The case of Bobbi Althoff encapsulates how fickle internet fame can be

What even is an industry plant?

Let’s start with the obvious. That someone with a relatively low-profile status online could end up in Drake’s bed sipping cocktails for their fourth podcast episode seemed a little fishy to most.

For that reason, it didn’t take long for rumours to swirl that Bobbi was an industry plant, or rather someone who ‘presents themselves as being independent and doing things on their own terms, but secretly has the industry backing and money to fund them and to artificially shape such a narrative.’

In recent weeks, an always-real Keke Palmer addressed the rumours surrounding Bobbi to her face on her own podcast. ‘You’re not an industry plant, right?’ asked Keke.

Bobbi said she doesn’t even really understand the meaning of the term, but that she’s never had any ties to the industry – unless her father doing repairs on Snoop Dogg’s house years ago counts.

On multiple occasions, Bobbi has made a point of noting that The Really Good Podcast was entirely self-funded from the start, until the episode with Drake garnered global attention causing WME to express interest.

But speculations were fuelled further when fans realised Drake and Bobbi had unfollowed each other on social media and that all evidence of their episode together was removed from The Really Good Podcast’s profiles.

Some guessed that Bobbi’s team pulled the episode once they realised they would be unable to monetise it. They point to Drake playing ‘Rack City’ by Tyga on his phone during the interview, causing a copyright conflict, which (if true) was a massive oversight in post-production.

Others believe it was what took place after they met. Drake followed through on his promise to invite Bobbi to one of his concerts, offering her a general admission ticket. Bobbi then posted a series of TikToks, being sure to let her audience know she was unhappy about receiving the ‘regular’ fan treatment.

Whether posting in-character or not, it’s possible that this level of entitlement left a sour taste in audiences’ mouth. It certainly did for Drake and his team, who requested the TikToks from the show be taken down.

Ironically, Bobbi’s entitled online persona appears to be the opposite of who she is in real-life. In interviews, she says her character is an exaggerated, self-assured version of herself, saying that she is ‘very insecure’ and only concerned with providing a good life for her children.

If this is the goal, why create a character who is, at times, hard to watch and – according to some viewers – even rude?

I understand why her husband divorced her now https://t.co/DY5M4hsyQM

— ryan (@scubaryan_) February 19, 2024

Possible sources of inspiration

As the prolificity of Bobby’s guests grew, so did her online reach. Clips from the Drake interview landed on the feeds of UK viewers who quickly noticed various similarities to their national favourite – Amelia Dimoldenberg.

Amelia’s YouTube series Chicken Shop Date has been running since 2014 and sees her interviewing celebrities inside the many chicken and chip shops dotted across London. It initially began with UK stars but has since featured many from around the world.

Dimoldenberg’s style of interviewing is as ‘refreshingly awkward’ as her profile’s bio suggests, skipping over PR-like questions and getting straight to the core of who celebrities are by leading the conversation in a way that is charming and witty enough to escape appearing as rude or making guests uncomfortable.

bobbi podcast is ripoff american chicken shop date

— maya (@diwhor3) August 18, 2023

Amassing over 2.24 million followers over the course of a decade, Dimoldenberg has made it widely-known that her dream Chicken Shop Date guest is (you guessed it) Drake. She’s even hinted that the rapper’s appearance would stand as the final episode of the series.

It’s a clever tactic (I mean, what do you shoot for once you’ve interviewed one of the world’s most famous people?), giving audiences something to look forward to while also signalling an heir of humility and relatability to Dimoldenberg’s on-screen character.

So when The Really Good Podcast was branded ‘America’s answer to Amelia Dimoldenberg,’ not everyone was happy about the comparison.

How the tables turn

All this brewing scepticism around Bobbi’s rapidly growing platform, access to ultra-famous stars, and the been-there-seen-that content style hasn’t entirely benefitted her brand.

Though initially heralded for getting Drake onto her podcast in such an informal matter, some appear to be calling for an end the ‘stand-offish’ and ‘awkward’ celebrity interview format.

The Really Good Podcast’s emergence saw journalists declare that our appetite for ‘rude interviewers’ is satiated, arguing that the only reason the format worked in the first place is because it was deployed by unthreatening white women.

‘Dimoldenberg did it best, now it’s dead. Not just because it’s becoming disrespectful and dated, but because like most things, it didn’t need an American version,’ the article concludes.

Bobbi Althoff interviews don’t hit the same anymore

— ced (@Freebandz1017) February 20, 2024

Is this what made large swathes of the internet change their opinion on Bobbi just as quickly as their interest had shot her to virality? It’s hard to say.

Quickly acquired internet fame is hard enough to sustain as it is, but it also needs a trajectory worth following. Essentially starting out with one of the most sought-after podcasts guests in the world may have been a bad move in hindsight.

Shaping a podcast around a character who is somewhat unlikeable might also be losing its novelty, too. In an online world where originality is king, it’s possible that Bobbi will need to work on her character arc if she wants to survive in the future.

But her journey into the spotlight is an interesting example of how fickle audiences can be – and how overnight internet fame isn’t always as peachy as we like to think it is.