Chanel West Coast on Leaving ‘Ridiculousness’ After 30 Seasons to Create Her Own Work: I’m Not ‘Just the Girl That Laughs on a Couch’

MTV

For years, Chanel West Coast has wanted her own show. While some know her for her contagious, unique laugh heard in 38 episodes of “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory,” followed by more than 700(!) episodes of MTV’s “Ridiculousness,” she’s much more than that — and ready to prove it.

“A common comment I would see is, ‘You’re just the girl that laughs on a couch.’ They have no idea how hard I work outside of ‘Ridiculousness,’” West Coast, 35, tells Variety. Not only did she welcome a daughter, Bowie Breeze, in 2022, but she’s also a recording artist, as music is her true passion. “I’ve done two cross-country tours. I’ve opened for so many big artists, like Lil’ Wayne and Cardi B. I’ve done a lot of amazing things in my independent music career, and a lot of people don’t know because it’s been a little bit overshadowed by ‘Ridiculousness.’ I can’t wait for people to see that. I work super hard and handle most of it myself.”

Following the news that she was leaving “Ridiculousness,” she announced her overall deal with Paramount, which included a new reality show. “The West Coast Hustle” debuts with two back-to-back episodes on MTV on July 18, chronicling her life as a mother, a girlfriend, a swimwear designer and an independent recording artist.

“I’ve been trying to get my own show for years. I made a million trailers and nothing was really biting. I took a break from trying and matured a little bit,” the TV personality, whose real name is Chelsea Chanel Dudley, says. She wasn’t sure she was ready to fully let the cameras in as it seemed “a little invasive.”

But when MTV approached her with this idea, at the right time, she saw all the advantages. The platform, for both her, her model boyfriend Dom Fenison and their daughter, was the reason she said yes.

“I grew up in LA. There’s a lot of nepo babies out here, and I realized this could be the thing that changes my daughter’s life,” she explains. “I did have hesitations, but I knew that there would be so many greater things that come out of this.”

But leaving “Ridiculousness,” the comedy clip show that debuted in 2011 under host Rob Dyrdek, wasn’t an easy task. “There were lots of tears and emotions and a lot to mentally go through,” she says of the decision. But when she welcomed her daughter, she knew now was time to walk away: “It would have been almost impossible to stay doing ‘Ridiculousness,’ be a mom and have my music career — and at the end of the day, music is my passion, and that’s what I really want to take to the next level.”

Letting the cameras capture all elements of her life has had its challenges. For example, she struggled to watch certain parts back because of her weight. After welcoming her daughter, she underwent liposuction but she still wasn’t where she wanted to be when filming began.

“Being super transparent, the toughest thing for me to watch back was just not being my best looking self. On top of having a baby, I had extra bloating from lipo. I was 40-50 pounds overweight still. I’ve lost all that weight now,” she says. “I wish I was a little skinnier before I filmed the season, but I am glad that people will see and get to relate to that… I went from being on a show where I sit still and get to look perfect.”

West Coast was also used to always being in full glam while in front of the camera. At first, she was worried about that not being the case on her reality show.

“I’m like, do I want to let the world see me on camera with no makeup? I don’t want it to hurt my career. Maybe I’ll never get an acting job or something if they see me looking like this,” she says. “But I realized, at the end of the day, I’ve gotta be who I am… So, you see my workout sessions with no makeup. I was in the pool with my baby in no makeup. I’m hungover, no makeup. It was rough!”

This is the first time she’s been able to fully be hands-on with every aspect of the project, controlling what was and wasn’t shown. Nothing was off-limits when it came to letting the cameras in, but the fact that she was part of every conversation was a big and necessary change.

Although she had been on 30 seasons of “Ridiculousness,” she never became an executive producer.

“I wish I could have. I am such a creative, and I have so many ideas, but that is Rob’s show. That’s his baby,” she says. “When something is somebody’s thing, I’m not gonna go pop my head in. I’m so grateful for being on that show, the journey and where it’s led me to, but I never would want to be that type of person that’s trying to take over somebody else’s thing.”

Watch an exclusive sneak peek of “The West Coast Hustle” below.