When Charli D’Amelio started posting dance videos to TikTok in 2019, the now 18-year-old could never have imagined it would lead to a clothing line with her older sister Dixie, countless brand deals and a family reality show. Despite the stigma that often accompanies the TikTok famous who attempt to transition to Hollywood, the D’Amelios have prevailed, as Dixie’s blossoming music career and Charli’s casting in filmmaker F. Javier Gutiérrez’s upcoming horror film attest.
Season 2 of Hulu‘s reality series “The D’Amelio Show,” premiering Sept. 28, zeroes in on the family’s adjustment to celebrity — particularly as Charli realizes she may want to try her hand at music. Though she fears stepping on the toes of Dixie — who released her debut album in June and toured with Big Time Rush — Charli also wants to follow her heart after struggling to find her place outside of TikTok. While it was a difficult period for Charli, she believes it was critical to include those hard conversations on the show.
“We’ve done our best to try to stay true to ourselves and be open and honest, and I think it’s important to show people and not cut out all of the not-so-perfect parts of our lives,” Charli tells PvNew. “That’s the whole point of having a show like this, to share those moments.”
Dixie agrees, saying that though she doesn’t want to “bring up old stuff” by discussing the situation too in-depth, the sisters remain roommates (they moved out of the family home together during filming). As for her music career, the younger D’Amelio says it’s “still TBD, but I feel like I’m going to have to figure out what I’m doing pretty soon.”
Though the sisters have been afforded great opportunity as TikTok sensations, the transition to full-blown celebs hasn’t been easy — as viewers saw during the first season of “The D’Amelio Show,” which focused heavily on negative mental health effects that come with having millions of online fans (147.3 million for Charli and 57.5 million for Dixie, to be exact) watching your every move. Though that included some real-life breakdowns being broadcast for all to see, Dixie says sharing those intimate moments has been worth it.
“After the first season of this show and talking about our mental health, I had so many people coming up to me saying, ‘Thank you so much for showing that,’ because it’s not always represented,” Dixie says. “It’s something I still deal with everyday. I’m going through these feelings and emotions, and I would be lying if I didn’t share those parts. So I definitely show how I try to work on myself and get through those things, but I just really think it’s cool to look back and think, ‘Wow, I’ve come so far.’ Because even though it’s like a show and somewhat for entertainment, it’s still my life and my real emotions and that’s how I’m watching myself grow up.”
Charli has noticed major personal growth as well between the first and second seasons, going from being unsure of where she wanted to take her career to freely exploring all of her interests in dance, acting and music.
“I feel like I’ve grown into my own in a lot of ways. I’m very proud of myself for that,” Charli says. “And I think everything happened for a reason, you know? I’ve learned so much throughout all of these experiences.”
Parents Heidi and Marc are also featured on the show and play a big part in helping their daughters navigate newfound fame. “It’s a fine line,” Heidi says. “I want them to be happy, and I think you have to do things to know if you like them or not. But I always want them to be respectful of each other in the pursuit of those things.”
Heidi has some pursuits of her own, fulfilling a lifelong dream this month by competing on “Dancing With the Stars” alongside Charli. “I turned 50 this year and I’m pushing myself to go outside of my comfort zone, and this is about as out there as I can get,” she says. “It’s so cool that we get to do it together.”
Though some will inevitably try to pit the two sisters against each other, especially if Charli decides to pursue music, the D’Amelios feel confident that their ironclad family unit cements them as an unstoppable force — both on the internet and as they enter the industry.
“We’re very lucky to have such a close-knit family and I’m very lucky to have Charli,” Dixie says. “I call her at the end of the day and tell her everything that happened.”
Adds Charli, “We’re not professionals; we didn’t grow up in this world. It’s definitely something that we’re figuring out day by day. But knowing that we have each other is something that helps us a lot.”
The first two episodes of “The D’Amelio Show” Season 2 are now available to stream on Hulu.
