# What Celebrities have wholly artificial public personas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696 "2006-04-21T22:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/21 "2006-04-21T23:43:42Z")
Ted Casablanca ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/22 "2006-04-21T23:51:29Z")
I’ve heard that when not in public/in front of a camera, 50 Cent is actually a white guy named Preston that is really into golf. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/23 "2006-04-21T23:57:34Z")
I wouldn’t count Weird Al, because he’s just a funny guy who plays goofy in public, but he’s usually pretty serious, if tongue in cheek, during interviews. He’s not playing a role, he’s just being silly. He never denied being intelligent or whatever. He’s a comedian, not a character. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/24 "2006-04-21T23:59:40Z")
Judy Tenuta. The accordian must get heavy after a while. ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/25 "2006-04-22T00:00:29Z")
> [@Vlad/Igor](#): > > Bobcat Goldthwait. I’ve always wondered if he was a lot sharper and spoke with a normal voice. He _does_ speak with a normal voice. I’m pretty sure he even used it in some TV show or movie…I’m thinking an episode of Law & Order or CSI for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/26 "2006-04-22T00:34:10Z")
[Yahoo Serious.](http://www.yahooserious.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/27 "2006-04-22T00:40:01Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Apart from providing the voice of one of the sharks in “Finding Nemo,” I can’t think of anything Barry Humphries has ever done EXCEPT Dame Edna Everage. > > Perhaps some Australians will come along and tell me of other characters he’s played or other bits he’s done. But in America, at least, all he’s known for is Dame Edna. In the film of _Nicholas Nickleby_ from a few years ago–which was rather good, but sank like a stone–he played two roles, one male and one female. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/28 "2006-04-22T00:56:36Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I can’t think of anything Barry Humphries has ever done EXCEPT Dame Edna Everage. His other more famous character is Sir Les Patterson, Cultural Attache to Great Britain - a drooling dribbling big toothed [ugly man](http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20030621/impressions/home.shtml). But Barry Humphries also appears as himself a lot, though not usually comedically. When out of character he doesn’t seem to display much of a sense of humour, he’s normally quite quiet and regular. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/29 "2006-04-22T00:59:40Z")
[Angelyne](http://grimsociety.com/angelyne/angelsit.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/30 "2006-04-22T01:01:46Z")
Is Carrot Top for real? Is it humanly possible to be that annoying all the time? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/31 "2006-04-22T01:06:17Z")
Mr. Rilch was a grip on **Chairman of the Board** , and told me that not only was Carrot Top’s off-camera persona a complete 180 from his stage persona, but that he was actually rather gloomy, and well aware that CotB would be his only starring role. ---
**Author:** ![Stentor\_2.5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@Stentor\_2.5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stentor_2.5)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/32 "2006-04-22T01:14:33Z")
I’ve heard that Carrot Top is well respected among comedians for his work ethic. He tours over three hundred days a year. My guess would be that he’s probably quite funny, it’s just that once you walk out on stage with a prop no one ever takes you seriously again. I also find it telling that most of the people who criticize him have never seen one of his shows. They just know that everybody else knows that he sucks. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/33 "2006-04-22T01:16:10Z")
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (real name: Cassandra Petersen) Larry the Cable Guy (real name: Dan Whitney) Most pro wrestlers don’t stay in character 24/7, and many of them seem like perfectly nice, jolly, funny guys in real life (such as Mick Foley and The Rock, Dwayne Johnson). Then again, you have guys like Triple H, Jeff Jarrett, Steve Austin, and The Ultimate Warrior… ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/34 "2006-04-22T01:43:13Z")
I’ve always thought Paul Giamatti’s voice is fake. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/35 "2006-04-22T01:53:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Buster Poindexter was actually an character created/performed by David Johansen, the former frontman of the punk rock group Television. No no no no. It was the New York Dolls. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/36 "2006-04-22T02:01:49Z")
Andrew Clay Silverstein, aka Andrew “Dice” Clay, manufactured a fairly convincing racist, misogynist loudmouth persona for himself, but unfortunately didn’t seem to know when to turn it off. He made an attempt for the 1995 sitcom _Bless This House_, which had some promise as a blue-collar family comedy, but by then it was too late. That’s the trouble with shock as a schtick. The audience tires of it, and unless you develop something else, you’ve got nowhere to go but lower and lower. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/37 "2006-04-22T02:11:44Z")
**Johnny Carson** was shy to the point of aloofness. **Phyllis Diller** built a four-decade career on a fright wig and a cackle. She started the act when she was a suburban wife and mother trying to earn a few extra bucks. More to the point, we had a local weathercaster here some years ago. He was a jolly good fellow, devoted husband and father who could always be counted on to do his bit for charity and played a passable accordion. Then it was discovered he had been stalking a woman. One night after he had finished the late news, he drove to the airport, took his plane up to 2,000 feet and power-dived into the runway. ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/38 "2006-04-22T02:28:50Z")
Emo Phillips? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/39 "2006-04-22T02:48:18Z")
Foster Brooks rarely drank alcohol. (And Dean Martin usually didn’t drink much either.) Professor Irwin Corey was a complete put-on of course. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696/40 "2006-04-22T03:00:05Z")
Paul Reubens used to never appear as anything other than Pee-Wee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-have-wholly-artificial-public-personas/353696.md?page=3)