Netflix series Wellmania starring Australian comedian and actress Celeste Barber is topping the charts, thanks to the star’s hilarious plot and natural acting. While many people might know Celeste as a stand-up comedian, or get to know her via the series, some of her early fans know her backstory of prominence, which is her Instagram journey that bagged her a role in the series.
Who is Celeste Barber?
In 2015, Celeste Barber trended on social media when she started to re-create celebrity outfits hilariously and post it. Her pictures started to catch fire, and soon she was the sensation. After her, many creators started to do the same, and the hashtag #celestechallengeaccepted became viral. In an interview with ABC RN’s Stop Everything!, she said that Instagram was her “way to push out” to express and “show the world” that she is comedic. One of her iconic recreations was of Kim Kardashian, which trended, and meme creators kept spreading it.
Celeste Barber now boasts around 9.5 Instagram followers, earned solely by her. Many celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Taika Waititi also follow her. The 40-year-old artist has a star-studded fandom that includes Kris Jenner, Cindy Crawford, and similar huge icons loving her. Famous TV host celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Kimmel have also interviewed Barber. Remember that she started with Instagram; today, she is one of the most popular Australian artists.
Celeste Barber has come on shows like The Letdown, which aired from 2017 to 2019. She has countless sold-out live comedy shows, three books, a podcast, and stand-up specials. Netflix is releasing one of her specials later in 2023- two Netflix projects in a row.
Also read: Wellmania Review: Pack Your Bags and Go to the Gym
Early Life of Celeste Barber
Celeste Barber grew up in Terranora and claimed to be a loud and active kid, as she was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 16. The artist has opened up about being bullied at school and used TV shows like Friends as her coping mechanism. When she was 17, she left her house and enrolled in the University of Western Sydney, a drama school. After graduation, she performed in production houses located in Sydney.
In 2005, she got a role in All Saints TV show where she played a paramedic, Ms. Bree Matthews. Celeste Barber was close with the late comedian Mark Priestley, and he once told her that she was unaware of how funny she was. However, her struggle to get noticed continued until she planned to post celebrity attire recreations as a joke.
When Barber’s sister Olivia had a conversation about the attires saying that normal people don’t dress up like them, Barber took up the challenge stating that, indeed normal people do follow such outfits. She didn’t literally recreate the pictures but added her unique aura that turned the posts to make the viewers crack a laugh.
Certain people also criticised Barber for her posts that looked rude. In fact, model Emily Ratajkowski blocked Barber for recreating her looks and posting a caption that reads, “We are sick of you objectifying our bodies! Also, here’s my ass.” However, when Barber was asked about it, she simply said that different types of people take things differently.
In the same year when she was accused, she dropped the challenge hashtag, and many people came forward with similar posts. She rose to fame and even appeared in the ABC comedy series How Not to Behave. Since then, she has performed at many live shows and now has a huge role in a Netflix series.
Where is Celeste Barber now?
Celeste Barber is happily married to Api Robin, and she has two sons. She is also the stepmother of two girls. Currently, she and her family are living on the Gold Coast, and she is very busy with her shows, interviews, and a possible other series.
If you haven’t watched Wellmania, it is streaming on Netflix.
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