Tragic Details About Bhad Bhabie

The following article includes allegations of child abuse and domestic violence, and mentions of addiction and suicide.

Bhad Bhabie became an online sensation after her 2016 "Dr. Phil" appearance went viral. But not all publicity is good publicity — and Bhabie's life hasn't always been glamorous despite her fame. She's dealt with many challenges over the years, often speaking candidly about the heartbreaking things she's endured.

The rapper was just 13 years old when she sat down with the talk show host to talk about her tumultuous relationship with her mother and aversion to authority. During the episode, Bhabie — real name Danielle Bregoli — quickly turned into a meme when her street-fighting tendencies led her to utter the famous words: "Cash me outside, how 'bout that?" Since her infamous interview with Dr. Phil, Bhabie has gone on to have a successful rap career. She landed a Billboard Hot 100 hit with her debut single, "These Heauxs," becoming the youngest female rapper to achieve such a feat at just 14 years old. After signing and later parting ways with Atlantic Records, the "Gucci Flip Flops" singer went on to create her own label, "BHAD Music," in 2021.

Despite her rising in the ranks in the music industry, the meme-turned-rapper has a dark past. Bhabie's complicated history goes beyond her behavioral problems that were exploited on "Dr. Phil." From a tumultuous relationship with her loved ones to a shocking health diagnosis — here's a look at the tragic life of Bhad Bhabie.

When Bhad Bhabie's mother, Barbara Bregoli, brought her daughter on the "Dr. Phil" show in 2016, she had no idea it would be a catalyst for her daughter's fame. Hoping to tame her daughter's attitude problems and fix the strain in their relationship, Bregoli joined her daughter in the on-air therapy session. 

During the sit-down, Dr. Phil alluded to Bhabie's mother's bouts with cancer and her absent father being some reasons for the rapper lashing out at loved ones. The "22" singer wasn't keen on talking out her feelings with the television host and essentially shot down attempts to get to the bottom of her "self-destructive" behavioral problems. Despite admitting she loved her mother and had a close relationship with her growing up, the singer continued to be hostile during the uncomfortable segment.

Long after the TV appearance, the once troubled teen admitted she still has a tumultuous relationship with her mother. In 2023, the rapper took to her Instagram (via PopBuzz), writing: "My mom show[s] the same pattern [with] everyone [that] come[s] into my life. At this point, it's her no one else. I live my life in fear of this lady every day. She's mentally sick and I'm scared of what she's capable of." She added: "Every time I ask her to move out and offer to pay in full for a house for her she threatens me and threatens my boyfriend and friends."

Bhad Bhabie may have left "Dr. Phil" with more psychological damage than she came with. Shortly after her segment on the show, the singer was sent to Turn-About Ranch, a camp in Utah meant for rehabilitating misbehaving teenagers. Despite returning to the talk show after her stint at the ranch and vaguely saying she had a positive experience, Bhabie came out years later with a much different response. In 2021, the rapper made some shocking allegations in a video she released in partnership with Breaking Code Silence, highlighting several abuses the artist claimed she faced during her stay. From improper hygiene to extreme levels of punishment, Bhabie alleged she underwent months of unfair treatment and blamed Dr. Phil for his role in the matter.

The talk show host responded to the accusations in an interview with NewsNation. "She went to Turn-About four or five years ago. If she had a bad experience, obviously I would hate that," Dr. Phil said. "We don't have anything to do with what happens with guests once they leave the stage. That's between the guardian and the parent, and whatever facility they go."

Bhabie called out Dr. Phil for allegedly lying in his response, saying, "Are you f***ing nuts? ... My mother signed a Consent [for] Release of Information to send progress reports directly from Turn-About to the 'Dr. Phil' show. So when you say you don't have any f***ing feedback from them, that is not true."

Bhad Bhabie brought several abuse claims against Turn-About Ranch to light, including allegations that staff members penalized campers using methods that were detrimental to their health and hygiene. In her 2021 Breaking Code Silence YouTube video, the rapper claimed that she was denied a shower for three days upon arriving at the camp. "They wouldn't let me lay down for nothing," she revealed. "Like, I was falling asleep and they were like, 'Uh uh, get up, get up!'"

Bhabie stated that employees made up their own harrowing punishments for even minor infractions. "Even if you don't know the rules, if you f*** up, you're still in trouble," she added. While the camp was far from the "bougie" lifestyle Bhabie said she was accustomed to, she claimed she wasn't prepared for what awaited her at Turn-About Ranch. "They take away like necessity privileges like sleeping on a bed, eating good food, not being cold," she recounted.

But Bhabie isn't the only "Dr. Phil" alumni who claimed that they endured a harrowing experience at Turn-About Ranch. Hannah Archuleta filed a lawsuit against CBS and Dr. Phil for the treatment she received at the behavior camp in 2021, claiming a staff member had touched her inappropriately. In response, a representative of the camp wrote in a statement, "We interviewed other students and staff members and were unable to corroborate her story ... We would never take lightly an allegation of mistreatment to any of our students." Archuleta's lawsuit against the network and Dr. Phil was dismissed in 2022 after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie M. Bowick determined it would be improbable that the plaintiff would be able to prove her allegations.

In addition to her claims about the cruel punishments, Bhad Bhabie revealed that a fellow camper had killed a staff member during her stay at Turn-About Ranch. In her video, Bhabie explained she was doing her morning chores when she overheard an employee's walkie-talkie alerting them to the tragic incident.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Clay Brewer had a history of addiction and suicidal thoughts when he arrived at Turn-About Ranch in 2016. After attempting to commit suicide during his stay and dealing with his withdrawal symptoms, Brewer's emotions reached a high on the fifth day of his stay. The teenager launched himself at 61-year-old staffer Jimmy Woolsey when he came to check on Brewer and other campers. He fatally injured Woolsey by hitting him with a piece of metal and attacked another employee, Alicia Keller, who attempted to stop him. Brewer later told police: "I paused," adding, "I couldn't bear to think about what I had done. I just stood there." Keller was left with disabling injuries, dying just two years after the fateful incident.

In 2018, Brewer pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated assault charges and was sentenced to five years with the possibility of life in prison. Bhabie admitted in her video that her fellow campers were left "traumatized" by the incident, adding, "That's scary, like ... you got kids here that are killing people."

After fellow survivor Hannah Archuleta filed her lawsuit against Turn-About Ranch, Bhad Bhabie revealed that this was what encouraged her to share her story after years of silence. In her 2021 reaction video to Dr. Phil's NewsNation interview, the rapper responded to Dr. Phil's suggestion that she should have spoken out about her accusations when the alleged abuse occurred. "You're also saying that when I was 13 I should have known how to file a complaint about a program," she said. "The only thing that made me comfortable was Hannah speaking out, so I'm going to talk about it now. Someone needs to have her back."

The "Hi Bich" singer also explained in her Breaking Silence video that there is technically no evidence from her time at Turn-About Ranch. Without phones or communication with the outside world, she had no way to corroborate her story. She added that Archuleta was allegedly punished for reporting the incident at the camp, which inspired Bhabie to come out with her own accusations about the harsh punishments. "I really have to say something ... because I truly believe that they [abused her]," she said.

Bhad Bhabie had an adverse reaction to her overnight fame. For months, the artist was unaware of how much of an impact her "Cash me outside" catch phrase had on the Internet while she was isolated from the rest of the world at Turn-About Ranch.

"When that meme blew up, I didn't know. I had just gotten home. I hadn't been on social media for months. I hadn't even seen a phone for months ... I didn't even know how to say the word 'meme,'" she explained in a 2017 interview with Fader.

Although she was able to build her career off the meme, Bhabie shared in her 2021 YouTube video that still has regrets about how she appeared to the rest of the world. "My problem with the meme was always that people only got to see half the story," she said. "For years, I didn't even want to talk about it." She continued: "That meme made it seem like I was an evil, hateful girl. That's why I hate it so much because that's not me ... Y'all can't judge somebody's whole life off of a 30-second clip ... I always wanted people to know me for me," she concluded.

Bhad Bhabie had a hard time adjusting to her online fame, especially when it came to her newfound fans. In her 2017 Fader interview, the rapper admitted she was shocked to find strangers asking to take photos with her on the street. 

"At first, I didn't know how to handle it," she explained to the publication. "My instinct was to, like, cuss everyone out who said it to me. Every fan that would come to me and say, 'Can I take a picture with you?' [I'd say,] 'F*** you, why the f*** do you want to take a picture of me? I don't even know who the f*** you are and you're coming up taking a picture of me, saying this wack a** s*** to me?"

Since her initial popularity boom, Bhabie has said she has accepted her stardom. The artist boasts over 15 million followers on her Instagram, who she calls her "Bhabie Gang." Forced to come to terms with being an overnight sensation, the rapper told Fader: "Soon as I realized, like, okay, I'm famous. I wasn't, like, big-headed about it ... I was just like, I need to be, like, sorta respectful."

From the best of friends to no longer friends, Bhad Bhabie and Billie Eilish have a complicated history. The rapper explained to Entertainment Tonight in 2019 that she originally connected with the "Happier Than Ever" singer on Instagram and instantly hit it off. Their friendship grew over the pair's mutual love for singer XXXTentacion, who was killed in 2018.

"[Billie] came to my house and we just listened to his music and cried all day like some little b***hes. Ever since then, we've been real tight," Bhabie said of their bond. But their friendship took a turn the following year when fans began questioning whether or not the two still hung out. "I just feel like either someone got into her ear about me and made her think that I was a bad person," Bhabie told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. "Or she was getting too big to where she didn't want to associate herself with my brand. And that's perfectly fine, I understand that, but it sucks to have a friend and they just disappear. But I'm not mad at her, she's not mad at me. It is what it is," she clarified.

While the "Ocean Eyes" singer has remained silent on the issue, there definitely won't be a Bhabie and Eilish collaboration coming anytime soon. "That's not on me," she said of the duo working together "A lot of people just don't want to associate themselves with my brand. They think I'm this evil devil child."

Bhad Bhabie's first car accident in January 2023 left the rapper traumatized. The "Trust Me" singer was a passenger in her car when her friend, Tilan, crashed with enough force to deploy all of the air bags. Bhabie took to her Instagram (via X, formerly known as Twitter) to reveal photos of the accident, saying, "This was my first car accident, I'm still shook up and don't even wanna get in a car ever again. This experience sure showed me who really give af and who don't! Thank god I wasn't driving bc I wouldn't have knew what tf to do."

The rapper went on to write that she was "beyond devastated," revealing that her first car was "totaled and over with." She went on to add that: "If the car wasn't so heavy tilan would probably b dead." From stealing cars (as purported on her "Dr. Phil" segment) to crashing them, Bhabie has had quite a rocky history with vehicles.

Bhad Bhabie made headlines in 2020 when the then-teenager checked herself into rehab. According to TMZ, the rapper sought out professional help at an unnamed facility to resolve issues related to her childhood trauma as well as a dependency on prescription pills. "We are very proud of Danielle for recognizing that she needed help and seeking it out," her team told the publication at the time.

Bhabie was at the rehab facility for a month, checking in sometime in May of that year and leaving the following month. After leaving the treatment facility, sources told TMZ that the artist was focused on her music career and feeling much better. She took to Instagram Live following her return to let her fans know how she was doing, confirming that she wasn't addicted to Percocet pills as some viewers had previously speculated. Instead, she blamed the debacle on her mother, saying (via TMZ), "Barbara finds one pill and has a heart attack. But I'm back and better than ever."

The rapper elaborated by saying she had a multitude of personal reasons for checking into treatment. "I had to separate myself from some people," she expressed.

Bhad Bhabie dropped a major bombshell on social media when she shared videos of herself allegedly being abused by her ex-boyfriend, Le Vaughn. She and Vaughn have been dating since 2020 and welcomed their first child, a daughter named Kali Love, in 2024.

The "Geek'd" artist posted multiple videos on her Instagram Stories in July 2024 of what appeared to be security footage of her and Vaughn in a physical altercation. In the video clips, she's seen being slapped and later shoved to the ground by who she claims to be Vaughn. "This man think he gonna take my daughter from me!!" she wrote in a since-deleted Story. "Say whatever you want but [trying] to take my baby is crazy," she continued. In her post, Bhabie included photos of herself following the alleged incident, which showed a black and bruised eye and what appeared to be a cut on the upper corner of her eyelid.

The social media star wrote in a separate Instagram Story that she still loves Vaughn despite their obvious issues. "I love that man more than I love myself and it's honestly really sad," she acknowledged in a screenshot posted to X. "This doesn't happen this extreme often, but LV definitely has a problem. He's going to get the help he needs. Right now there's no room for mistakes. And he knows that," she elaborated. As of the time of writing, the two are still in a relationship, and Vaughn was even seen out and about on daddy duty in Los Angeles taking Kali out for a stroll.

In 2024, Bhad Bhabie dropped the shocking news that she was diagnosed with cancer. The announcement came after the artist faced backlash over her weight loss, with many speculating that she was taking the popular weight loss drug, Ozempic. "I'm sorry my cancer medication made me loose [sic] weight," she wrote on her Instagram Story that November (via Miami Herald). "I'm slowly gaining it back. So stop running [with] the worst narratives," she continued.

But not everybody believed Bhabie was telling the truth, including famous gossip writer Perez Hilton, who questioned her intentions. "Is Bhad Bhabie lying for attention? Hopefully not!" he wrote on his site. The artist's mother, Barbara, ultimately entered the chat to clear up the rumors, posting a video on Instagram confirming her daughter's cancer diagnosis. "How dare you," she quipped while addressing Hilton's shady comments. "Is this the only way you can make money? By talking s*** about people?" she questioned. While Barbara didn't go into details about her daughter's condition, one thing is clear; you don't want to catch either of them outside.

If you or anyone you know may be the victim of child abuse, is dealing with domestic abuse, needs help with addiction issues, or is in crisis, contact the relevant resources below:

• Contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.