YouTube Stars Who Haven't Figured Out They Aren't Famous Anymore

YouTube might not have changed that much in terms of aesthetics since it first began hosting videos in 2005, but the days when anyone with a camera and a wacky idea could launch a successful channel are long gone. Within the last few years, wholesale changes have arrived. Alterations to the platform algorithms left some top creators furious in 2016; the infamous YouTube Adpocalypse arrived in 2017; and an overhaul of the monetization rules was introduced in 2018, hitting the smallest creators the hardest. In short, making a name for yourself on YouTube is more difficult now than it's ever been before, and staying on top is just as tricky.

Pop stars don't typically have the longest shelf life. For every Madonna, who's been around for almost four decades, you have about 20 has-beens or never-wases. There are a slew of one-hit wonders in the genre for a reason: It's really hard to maintain a presence, a fanbase, and a high quality of art in a field that's so fickle and trendy.

We've all heard the term "fame is fleeting," but for the celebs on this list, they somehow missed the memo. Of course, there are definitely different echelons in the celebrity hierarchy. For example, Julia Roberts on the red carpet, sporting a full set of borrowed Harry Winston diamonds? Of course. Frankie Grande right behind her wearing a metric ton of glitter and a body paint shirt? Yeah, not so much.

Neil Patrick Harris transitioned from being child prodigy Doogie Houser, M.D. into a Tony-winning, triple threat star of both stage and screen. Mayim Bialik parlayed her lovable starring role as the precocious Blossom Russo into a starring role as an adult on The Big Bang Theory, one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Oh, and did we mention she also earned a real-life PhD in neuro-biology? Sadly, these kind of success stories are exceptions to the rule.

It's not always easy for hip-hop stars to stay on top of the rap game. For starters, there's the always tricky balance of keeping it real versus keeping it so real they end up behind bars for actually living the glorified gangster life featured in so many rap songs. Then there's the simple fact that hip-hop has endured through the years by remaining one of the most rapidly-changing music genres. By the time you're down with the latest Southern trap, there's a slew of Chicago drill mix tapes to contend with.