The Stunning Transformation Of Bhad Bhabie

Danielle Bregoli — who's better known as Bhad Bhabie — has come a long way since the Internet dubbed her the "Cash Me Ousside" girl after her 2016 appearance on Dr. Phil went viral. Back then, she was an at-risk 13-year-old with a tough girl persona that was only briefly shattered when she wore the occasional Mickey Mouse-clad top. The thing is, though, that Bregoli's toughness was a veil, much like the one she wore while sitting on an electric chair in her music video for "Hi B**h / Whachu Know." Underneath the public brawls and random feuds with Iggy Azalea, there was a tender adolescent with a budding substance abuse problem and a lot of admitted childhood trauma to work through — but Bregoli is actually doing the work.

The year Bregoli turned 17 years old was a turning point. The star was evolving into a full-fledged adult who owned the darkest parts of herself and took responsibility. That's not just reflected in the way she's managed to lay low while continuously pumping out hits — it's also reflected in her sartorial choices. The Bhad Bhabie we see today looks and acts almost nothing like the 13-year-old girl who became a viral sensation. Who knew fame could actually balance out the child star? Here's a look at just how far she's come.

Before the world ever heard Bhad Bhabie complain about these heaux, the teen star entered the public lexicon as herself — Danielle Bregoli. She made her debut in a now-infamous 2016 episode of Dr. Phil that was billed as "I Want To Give Up My Car-Stealing, Knife-Wielding, Twerking 13-Year-Old Daughter Who Tried To Frame Me For A Crime." 

That's quite the mouthful, but the heart of it was that Bregoli's mom was at her wit's end with her daughter's and saw no other option but to turn the teen into the police. Bregoli even stole a car from one of Dr. Phil's crew members, but that's not the part of the show that went viral. That would be the part where Bregoli was convinced the audience was making fun of her and barked, "All these h**s laughin' like there's something funny ... Cash me ousside, how 'bout dah?" It was the phrase that launched a thousand memes — and even more "Cash me ousside" branded merchandise.

At the time of Bregoli's TV debut, she may have had the mouth of a full-grown sailor, but her style was just like any other kid in middle school. She wore her hair in a sleek, flat-ironed look and dressed up her spaghetti strap camisole with oversize hoop earrings. Here, she's pictured some months after her episode's premiere wearing a casual Mickey Mouse long sleeve that highlights her youth.

Five months after Bregoli became one of Dr. Phil's most notorious guests, the star reappeared on the series to talk about the four months she spent at Turn-About Ranch, a treatment camp in Utah. According to Billboard, who recapped the episode, Bregoli seemed to have changed for the better. Her mother, Barbara Ann, admitted, "Dani went from being this little 'tough girl' to being just a normal kid. A lot of people didn't think she could do it — and she proved them all wrong." 

At least, that was before the whole thing devolved into Bregoli hurling insults. The teen threw on her Bhad Bhabie hat and told Dr. Phil that she "made [him] just like how Oprah made [him]," and he was "nothin' before [she] came on [the] show." In this house, we call that pulling a Kanye West (sorry, Taylor).

During her follow-up appearance, Bregoli opted for a softer casual look with burgundy-tinted curls and a blush pink tee. It was a stark contrast to her ferocious attitude.

Up until February 2017, Danielle Bregoli was little more than a live-action meme who stole a car on Dr. Phil and threw a punch on an airplane, which led to a citizen's arrest (via TMZ). The tabloid caught her ousside being escorted from a Spirit Airlines flight. She clearly didn't have that private plane money just yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Everything started changing later in the month when Bregoli solidified her spot in the modern, mainstream rap conversation with an appearance in Kodak Black's unofficial music video for "Everything 1K." The future rapper was front and center, showcasing her casual street style while hanging out in and on a Rolls Royce (despite the fact that she was too young to drive) and playing with stacks of cash while holding an iPhone, the ultimate teen accessory. The video premiered on World Star Hip Hop, and though fans certainly scratched their heads as to why a serious artist like Black would play into such an outrageous meme, it'd make a whole lot more sense once we finally heard her rap.

The summer after appearing in Kodak Black's video, Bhad Bhabie was born. Danielle Bregoli fought to shake off her viral meme roots and forge her own career in the music industry. She showed off her unexpected talents in the music video for her debut single "These Heaux" — and who knew the teen could actually spit fire? Whachu know, every fan who was expecting a Rebecca Black 2.0 (though, even Rebecca Black has since honed her skills).

In the video, Bregoli adopted a trendy Instagram baddie style as she rapped on a roof while wearing a white loungewear set and a half-head of braids. A month later, she signed a deal with Atlantic Records — the same label that houses heavyweights like Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. According to The New York Post, "These Heaux" racked up 20 million views in two weeks, and Bregoli became the youngest female rapper to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at age 14. TMZ reports that the record deal was "worth millions." Not bad for a girl who was famous for antagonizing daytime TV's favorite unlicensed therapist.

Bhad Bhabie was riding on a high from her brand new record contract, but she spent the majority of that time celebrating on probation due to charges she racked up prior to her appearance on Dr. Phil. According to TMZ, the rapper pleaded guilty to four charges, which included "2 counts of grand theft, possession of marijuana, and filing a false police report." In August — the same month "These Heaux" premiered — the star was sentenced to five years of probation, narrowly avoiding jail time.

This ruling came months after she was involved in a Florida brawl where her friend threw an ice cream cone at someone. At the time, TMZ claimed that Bregoli was actually cooperating with cops, which showed that maybe Dr. Phil's intervention helped at least a little.

As Bregoli kicked off her probation in California, her style remained unchanged. Perhaps her Atlantic checks didn't come in yet, and she hadn't get copped a pair of Gucci flip flops. Here she is in September 2017 wearing an outfit similar to the one she first wore on Dr. Phil, though the Ariana Grande ponytail is a look, and she seems to be sporting a brand new tattoo, which seemingly kicked off the beginning of her deep dedication to ink.

2018 was a pivotal year for Bhad Bhabie. She was finally finding real success but was caught in the midst of heartbreaking family drama, and it really seemed like she was trying to do the right thing. The rapper paid off her mother's mortgage in late December 2017 — but kicked off the new year by basically being disowned by her biological father.

According to TMZ, Bregoli's father, Ira Peskowitz, surrendered all parental rights to his daughter in February 2018. This included custody and child support payments — but with a multi-million dollar rap career, it doesn't seem like Bregoli needed the later. The star already had a rocky relationship with her dad, who she blasted in a 2017 freestyle according to XXL, and he was highly critical of her rap career. In an interview with Unilad, the police officer criticized Bregoli's mother for allowing her to hang out with "violent" guys like Kodak Black. "Her safety is number one and her emotional well-being is number two," he said.

As painful as that might have been, Bregoli didn't seem to be sweating his criticism too much because in early 2018, she got a brand new accessory — a gold record for her single "Hi B**h." In our opinion, it goes perfectly with her regular rotation of gold chains.

The spring of 2018 saw a brand new side of Bhad Bhabie — one that was totally glam. At the Billboard Music Awards in May, the rapper ditched her usual casual street style for a grown-up, glamorous gown that hugged her curves. If anything, this was proof that Bregoli could fit in on the red carpet as easily as she could on Dr. Phil, but behind-the-scenes, the rapper was struggling. It's true what they say — it's lonely at the top.

That year, the star inked a deal with Snapchat for a 12-episode docuseries called Bringing Up Bhabie. According to TMZ, it was a massive success with 10 million unique views in the first 24 hours (for reference: Keeping Up With the Kardashians only gets about 1.5 million viewers per episode). Despite having millions of fans, the teen admitted to The Guardian that she had few actual friends and was deeply disheartened by an incident where a 16-year-old boy she had interest in asked her for nude photos. "It was like, all right, I don't have female friends or guy friends or a boyfriend. Well, I'm screwed," she said. "Pfft. Teen boys are a huge mess."

By the fall of 2018, Bhad Bhabie's tendency to get into a public brawl had accelerated past random airport patrons and jumped right into the A-list. After all, you are the company you keep. According to TMZ, the star was caught on video throwing a drink on Iggy Azalea during a brawl at a bar in Hollywood, which raises a couple of questions. Mainly, we're wondering who let a 15-year-old into a bar and why it didn't evolve into a freestyle rap battle (assuming Azalea has improved her skills).

Per TMZ's report, the altercation was ignited when Azalea allegedly talked trash about Bregoli on social media. Azalea, who was 28 years old at the time, tried her best not to engage, hoping the drink that was thrown on her wasn't alcohol because the rapper was a "little kid." She was in the bar in the first place, so who knows? Bhabie reportedly had to be held back by her security, and angrily shouted at TMZ, "'Ain't nobody worried about that f**kin' hoe!!" Conveniently, the tabloid happened to be right there to provoke her when she was already heated.

Perhaps Bregoli's reignited bad attitude came with the fact that she was officially a Nova babe, a high-class honor bestowed upon the likes of Cardi B and Kylie Jenner. That month, the star walked the red carpet at the launch of Cardi B's Fashion Nova collection wearing a shimmery, baby pink short suit set.

More money, more problems — but not more dental problems. In January 2019, Bhad Bhabie debuted a brand new set of teeth. According to Page Six, Bregoli's blindly white porcelain veneers were done by Dr. Aamir Wahab in Beverly Hills and cost a whopping $40,000. The whole process took two four-hour sessions, but the results could probably be seen in the dark, so was it worth it? It certainly opens up the possibility of being cast in a Crest commercial, if the toothpaste company wanted a teen on probation representing their brand.

Around the same time that the star debuted her new Chiclets, Bregoli inked a $900,000 beauty deal with CopyCat Beauty, a brand that's known for selling dupes of designer cosmetics. According to TMZ, the three-year agreement came with the possibility of Bregoli's own beauty line. Hey, if you're modeling lipstick, you're going to need some seriously perfect pearly whites. Her new teeth look particularly striking against her brightened red dye job. 

Unlike most teen girls, Bhad Bhabie didn't want to have some elaborate sweet 16 party, though it'd have probably been worth a reboot of MTV's My Super Sweet 16. Instead, she told TMZ that she'd rather hang out at home even though her team was planning a big party. That didn't stop her loved ones from getting her some super, super sweet gifts ahead of her celebration at Ohm Nightclub in Hollywood.

According to TMZ, the "Gucci Flip Flops" singer got a $53,000 diamond chain from her pal 'Lil Yachty, which she showed off in an Instagram Story that was captured by Page Six. The diamond-encrusted pendant was custom made to spell out her rap alter ego. This came after her managers already gave her a $42,000 diamond-clad Rolex watch. Per TMZ, she always wanted one but never got around to making the massive purchase. You can see what appears to be the watch (or a similar watch) on her wrist during a performance later that May, and once again, her fiery dye job has been refreshed to an even brighter red.

Most teenagers don't have neck tattoos, but most teens aren't Bhad Bhabie. In October 2019, the star debuted a totally brand new look. Gone was her deep red hair, which she replaced with black waist-length curls. She also showed off her brand new tattoo to TMZ, which was her mother's name "Barbara Ann," written across her neck in black cursive. Bregoli ended up keeping her darker hair until early 2020 when she replaced it with a gingery bronde.

According to Inked, Bregoli had over 15 tattoos in 2019 despite the fact that she's not legally allowed to get them without parental permission (the downsides of not being a legal adult). This includes the word "savage" on her ankle, a kanji symbol on her neck, a heart on her finger, a Playboy bunny on her wrist, a cherub on her arm, the words "numb" on her other arm, and some butterflies. She's well on her way to a Soundcloud rapper-level of tats. Watch out, Post Malone!

Despite Danielle Bregoli's troubled past, it seems like things are looking up for the teen rapper. Though her intervention with Dr. Phil wasn't exactly successful in changing her bad gal ways, the star sought her own treatment on her own volition in the summer of 2020. According to TMZ, the 17-year-old entered rehab for childhood trauma and "substance abuse in the form of prescription pills." Though it was expected that she'd be in the facility for up to 90 days, depending on the severity of her problems, Page Six reported that she completed a 30-day stay and was discharged in June.

Bregoli has kicked off her new sober life with a fresh look. About a month before hitting rehab, the artist emerged in a new music video for her single "That's What I Said" and basically looked like an entirely different person. Who knew changing up your hair could do so much? According to Page Six, as soon as the star exited treatment, she took to Instagram Live to tell her fans that she was "back and better than ever" and needed to part ways with "some people." "It was a lot going on in my personal life," she said. Everything's coming up Bhad Bhabie.