These Celebrities Are Empowered By Their Unusual Alter Egos

You may think that celebrities adopting an alter-ego is simply another way to get attention. But it turns out that stepping into the shoes of a fictional creation can help with everything from self-control to social anxiety. And in the world of psychology, the benefits are known as the Batman Effect!

According to experts, the use of an alter ego is essentially a way of stepping back from a situation which may be nerve-wracking or challenging. Several prestigious colleges have conducted extensive research on this type of self-distancing, too. Take the study carried out by psychology professor Ethan Kross at the University of Michigan. Here, participants had to prepare for a brief spot of public speaking – something which can strike fear into the hearts of most of us.

Those involved were asked to think about the task ahead in the third person. The hope was that by visualizing the often-scary task from a different perspective, speakers wouldn’t feel so anxious. And the subsequent differences in blood pressure and heart rate proved that it was a tactic which worked. Along with boosting an individual’s physical well-being, it also helped improve presentation performance.

The practice can even help when it comes to self-control! In another study carried out by Kross, individuals were asked to self-distance when presented with foods both healthy and sugary. Remarkably, by thinking in the third person, most participants opted for the former. But the Batman Effect is perhaps at its most powerful when it comes to kids, as evidenced from research conducted by Hamilton College’s assistant professor of psychology Rachel White.

White once set a bunch of six-year-olds a deliberately unexciting concentration task. A third of the group were asked to envisage being their number one fictional character – be it Batman or Peppa Pig. And as you’d expect, it was these self-distancers who ended up sticking with the challenge the longest. So, now that we know that there is an invaluable method to the madness, here’s a look at 18 celebs who have used alter egos to their advantage.

Bella Hadid – Rebekka Harajuku

Not content with taking Instagram by storm under her own name, Bella Hadid also amassed thousands of followers in 2018 with her alter ego. Sporting a blonde bob and beret, Rebekka Harajuku first arrived on the scene while the model was journeying around Japan. But as with Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls back in the mid 2000s, Hadid faced some criticism of cultural appropriation.

Yet in an interview with Teen Vogue, Hadid insisted that her creation only came from a place of respect. She said, “It’s so funny because one of my friends and I were in Japan. Every day, we went back to Harajuku because we wanted to, literally every single day: we’d start and end our days there. So, we picked our favorite place in Tokyo and made it the last name of this alter ego.”

Beyoncé – Sasha Fierce

It’s hard to imagine Beyoncé as anything other than fearless, super-confident and ready to take on the world without even breaking a sweat. But it turns out that the former Destiny’s Child singer is human after all. In fact, she suffered so much from stage fright back in the late ’00s that she created an alter ego – Sasha Fierce – to help combat it.

And Queen Bey fully committed to this new persona, too – even naming her third solo LP in honor of it. The character obviously worked wonders as within just two years, the superstar had killed her off! Beyoncé told Allure magazine, “I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown and now I’m able to merge the two.”

Lady Gaga – Jo Calderone

Not for the first time, Lady Gaga baffled everyone in 2011 when she opened the MTV Video Music Awards as a mystery man named Jo Calderone. The superstar not only gave a rendition of her single “You and I” in character, she accepted the Best Female Video award as him, too. In fact, Gaga even joined the likes of Kanye West in the audience while sporting a suit and black mullet.

Following the ceremony, Gaga – or Calderone to be more precise – explained who this new celebrity was. Reporters backstage were told, “I’m from Jersey. My family is from Palermo, Sicily, and I’m not a singer or a model or an actor or anything.” That wasn’t the last we saw of him, either. Calderone also showed up in the promo for the song he performed at the awards show.

Nicki Minaj – Roman Zolanski

We don’t know how Nicki Minaj can possibly keep up with the 19 – that’s right: 19! – different characters she’s created since rising to fame. Debuting on the Pink Friday album, the “gay, paranoid and violent” Roman Zolanski is perhaps her most famous. Though other regular alter egos include the more feminine Harajuku Barbie, the fearless Nicki the Ninja and Roman’s British mom Martha.

Why does Minaj have so many different personalities, then? Well, in 2010 she revealed to New York Magazine that it was a particularly effective coping mechanism as a child – particularly when her mom and dad were arguing. She said, “‘Cookie’ was my first identity – that stayed with me for a while.”

Mariah Carey – Bianca

Jennifer Lopez isn’t the only other pop diva to have incurred the wrath of Mariah Carey over the years. The elusive chanteuse once called out Beyoncé for apparently stealing the concept of Sasha Fierce from her own alter ego the previous decade. You may remember that Carey introduced a similarly fierce character in her video for the 1999 single “Heartbreaker.”

Yes, sporting a darker-haired wig, Bianca was the bad girl who ended up in a catfight with Carey over Jerry O’Connell’s two-timer. And that’s not the only other persona that the multiple chart-topper has adopted during her glittering career. There’s also Mimi – a character which Carey claims to represent her true self.

Garth Brooks – Chris Gaines

Alter egos don’t get much stranger than this. At the turn of the century country music superstar Garth Brooks released a new album that shocked his long-time fans. Not only was the music a lot harder-edged, but the man performing it had a soul patch, eyeliner and a new moniker of Chris Gaines!

Apparently this dramatic makeover was for a film named The Lamb that failed to make it to the production stage. Brooks still fully committed to the character, though – appearing on comedy institution Saturday Night Live with his new emo image. Perhaps wisely, the chart-topper soon returned to his more familiar Nashville-friendly mode. Yet in an unlikely turn of events, Brooks revealed in 2021 that Gaines would be making a comeback.

Adele – Sasha Carter

What do you get when you cross world-conquering superstar Beyoncé with Nashville legend June Carter Cash? Adele’s alter ego, of course! The “Someone Like You” singer revealed to Rolling Stone in 2011 that she amalgamated two of her favorite singers in order to beat stage fright. And a meeting with one of them gave Adele the idea.

Adele explained, “I was about to meet Beyoncé. I had a full-blown panic attack. Then she popped in looking gorgeous and said, ‘You’re amazing! When I listen to you I feel like I’m listening to God.’ I went out on the balcony crying hysterically, and I said, ‘What would Sasha Fierce do?’ That’s when Sasha Carter was born.” According to Cheat Sheet, this character is said to have helped Adele get through the massive global tour she launched in 2016.

Joaquin Phoenix – Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix sparked concerns that he’d lost his mind in 2010 with his now infamous appearance on The David Letterman Show. The actor looked completely disheveled and even more disinterested during his chat with the talk show legend. And he claimed to have launched a new sideline as a rapper also called Joaquin Phoenix.

Of course, it later transpired that this had all been an elaborate hoax. Phoenix had decided to try and pass himself off as a rapper for a mockumentary filmed by pal Casey Affleck. The lackluster reviews for the finished product – I’m Still Here – suggests that the joke didn’t land as well as they’d hoped!

Jennifer Lopez – Lola

From J.Lo and La Lopez to Jenny from the Block, the world-conquering Jennifer Lopez is known by many names. And in 2009 she threw an entirely different character into the hat, too. The singer, dancer and actress released a single with Pitbull – “Fresh Out the Oven” – under the guise of Lola.

Who exactly was this mysterious girl duetting with Mr. Worldwide on the Billboard Dance chart hit, then? Well, a few details were revealed about Lola – she was a gifted mover, for instance. But according to People magazine, her name was the same that the Hustlers star was called by former husband Marc Anthony when they started seeing each other. 

Christina Aguilera – X-Tina

Christina Aguilera had always positioned herself as the racier alternative to her former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Britney Spears. But she took things to new raunchy heights in 2002 with the release of her Stripped album. In fact, Aguilera was almost unrecognizable from the girl who’d scored a number one just three years previously with “Genie in a Bottle.”

There was certainly no confusing the still squeaky clean Spears with the Aguilera who appeared in the video for “Dirrty,” that’s for sure. Her alter ego X-Tina writhed around in a grungy boxing club in a leather outfit which left little to the imagination. “Direct from an intergalactic hooker convention” was how Time magazine described her attention-grabbing look.

Jennifer Lawrence – Gail

Most celebs who adopt alter egos do so to express themselves in a different way or to help combat nerves. Jennifer Lawrence, on the other hand, leans into her other persona almost by accident! In 2018 The Hunger Games star revealed on Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime chat show that you will only ever see the woman dubbed Gail when she’s had a few drinks.

Lawrence admitted, “It’s a very specific drunk, too, it’s not just like every time I’m drunk I turn into this – I don’t always turn into this masculine alter ego who jumps into shark-ridden waters just to make my friends laugh.” The Oscar winner also insisted that Gail had a heart of gold and that rum is more likely to unleash her spirit.

Chrissy Teigen – Chrissy Gogurt

Chrissy Teigen opted for a novel way of promoting her company’s new range of tie-dyed robes in 2021. She debuted a crazy and colorful alter ego named Chrissy Gogurt in a day in the life video. The Cravings brand ambassador described herself as a singer-songwriter, artist and social media influencer and can be seen laying down a track with Teigen’s husband John Legend. Although the soulman doesn’t seem too convinced about Gogurt’s talents.

That’s perhaps not too surprising after you see the clip of Gogurt singing her heart out while in the bathroom. The rather manic character also unboxes some French fries and shows off her cooking skills with some chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs. She finishes the clip with the inspirational words, “Anything you can think of, you can do it.”

Justin Bieber – Shawty Mane

Justin Bieber was only in his mid-teens when he first showcased another side to his personality. The Canadian was still very much in his baby faced pop idol phase at the time. And so his alter ego Shawty Mane allowed him to embrace his love of hip-hop music as a young rapper.

Bieber later laid down a few bars on “Lolly” by Maejor Ali. But the star insisted to XXL magazine in the summer of 2011 that he didn’t have plans to take his MC skills any further. He said, “I just do it for fun... I don’t think people would take me seriously if I came out with, like, a rap album.”

Janet Jackson – Damita Jo

Janet Jackson didn’t have to look too far for inspiration when it came to christening her first alter ego of 2004. The pop superstar simply called her more sexual persona after her middle name: Damita Jo. The youngest member of the Jackson family titled her eighth LP in honor of the character, too.

But Damita Jo wasn’t the only other identity that Jackson adopted during the same-named album’s campaign. The “Just a Little While” singer also introduced a lady named Strawberry to the world. And in an interview with magazine Blender, she described her as the “most sexual of them all, the wildest.”

Courtney Love – Cherry Kookoo

You can always rely on Courtney Love to bring the drama. But the Hole frontwoman outdid herself in the summer of 2008. She claimed her late husband Kurt Cobain’s ashes had been thieved, traveled around Los Angeles in a shopping cart having injured her foot and publicly berated Billy Corgan for failing to attend the Sweet 16 bash staged for her daughter. And Love did all of this in the space of just one month! She later blamed all of this behavior on an alter ego. 

But you had to spend quite some time deciphering what Love was actually going on about. The singer/guitarist first introduced the concept of Cherry Kookoo in a rambling and incoherent post on MySpace. She began by thanking all her fans for their support and for “putting up with my kookoo banana’s alter ego” before settling on another similarly fruitful name.

Madonna – Madame X

Madonna has built her enduring four-decade career on constant reinvention. So, it’s something of a surprise that it took until 2018 for the undisputed Queen of Pop to truly embrace the concept of the alter ego. To promote her 14th album Madame X, she adopted the persona of a globe-trotting secret agent.

Of course, this was no ordinary secret agent. In a teaser clip for the campaign, Madonna in character said, “Madame X is a dancer, a professor, a head of state, a housekeeper, an equestrian, a prisoner, a student, a mother, a child, a teacher, a nun, a singer, a saint, a whore and a spy in the house of love. I am Madame X.”

Will Smith – the Fresh Prince

You could be forgiven for being a little confused as to who Will Smith really was during his early years. The star began his career rapping alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff as the Fresh Prince. He then signed up to front his own TV comedy: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But his character in the show was named Will Smith!

In this case, Will was short for William, though in real life it was short for Willard. The lines between reality and fiction continued to blur when the double threat launched himself as a blockbuster actor in the likes of Independence Day and Men in Black. That’s because he chose to be credited as Will Smith!

A.J. McLean – Johnny No Name

Here’s an alter ego that only diehard Backstreet Boys fans are probably aware of. During a break from his boyband duties at the turn of the century, A.J. McLean debuted a new persona self-described as a “British troublemaker from Nashville.” The singer also sported the kind of white suit associated with pimps. And his moniker? Johnny No Name.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get more bizarre, the character finished each of his gigs by getting arrested. McLean explained to MTV, “Every time he does a solo show he gets off his probation, and then at the end of the show he has to go back to jail. I don’t know what he does, but he’s always in trouble.”