Whatever Happened To Nikki Blonsky?

In 2007, 18-year-old Nikki Blonsky made audiences around the world feel the beat when she starred in the musical comedy "Hairspray," playing the happy-go-lucky Tracy Turnblad, a plus-sized high school student living in 1960s Baltimore with aspirations of becoming a dancer on "The Corny Collins Show," a campy regional version of "American Bandstand." The role was a dream come true for Blonsky, who had auditioned for the musical's stage version, but had been turned down for being too young. Fortunately, by the time auditions for the movie came around, she was the perfect age for the part, and her singing and dancing skills helped "Hairspray" become a massive hit at the box office.

Since then, Blonsky has continued to act, carving out a career in film, TV, and on social media. And while she hasn't become the household name that some of her "Hairspray" co-stars are, she remains a very outspoken public figure. Here are just some of the things Nikki Blonsky has been up to since starring in "Hairspray."

Playing Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray" — not to mention starring in a major motion picture — are both major accomplishments that would satisfy most people's bucket lists. But Blonsky also quickly added another star to her resume when she made her New York cabaret debut at Feinstein's at Loews Regency in 2008. The posh New York supper club was founded by multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein, who featured several notable performers, including "Glee" actress Lea Michele, Tony Award-winning singer Betty Buckley, and comedian Jane Krakowski, throughout the 2000s.

Still only 18 years old, Blonsky performed both Broadway songs and tunes from the "Great American Songbook" during her musical set. She also sang more contemporary pop classics, including Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About," Frank Wildhorn's "Big Time," and of course several selections from "Hairspray." Although she seemed very young to headline such a performance, Blonsky was already a seasoned singer, as she told a reporter for The Guardian in 2007, "I grew up singing since the age of three. Vocally trained since the age of eight. Fascinated by Mary Poppins and all those musical movies and really knew that I wanted to be a performer."

Most of Nikki Blonsky's projects directly after "Hairspray" were on TV. She appeared as herself on episodes of the American reality show "Ace of Cakes" and "The Real Housewives of New York City." She also played a conniving Elle magazine assistant in an episode of "Ugly Betty" before scoring a main role on the MTV supernatural television miniseries "Valemont" as Poppy Barker, a student at a college for vampires.

Shortly afterward, Blonsky played Willamena "Will" Rader in "Huge," an ABC teen drama TV series based on a young adult novel series about eight teens sent to a summer weight loss camp. The show tackled sensitive issues like bullying and body shaming. It received positive reviews from critics but was canceled after one season. Following this, Blonsky appeared in episodes of "The Fresh Beat Band" and "Rocco's Dinner Party." In 2013, she was cast in a recurring role for the musical drama television series "Smash" and has appeared in "Life Unfiltered" and "Quarantine."

Speaking out about plus-size women roles in Hollywood, Blonsky stated in a 2002 Yahoo! Life article, "[I] didn't understand why there couldn't be more movies with plus-sized leads ... Why can't a plus girl play the girl next door or the pretty attractive sex symbol? You know, why not?"

It almost seems too perfect to discover that a woman who got famous for appearing in a musical titled "Hairspray" eventually became a professional hairstylist and make-up artist herself. But in 2011, that's exactly what happened, when Nikki Blonsky got her cosmetology license and began working at a salon in New York. On December 11, 2011, she tweeted: "Its true Im workin@ Superstar Salon as a makeup artist & more Im proud 2 b workin @ helpin pay bills BUT ill NEVER loose sight of my dreams."

This willingness to work jobs some might consider less glamorous than acting is nothing new to Blonsky, who had previously worked at both Cold Stone Creamery and a shoe store. Commenting on this new development, a 2011 E! News article wrote, "[C]redit where credit's due: Nikki may be one of the most realistic and respectable actresses in the biz, 'cause when times get tough at least she's not turning to some sleazy reality series or stripping down for cash."

And Blonsky made good on her promise to follow her dreams by continuing to audition for new roles during this time. To this day, she continues to appear in television and film, showing that even when producers aren't knocking down your door, you can still be a regular working actor.

While Nikki Blonsky was poised to be a rising star following her debut in "Hairspray," big movie roles did not immediately start coming her way, and most of her initial follow-up work ended up on television in series such as "Huge" or TV movies like "Queen Sized."

Nevertheless, Blonsky continued to audition for movies and eventually returned to film. In 2010, she appeared in the romance "Waiting for Forever" about two childhood friends trying to reconnect. This was followed by the dramedy "Geography Club" and the romantic comedy "The English Teacher," both in 2013. In 2019, Blonsky took a step away from her familiar romantic comedy genre and took on a role in a horror film, "Ghost in the Graveyard," about a ghost who comes back to haunt the teens who witnessed her death as children.

However, few of Blonsky's later films received the universal acclaim "Hairspray" enjoyed.

In 2013, Nikki Blonsky played the gay character "Therese" in the movie "Geography Club" and told Allison Interviews in 2022 that "I remember feeling so free because that character was so herself ... By me playing her and letting her just be herself and being gay, proud, wearing her goth makeup and her leather jacket and her Doc Martens, she felt so cool."

At the time, Blonsky was not clear on her own sexuality, but felt playing a gay character helped her gain the courage to be herself. She got into a relationship with a woman before coming out in 2020, first on Alec Mapa's Instagram Live during a charity event for the Transgender Law Center, and then in a TikTok video where she sang along to the Diana Ross song "I'm Coming Out" while displaying the caption, "Hi, its Nikki Blonsky from the movie I'm Gay! #pride #imcomingout #hairspray."

Blonsky had supported the LGBTQIA community prior to all this, performing at many Pride and LGBTQ events. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2020, she shared, "The LGBTQIA community has embraced me since the moment I got 'Hairspray.' They welcomed me with open arms and I felt so a part of the community already. For me, it was a long time coming. I was wanting to date women and it just was a moment in my life where I was finally just really ready to be myself."

"Hairspray" allowed Nikki Blonsky to work with a huge lineup of well-known Hollywood names, including Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, and Amanda Bynes. However, one celebrity made a particularly strong impression on Blonsky: Legendary "Grease" star John Travolta who played Blonsky's mom, Edna. In an interview given to Allison Interviews, Blonsky remembers that during the filming of "Hairspray," Travolta told her to, "Always stay true to Nikki. Always be Nikki. Don't change for this industry don't, you know, just do what feels right in your heart."

At the time, Blonsky was amazed that someone as busy as Travolta would continue reaching out to her. But as the years passed, he continued to talk to her every year on birthdays and holidays. Blonsky also reached out to him, making sure he heard from her first when she came out, and recalls how supportive he was.

"It's almost like light just beams out of his heart," she stated. "He lightens up a room. He always finds the good, the positive. He makes everybody feel like when he's talking to you, that you are the only person there. And you feel like the most special person in the world."