Celebs Who Got Their Start On Star Search

Today, when young entertainers want to get their big break, they may audition for a competition show on television since there are so many. For example, singers have shows like "American Idol," dancers have "So You Think You Can Dance," and there were a countless number of aspiring models who tried to get on "America's Next Top Model" through the years. But in the '80s, one show came along that served as a one-stop shop for those seeking stardom, and that was "Star Search." The show first aired from 1983-1995 and was hosted by Ed McMahon. It was then brought back from 2003-2004 before being taken off the air.

There were singers, models, comedians, and dancers — all of various ages — who competed in individual categories. Then their performances were critiqued by a panel of judges. From there, the person who received the closest to four stars won and advanced to the next round. Some of the future stars that were on the show included Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Drew Carey. But what other entertainers were on the series, how did they do, and how did their experience affect their career afterward? For this one, we've answered those questions and shared what some of the famous contestants had to say about "Star Search." So let's do it.

The singing group Girls Tyme appeared on "Star Search" in 1993, but despite their name, it just wasn't their time. However, some of the members would find huge success after walking off stage, and one in particular became one of the biggest celebrities in the world. She also released a little album called "Lemonade" that you might've heard of. That's right, Beyoncé — along with Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and others — appeared on "Star Search" and lost to a rock band called Skeleton Crew. "Once we realized that Girls Tyme was Beyoncé's group we kept our eyes on them," said Dan Hess, Skeleton Crew's keyboardist, while speaking to People in 2013.

And those same eyes would watch some of Girls Tyme's members become part of the R&B group Destiny's Child, who went on to do huge things in entertainment. Beyoncé talked about the "Star Search" loss in a video and explained how it truly shaped her as an artist. "When I was in the studio, I was threading the songs together, and I thought of this performance, which was a really defining moment in my life as a child," she explained. "I was only 9 years old. At that time you don't realize that you could actually work super hard and give everything you have and lose. It was the best message for me."

Although Sharon Stone is mostly associated with being a film star, she has a good deal of TV work under her belt, according to her IMDb page. In the '80s, for example, she appeared on shows like "Silver Spoons," "Remington Steele," and "Magnum, P.I." She was also on "Star Search" in the pilot episode's spokesmodel competition, appearing as a brunette, per the Tampa Bay Times. But her episode never aired.

Stone began her career as a model and was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in 1977 before moving to Europe, where she'd eventually quit, according to Models Jam. But the Pennsylvania native wouldn't stay away from modeling forever because she was still doing it in 2021. "My friend and brilliant stylist @paris_libby sent me this today," wrote Stone next to an Instagram photo of herself posing underneath a picture of Marilyn Monroe. "I am not only astounded but grateful that I am still modeling at 62 ... Thx to everyone who hired me this year." 

Do you know anyone who jumps from career to career or from new passion to new passion, then gets confused about why they haven't found success? Sure, people have been successful after changing careers or their game plan, but it seems more often than not that those who excel in their craft have stuck with it for some time.

One could say that Dave Chappelle is someone who has a single-minded focus when it comes to his career because he's often talked about always wanting to be a comedian since he was a kid. He also honed some of his famous comedy act at a very young age, which was seen on "Star Search" when he appeared as a 19-year-old. In his less than two-minute routine, Chappelle told a joke about Batman and Robin never fighting crime in neighborhoods "that need it." Then he relayed another joke about how dangerous it used to be for him as a Washington D.C. pizza delivery person. 

When all was said and done, Chappelle received a perfect four-star score, beating the champion. He also made host Ed McMahon break into laughter when he was called over. "[My grandmother] loves you. She buys Alpo and doesn't even have a dog," said Chappelle, referring to McMahon doing commercials for Alpo on the "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

If you weren't aware that Alanis Morissette was on "Star Search," well, "you oughta know" because she showed plenty of stage presence when she appeared as a 14-year-old. At least that's what some people might say. Yet, the judges didn't totally see it that way, because she lost. But of course, Morissette, who appeared on the show as "Alanis Nadine," would be the big winner in the end — thanks to an album called "Jagged Little Pill" (later turned into a musical) that you might've played once or twice.

That album went on to sell more than 30 million copies around the globe, according to This Day In Music, making the singer at the time Canada's first artist to have an album go No. 1 in the United States. Of course, songs on the album are far different from the happy, poppy dance tunes that Morissette had on her previous LPs, and a stark contrast to the cut she performed on "Star Search." The singer was shown her performance while visiting "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and got a chuckle out of it. At least she can laugh at herself, right?

For some, dropping out of college probably results in a threat from their parents to cut them off financially, but for Brad Garrett, who dropped out of college to pursue a comedy career, that kind of threat wouldn't have hurt him any. Why? Because he won $100,000 on "Star Search"  after leaving school in 1984 as a 23-year-old (via The Notable Names Database). The victory made Garrett the very first grand prize winner in the comedy competition and springboarded him to an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

Garrett talked about his "Star Search" experience in 2007, which was later posted to YouTube by Foundation Interviews. The actor said his appearance on the series changed everything for him, and it's something that'll always stick with him. "That was an exciting time for me," he recalled. "It was like 'American Idol' but without the talent and excitement. You would get a minute and a half to perform on 'Star Search' ... So I remember cramming and rushing ... But I did impressions. It jump-started my stand-up and I started opening for different people."

For the many contestants who were on the original "Star Search" in the 12 years that it was on, only a small number had their performance lead to a big-time career. Usher, on the other hand, who appeared on the show as a 13-year-old and performed under his full name Usher Raymond, had a different experience. According to BET, his performance was seen by an A&R rep for LaFace Records, the same label that signed Toni Braxton, TLC, and OutKast.

Antonio "L.A." Reid, LaFace's co-founder, talked about meeting a young Usher and how well he did once the singer performed for him in his office. "He got down on one knee and sang Boyz II Men 'End of the Road.' He really charmed the girls in my office," said Reid on VH1's "Behind The Music." Thank goodness for Usher that A&R rep was watching TV that night or who knows how the singer's career might have gone.

It was all there already at the tender age of 8. The eye contact with the audience, the confidence, as well as the singing chops. We're talking about LeAnn Rimes, who appeared in "Star Search's" junior vocalist competition in 1990. She sang Marty Robbins' 1961 song "Don't Worry" and beat another young country singer named Levi Garrett after the judges gave Rimes a score of 3.75 stars. She lost the following week, however, but said her godmother made everything better.

"It was my first lesson in losing, which is pretty good at 8," Rimes told People in an interview posted to YouTube in 2017. "I went back and I cried and then I remembered my godmother telling me she was going to take me to Disney World. I was fine after that. It was all good." Ahhh, to be a kid, right? Imagine as an adult being able to fix your heartache with a mere trip to see Mickey and Minnie. Must be nice. Of course, Rimes would go on to have a fruitful singing career, which started after she scored her hit "Blue" in 1996.

From "Star Search" to Columbia Pictures. That's how the start of Martin Lawrence's career could be described since the once-popular competition show jump-started his career. The Maryland-raised celebrity was on "Star Search" in 1987 and got all the way to the last round, as Cheat Sheet specifies. And although he didn't take home the crown, he later took a call from Columbia Pictures when they saw a tape of his performance and asked him to be on the '80s sitcom "What's Happening Now!!" From there, Lawrence went on to be in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," before landing his own TV series, "Martin."

"It's first of all, a dream come true, that you can't believe," Lawrence told GQ in 2020 about his career ascension after being on "Star Search." "You're starting to make more money than you've ever made in your life. More people are around you than you've ever been around, and they're telling you they love you and how good you are."  

If comedians wore numbers on their clothing like athletes, Rosie O'Donnell's number would be hanging in the rafters of Los Angeles' Earl Carroll Theatre where "Star Search" was filmed. That's because she won five times in the comedy category. Plus, she won so many times, Ed McMahon referred to her as a "Star Search" family member, per Snakkle. So how did the veteran actor and comedian get on the show? She broke it all down when she had a virtual reunion with other "Star Search" contestants in January 2021.

"I was in a standup comedy club right near my house and the kid in my high school, his older brother owned it so I was going on a lot as the MC and this woman came over and said Ed McMahon is my dad and I'm going to get you on 'Star Search,'" she explained at the 54:20 mark. O'Donnell then said the woman took her phone number and called her the next day. Soon after came a call from people associated with the show. O'Donnell also made fun of the hairdo and outfits she wore on the show, calling her appearance, "The height of wrongness."

If you thought "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was the first time that Tatyana Ali was in front of TV cameras, you'd be sadly mistaken because she's been entertaining since growing up on New York's Long Island. One of her first gigs was on "Sesame Street" at age 6. Then, by age 7, she'd leave Big Bird's presence to hang out with Ed McMahon. Ali won twice on "Star Search," as pointed out by IMDb, and for one of her performances, she sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," first sung by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, then by Diana Ross.

The song, penned by singing duo Ashford & Simpson, got Ross her first Grammy nomination as a solo artist, and it also got Ali a perfect score of four stars. During her performance, Ali was all confidence and swagger, as she sported a pink dress and a curly 'do. Then when McMahon asked her how winning made her feel, she beamed with a smile that was as big as her singing voice. 

Of course, Ali's singing career got sidetracked but in the best possible way because she played Ashley Banks on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" for six seasons. But she rekindled her singing career after the show was over by signing to her castmate Will Smith's production company, which she told VladTV about. Then after signing to Smith, Ali released her debut album, "Kiss the Sky."

Before he was playing the package-delivering, food-loving Doug Heffernan on "The King of Queens," Kevin James paid his dues on the comedy stage. And in 1995 he'd take his jokes to "Star Search," which got him a lot of laughs and a few victories. Even from that time, one could say James' routine was polished and his act was based on relatable subjects, like battling with his dad over the house's temperature. 

James said that his dad was "too cheap" to get an air conditioner, so his family got an "oscillating fan" instead. "[What] a horrible invention this is," said James on the "Star Search" stage. "It's like waiting for a bus. 'Man, when is that cold air going to get here.'" But what the "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" star didn't have to wait for is success, because just one year after the competition show, he appeared on "Everybody Loves Raymond" (via IMDb). Then two years after that, he'd become a star on "The King of Queens." Not bad for a guy who grew up without any air conditioning. 

Aaliyah might've lost to her challenger, Katrina Abrams, when she appeared on "Star Search" in 1989 as an 11-year-old, but she racked up a number of victories for herself years after. During her performance, the late singer belted out "My Funny Valentine" for the junior vocalist category and already seemed like a veteran artist. Aaliyah also showed plenty of vocal range, which she displayed by allowing her voice to soar toward the song's end. After losing to Abrams, she simply smiled, shook the winner's hand, and walked away. But according to a 2001 Vibe article, Aaliyah wept backstage. That was because she had a deep desire to please the crowd, which Ed McMahon noticed right away.

"There's a thing that you see when somebody walks out on the stage," he told Vibe in 2001. "I call it the fire. They got that inner fire, which has nothing to do with the schooling, nothing to do with the teacher, nothing to do with the parents. There is a desire in that person to please the audience. You see enough of it to recognize it. And that's what I saw with Aaliyah." Tragically, the singer died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, at 22 years old.

"Pose" star Billy Porter brought his silky smooth voice to "Star Search's" singing category in 1991, which aired in 1992. He then won the Finals and left the stage $100,000 richer. The actor sang "A Dream With Your Name on It" by Jennifer Holliday for his last performance, which he spoke about in April 2021 while on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The thing is, Porter said he only kept $44,000 of his prize money thanks to Uncle Sam getting his share and didn't know what to do with the rest. But he did get his chompers fixed.

"I should've bought an apartment in midtown [Manhattan]. I didn't know that was what you were supposed to do with your money, so it just sat in the bank," Porter told Kimmel. "And I got my teeth fixed because I had gaps in between all my teeth. I was trying to be a movie star, so I was like, 'Well let me fix these teeth, these holy teeth.'" He then flashed his pearly whites to the camera and thanked "Star Search" for purchasing them. If you think about it, Porter is probably reminded about his "Star Search" win every time he smiles.

There are some people whose performance on "Star Search" went so poorly, they probably want to forget all about it. But not Norm Macdonald. He actually went into detail about his performance going all wrong in his 2016 book, "Based On A True Story: A Memoir."  Macdonald was from Canada, so he was allowed to be on an international version of the show, which aired in 1990. "I always made sure to begin with my strongest joke, my surefire laugh-getter ... so I came right out with it. It got no laughs," he wrote, which was shared by Deadspin. 

"This was a big problem," Macdonald added. "When I had chosen my two minutes of material, I had taken into account the laughter of the audience. But there was a complete absence of laughter, and as I completed my final joke I saw, in horror, I still had a minute and fifteen seconds left to perform." But it's obvious that Macdonald didn't let that experience snuff out his ambition, because he had a successful comedy and acting career that spanned nearly 30 years. The former "SNL" cast member sadly died on September 14, 2021, in Pasadena, California from acute leukemia. He is survived by his only child, a son, named Dylan Macdonald.