Apr 2, 2025

The 'Hairspray' star is going viral on TikTok right now. By Assistant Editor, General Assignments Currently residing in Chicago, Illinois, Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones. Credit: Walter McBride/WireImage We all have that one high school flex we just refuse to let go of. For some, it’s being the varsity MVP. For Nikki Blonsky, it’s starring as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 remake of Hairspray — and honestly, she’s still riding that wave like it dropped yesterday. Blonsky, who nabbed the iconic lead role at just 18, has gained newfound popularity on TikTok. And thanks to her resurgence on the app, she’s now raking it in on Cameo, recently climbing the ranks as one of the platform’s best sellers . Blonsky’s sudden spike in popularity boils down to two things: First, the cultural nostalgia of Hairspray just hits hard for a lot of people. And second, her Cameo videos have been making the rounds on TikTok — and people are obsessed. Blonsky’s been on Cameo since 2019, originally charging just $20 a pop. But now, throwback clips of her personalized messages are going viral — with fans hyping up everything from her quick turnaround time to the genuine effort she puts into each video. People have shared the wholesome (and sometimes heartbreaking) reasons they booked her, and she seems to take almost any request. We’re talking birthdays, New Year’s greetings, even condolences for a family loss — all set to the songs of Hairspray. Mashable Top Stories Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter Loading...Sign Me Up By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Thanks for signing up! These days, she’s bumped her rate up to $100 per video. And judging by how well it’s going, business is booming. But even with her recent resurgence, there’s a reason the now 36-year-old hasn’t landed any major film or TV roles since Hairspray. Back in 2008, Blonsky and her father were involved in a physical altercation with America’s Next Top Model Season 9 contestant Bianca Golden and her family at an airport in Turks and Caicos — a messy incident that saw a then-19 Blonsky released on bail, according to a People report at the time . Golden claimed the fight was racially motivated , but Blonsky denied those specific allegations when she addressed the situation in 2020. Both Blonsky and Golden have since said they want to move past the incident, but it’s definitely a strange footnote that’s followed Blonsky around ever since Hairspray. And while TikTok fame is notoriously fleeting, it’s kinda heartwarming to see that the legacy of 2007’s Hairspray is still going strong — one Cameo at a time.