her now-infamous Dr. Phil interview, in which her mother sought help for her daughter’s behavioral issues, and Danielle subsequently challenged the entire live studio audience to fight, birthing the iconic catchphrase: “Cash me outside, howbowdah.”
Unlike other internet celebrities, Danielle took her 15 minutes of fame and converted them into a wildly successful rap career, becoming the youngest female artist to ever debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and has since secured two Recording Industry Association of America gold certifications for her songs “Gucci Flip Flops” and “Hi Bich.”
Her Snapchat-exclusive reality show Bringing up Bhabie premiered Feb. 4, with a reported 10 million views on the first episode. The series ran for 12 episodes and wrapped Friday.
I’m not sure what I expected from the show, but I didn’t expect what I watched.
The basic premise of the show is Danielle’s everyday life as a teenager struggling to find the balance between normal teenage things (boys, responsibility, making friends) and the demands of being a world-famous rap star. People featured on the show include her mother, Barbara, and her security guard, Frank, as well as her managers.
If we’re judging on the basis of reality television, the show ticks all the boxes — there’s drama, arguing and yelling. So much yelling. Most of it is between Danielle and her guardians, but it’s not really surprising behavior coming from her.
The footage characterizes Barbara as a foul-mouthed, vindictive and resentful manipulator of her daughter, gaslighting Danielle on camera and then refusing to acknowledge her wrongdoings.
The interactions between the Bregoli women are explosive — so much so that it’s difficult to remember one of them is a grown woman and the other is a child.
At the climax of the show, Danielle’s mother decides to fire Frank, Danielle’s “best friend,” for undermining her authority as a parent; which, when you watch the episode, is unbased. But Danielle is adamant that he is the only buffer between her and her mother’s toxicity. The argument comes to a peak when Danielle breaks down in a full-fledged panic to Frank, sobbing and yelling in desperation about how she can’t “take any more.”
She may be covered in tattoos and look like a grown woman, but these moments made it clear I was watching a girl who still attended elementary school a few years ago. It was a sobering reminder of the potentially exploitative nature of reality television.
Every conflict leading up to the final episode feels half-baked and inconclusive. At one point, Danielle houses her friend and fellow rapper Kodak Black’s dog as a way to demonstrate her responsibility. She quickly fails to properly care for the dog, and Frank whisks it away. We do not see Danielle’s reaction, and we don’t really learn what happens to the dog. This is a common occurrence in the series that could be fixed by extending the run time or being more selective with the content.
I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed with the series, simply because my expectations for a Bhad Bhabie Snapchat reality show were pretty low to begin with. If anything, I find myself concerned for this young girl who seems to be in a difficult situation, despite the exaggeration or embellishment that comes with reality TV.
Danielle claims this show was fueled by her desire to show the “behind the scenes” of her persona, but Bringing Up Bhabie did more than that. It reminded us that despite the money, fame and success, she is still just a 15-year-old child.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of the caption of this article referred to Danielle Bregoli’s stage name as “Bhad Babie.” The artist’s name is “Bhad Bhabie.” This article has been updated.
