10 Celebrities Who Became Famous by Accident (2 of 6)

Justin Bieber: YouTube to studio sessions

A hometown talent contest was put on YouTube so his family could watch. Covers started pulling in views. Not hundreds—thousands and thousands of views! In the early YT era, those were pretty much viral numbers that just kept growing. Then a producer saw one of the videos and reached out. One studio trip to Atlanta later, Bieber went from bedroom performances to a global pop phenomenon.

Eva Mendes: neighborly favors, Hollywood returns

Believe it or not, Eva wasn’t famous right off the bat. One day, she was simply helping her neighbor by posing for his portfolio, and then some random talent agent saw the shots, reached out, and signed her for a few supporting roles. That casual favor snowballed into a big-screen career, proving that sometimes your friend’s silly ideas can get you to the tippy-top if you’re young and hot, of course.