Shonda Rhimes Reveals Fame Felt Like Bee Stings

Shonda Rhimes revealed how she overcame fame and stage fright.

Sudden Attack of Fame

We all consider Shonda Rhimes a “mogul” of the TV world, having created shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. But do you know how terrified she was of fame in the beginning?

At a recent event, Shonda revealed that when she started becoming famous, she felt like “a thousand bees were having sex together.”

She said she was a writer, her job was to create stories behind the scenes, not to become a celebrity among the public. When people started recognizing her, it became a huge stress for her, not an excitement.

Winning Against Fear

But Shonda isn’t one to sit around in fear. She decided she would do what she feared most. She started by giving a speech in front of 10,000 people and then went on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

She says that appearing on TV was like a nightmare for her, but after the show ended, she thought, “Hey, it wasn’t that bad!”

Her mantra was simple: “What’s the worst that could happen? I’ll fail. So what?” With that thought in mind, she kept moving forward.

That Special Moment with Oprah

The biggest change in Shonda’s life came when she was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. She moved to Oprah’s house, which was the most intimidating place in the world for her.

But that was the moment Shonda felt completely comfortable for the first time. She said she wasn’t “acting” in that interview, but rather, she was the real Shonda.

Answering questions without any stress was a huge victory for her.

The journey continues

Even today, after 20 years of experience, Shonda admits that fear never completely disappears.

She says this journey is like “two steps forward and one step back.”

Sometimes she’s very confident, and sometimes she’s back to being nervous.

But his story teaches us that it is normal to be afraid, but we should not let that fear come in the way of our dreams.