Here's What Reality TV Families Looked Like Before They Were Famous

#1 The Kardashians Now

You can't turn on TV or social media these days without hearing about the Kardashians, and we have Ryan Seacrest to thank for that! The talk show host and television producer had an idea for a reality show and approached the 'E' network, who gave it a shot. The series has been the network's flagship show since 2007 and had spawned several spin-offs.

#2 The Kardashians Then

Once upon a time, the Kardashian kids were just normal children of a wealthy attorney, Robert, who was making a name for himself when he was part of the OJ Simpson trial. Here they are from left to right; Kim, Rob, Papa Robert, Kourtney, and Khloe. This is way before little miss Kim had sex with Ray J. and leaked her own sex tape, making her a household name.

#3 The Kardashians Before Now

Kris Kardashian divorced her husband, Robert, in 1978 and married athlete Bruce Jenner the same year. She soon became the manager for the family and took to overseeing the family business and finances. She knew back then that they were going to be going places, but wasn't sure where until presented with the opportunity to help create the reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which was supposed to feature Kim, and her two sisters only, but veered off as the rest of the family became wildly popular.

#4 Caitlyn Jenner Now

Of course, you can't talk about the Kardashians without mentioning the head of the Jenners, Caitlyn. You likely already know her story, since her transition was world news. But just in case you've been living under a rock for a few years, here's the scoop.. Bruce began transitioning from male to female while filming the Kardashian series, and rumors began to fly. Shortly after he announced that he was completely changing genders, he and Kris got a divorce, which made for great ratings and story lines for the slow sinking series.

#5 Bruce Jenner Then

Here's Caitlyn Jenner when she was Bruce. At this time, Jenner was famous for an entirely different reason: His Olympic career. He earned two Olympic gold medals for the decathlon. However, it wasn't until he began showing up on stepdaughter Kims show that he became a famous television star in his own right. Viewers began to tune in weekly to watch his marriage to the miserable and demanding Kris crumble around the couple. When they divorced and he began his transition to female, the network gave the gender bender her own series, I Am Cait.

#6 The Osbournes Now

They basically are responsible for reviving the failing MTV after viewers quit watching the network in droves. After their wildly popular reality TV show, which aired from 2002 to 2005, select members of the Osbourne family have gone on to great success. Kelly Osbourne found her place in TV fashion commentary, Jack is directing and producing his own projects, and Sharon has hosted her own talk show and also co-hosted America's Got Talent and the gabfest, The Talk. Ozzy is still delirious and recently disappeared for several days prompting Sharon to issue an APB on the Black Sabbath rocker.

#7 The Osbournes Then

Don't let this beautiful old family portrait fool you, beneath this is a wild, uncouth, and foul-mouthed family. From left to right you have Papa Ozzy, Jack, Aimee, Mama Sharon, and Kelly. By the matching denim, you can tell this is a vintage picture. It was taken in 1987. This was way before Ozzy went back to his rocker look and Sharon had tons of plastic surgery, and Kelly dyed her hair pink and purple. Many fans are unaware that Sharon is actually Ozzy's manager, and she insisted that they be "normal" while at home. For their TV series, they were certainly a little less than normal by any account.

#8 The Duggars Now

The Duggars are famous for having a big family. Their TLC reality show started out as "17 Kids And Counting," and, because the couple doesn't use contraceptives, the show ended as "19 Kids and Counting." The family, whose enormous, homeschooled, right-wing Christian clan was the subject of the TLC reality show, made a name for themselves just for having tons of children and using them to help promote their own agenda. Rocked by morality scandals and a lawsuit against son Josh, the Christian values family got the boot by TLC and was taken off the air. However, the network was so dependent on the series success that it is bringing it back without Josh.

#9 The Duggars Then

Here's a vintage picture of the Duggars. This was taken in 1988 shortly after their oldest child, Josh Duggar, was born. The family wouldn't remain this small for long, as the devout Baptists had 19 children between 1988 and 2009, and six grandchildren by 2015.

#10 The Simmons Now

Onstage, the KISS frontman Gene Simmons may be a study in hedonism and excess. Offstage, he's married, finally, but happily? Married to his longtime partner, former Playboy centerfold Shannon Tweed. Their kids, Nick, and Sophie are surprisingly charming, well-behaved teenagers dealing with the trials and tribulations of adolescence, even though Mom and Dad are like no one else's parents. Gene and Shannon have been together for over twenty-three years and have made the most unconventional of partnerships work.

#11 The Simmons Then

A lot has changed in the last 10 years. When the show started in 2006 on the A&E Network, Nick was 17 and Sophie was only 13 years old. While their parents were already famous when the show started, the world didn't get to know Nick or Sophie until it aired. In August 2012, A&E announced the seventh season would be the last, and Simmons added that he would not shop the series to other networks and, instead, will focus on the Kiss tour and other business commitments. Police investigated the Simmons home in 2015 after they had complaints to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, though nothing else came from the issue.

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