Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield were chopping it up last year during an episode of their wildly popular podcast Cancelled when Mongeau was asked by her co-host to name what her first order of business would be if she were married to Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest men. In classic Mongeau fashion, she wasted not a second in spitting out some NSFW activities (sorry, Lauren Sanchez) before revealing what she’d really do: Order an “unlimited lifetime supply” of Medicube masks.
Mongeau really loves the PDRN pink collagen gel masks but what she didn’t adore is what happened in the weeks that followed. People clipped her viral moment and posted it on TikTok with their own affiliate links so if buyers trusted Mongeau’s endorsement enough to add it to their carts, those who posted it would be the only ones rolling in the dough. Months later — after Cancelled aired its final episode and Mongeau and Schofield went their separate ways (confirming they didn’t see eye-to-eye on business matters) — Mongeau took matters into her own hands, by promoting Medicube’s masks on TikTok with an enthusiastic and characteristically genuine tangent.
“I stand on everything I said,” Mongeau said in peak advertorial flow to her nine million followers in the February clip, which as of press time has been viewed north of 23 million times. That’s a few million shy of the ratings for Netflix’s blockbuster Bridgerton that month.
“Did I do it right?????” Mongeau asked in the caption. The answer: She nailed it. Then again, when it comes to the internet, Mongeau always gets it right — even if, at some moments in the past, it felt kind of wrong. The 27-year-old rose to fame more than a decade ago as one of YouTube‘s most reliably unfiltered loudmouths. If there was a beef on social media, Mongeau had a mind to share her opinion. If she saw one of your fave influencers going wild, Mongeau could be counted on to spill the dirty details. And if it was her? Easy. She’d give the minute-by-minute. Or let it be filmed for MTV No Filter: Tana Mongeau, which documented her “chaotic” life and quickie marriage to Jake Paul.
Brands — being risk averse by nature — may not exactly have been pounding on her door for more. But fans were. As the years flew by and audiences migrated from one platform to the next, Mongeau has proven time and again that she’s more than just a yapper. Leaning on her online clout (5.5 million on YouTube, 5.5 million on Instagram, 2.1 million on Snapchat, 2.4 million on X, and 9 million on TikTok), Mongeau built an influencer marketing agency called Unruly, transitioned seamlessly to podcasts (Cancelled, Not Loveline), bared her body on OnlyFans, and tested her charisma on stage via live tours. Her catchphrase may be “not bad for a 5 with no talent,” but as it turns out Mongeau has plenty.
“She’s unfiltered, self-deprecating and doesn’t take herself too seriously,” says Chelsea Handler, who encountered Mongeau on a flight out of Las Vegas and has become a friend. (“She is everything to me,” Mongeau says.) “These are important qualities for someone in the public eye. It’s refreshing,” adds Handler. “And she’s fun. That’s pretty important too. She’s fun and funny.”
But a new side of Mongeau has emerged over the last year. She gave up alcohol and credits sobriety for a new lease on life, a deeper appreciation for her opportunities (and brand deals) and a closer bond with her boyfriend, Makoa. (Technically, she identifies as “California sober,” meaning she still partakes in weed.) The new Tana Mongeau arrived just in time for the launch of her most anticipated project yet, a solo video podcast called Brand Safe that will document her new era as an in-demand brand partner and (slightly) more serious business woman.
Expect less personal drama and more Medicube, but still riveting story times. “I want to be a person that I’m proud of at all times. I want to be responsible, I want to be respected, all of these things that I just wasn’t doing for so long or prioritizing in my life,” Mongeau told The Hollywood Reporter during an hourlong sit down in early April. “I really want to become a different person in a lot of ways.”
She’s well on her way. Below, Mongeau opens up on ditching alcohol and OnlyFans, auditioning for Euphoria, dreaming of a Las Vegas residency, possibly launching a consumer brand in the very near future and (shockingly) spending less time on her phone: “The time spent conspiring and talking about all of these negative things and the consumerism and the endless void of needing some new product to be happy, like I’m definitely recognizing the damages of overconsuming social media, comparing yourself to others and all of these things, which I never, ever, ever thought I would say.”
Let’s start with Justin Bieber. You posted a story on TikTok, which was viewed 5 million times, about going to his private concert and after party. You shared your experience but did not reveal any gossip or salacious details. How does that night reflect this moment in your life?
I used to justify a lot of my behavior by saying, “Well, it’s the truth. I’m just telling the truth.” I had a moment the other day where I was, like, “Just because it’s the truth does not mean that you had to say it.” There’s something beautiful about holding back a little and using discretion. Not everything needs to make it to the mainframe. It’s remarkable how I’m noticing the difference in my day to day life. People I’ve known for years are taking me seriously for the first time, and inviting me to events. I’m not a liability in certain rooms. I’m still opinionated and still myself; I like to say what’s on my mind if I feel really passionately about something. But at the same time, not every detail needs to be shared.
When you’re at a party or event like that, do you find yourself telling people about your new era so they won’t have to worry about you?
It’s very weird because I almost feel that, universally, people see it and are treating me in a way that they know that our interaction isn’t going to be all over my social media tomorrow. With sobriety, I find myself in situations where so many people I’ve known for so long are telling me how proud they are of me and that this is what they’ve wanted for me for so long. I’m waking up every day asking myself, “How the hell are we doing this today?” It’s something new and almost like a dream. I had to remind myself that, no, you can wake up one day and change no matter how long you were wild or crazy drunk. You can decide to enter a new reality. It might take some time for people to believe you or trust you but I want to show the girlies that you can change how you’re perceived. It’s never too late.
What was it like to wake up before?
Oh my goodness, just chaotic. For years I was waking up in a circus and I was just rolling with the punches. Part of me enjoyed that, or at least I told myself that I did. When you’re born on a rollercoaster, my homeostasis was being on that rollercoaster. If things weren’t chaotic or lively at all times, I couldn’t stand it. I hated the quiet. It would eat me alive. Obviously, it took a lot of inner work for me to realize that peace is not boring. I can’t believe that I used to thrive on a rollercoaster.
What was your rock bottom?
I had been going on short, sober journeys for about a year. The first time I ever decided to go on a sober journey, I was on a plane back from Miami. I’d missed my flight so when I finally got on, I was in a random middle seat and withdrawing from all the things I had taken that weekend. I was dripping in sweat. My heart was palpitating out of my chest. I told myself, “You’re going to die if you keep living like this.” My biggest battle with getting sober was that I couldn’t stomach the fact that I might be one of those people that could never be moderate. I wanted to fight the beast that is moderation and win. I eventually got to the point where I realized that that might just not genetically be in my cards, at least at this time in my life. After a couple years of on-and-off sobriety, I had my last moment. I met the love of my life and realized I wanted to be the best partner in the world for him. I wanted to remember our relationship.
How did he help?
I was in a constant cycle of repeating the same behavior. I was on tour and drunk every night, waking up with hangovers and heart palpitations. My boyfriend, Makoa, was in Bali and I missed him. I could feel his disappointment through the phone. I had a moment looking in the mirror that radicalized me. I said to myself, “You’re going to lose everything you love if you keep abusing substances. You’re living your dream and you can’t function in it. You need to wake up and be present or you will regret it for the rest of your life.” Getting sober was the greatest decision I’ve ever made. I urge any and all young girls, gays and theys out there that if you’re feeling the same way, it’s nice to live your life with clarity and less regret.
Did you seek help or go to rehab?
I probably should have been a rehab girly and it would have sped up the process. But I’ve always kind of done things on my own. The withdrawals were hell. I was withdrawing from alcohol, sweating out tequila on stage in front of thousands of people on tour or on the tour bus while contemplating my whole life. Looking back now, I’m, like, girl, just go to rehab. The tools are really helpful. I don’t know why I decided to do it myself but I’m grateful to God that I did. After that, it became a lot of therapy and reading, talking to mentors and sober people I look up to. My best friend, Trevi Moran, was a huge one. She’s been sober for like five years. She and I have a very poetic friendship because I saw her through getting sober and then she ended up kind of using all of those things to help me later down the line. It was beautiful.
How did the shuttering of the Cancelled podcast align with this new season of your life?
The most beautiful thing about Cancelled is that it all was such a natural evolution for both Brooke and I. When we started it, all of the crazy stuff we did is exactly what we wanted to be doing. We were having so much fun and we welcomed the chaos. Then we both found love and I found sobriety and Brooke found peach and privacy. The way it ended aligned so perfectly. This is where I believe in the universe. I really do. I believe that that’s why I’m able to now look back at it as this, like, beautiful scrapbook from chaos to closure.
What’s the vision for Brand Safe?
Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. First of all, I have to credit the name to my incredible fans. When I launched my first Tarte lip kit, all of the comments literally manifested this moment by saying, “She is so brand safe now.” I would meet people on the street and they would say, “You’re so brand safe, girl.” It just stuck. They keep saying it to this day any time I post a branded integration. There’s something to be said for manifestation. On Brand Safe, I will be having conversations that could be silly or how I’m feeling that week or what my interests are. It could be a mental health professional, my makeup artist or Chelsea Handler so I can ask her all the questions I would ask on FaceTime. I’m equating Brand Safe to letting my fans into my phone so they can see my notes app, my camera roll or my deepest, darkest secrets so I can share what I’ve learned in relationships and reflecting on the past. I will be shooting it in Hawaii, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, all the places I go and where my life has taken me. I want the Brand Safe era to be inspiring to the girls that they can make their life whatever they want and own all of their other eras and hold hands with all of their other eras to get them to their brand safe era.
How would you describe Tana Mongeau through every era?
I started off desperate. YouTube was the only thing I’d ever found in my life that I was passionate about and it was the first thing that saved my life. Suddenly, there were all of these people on the other side of the screen who made me feel seen and heard and not alone and not crazy. Next came independent Tana. My 18th birthday was the greatest day of my life because I was freed from my parents and the shackles of my family, and I moved to L.A. Next came the Tana “wild child” era, the girl who couldn’t be told no about anything. A lot of people in my life at that time were pseudo parents because I clearly needed so much help. I was a banshee. That snowballed into the cocky narcissistic Tana who fake married Jake Paul and lived in a six story mansion, just partying all the time with a show on MTV and all these monstrosities that were occurring at the time. Bless her heart, that girl.
After that is when all the alcohol, drugs and dating choices really caused chaos for whirlwind Tana who was numbing out. She was so, so lost, doing whatever she wanted. That was kind of the beginning of Cancelled, and the L.A. party scene was as crazy as ever. I was just engulfed and felt like a little baby Lindsay Lohan. I would jump on the podcast and talk about everything that was happening. There was a lot of success in that but when you’re in a low place mentally and vibrating at such a low frequency, you find camaraderie with all these other crazy girls around the world who resonate with what you’re saying.
That era came to a close when I met the love of my life and woke up one day and felt my frontal lobe switch on. I remember the moment so vividly. I sat up in bed and said, “Oh my God, I’m 25 and I’ll be 30 in five years. If I keep living like this, waking up hungover, hating my life and decisions, that won’t be good for my future.” I wanted to break generational curses and become someone I’m proud of all the time. That led us here, to Brand Safe.
Cancelled consistently charted very high. After leaving such a lucrative podcast, what are your hopes for Brand Safe?
When I consider this Brand Safe era, I’m not envisioning charts, numbers, subscribers or views. I spent a good chunk of my career doing that and I used to define my self-worth based on those things. I was willing to self-harm almost in exchange for views. That’s such a scary rabbit hole to go down. Life has so much more to offer me now. I also know how the media works. When you’re saying crazy, salacious things, the numbers might be higher but you’re having a panic attack when you wake up and look at your phone. I’m so grateful my fans care and make me feel like they care about all the non-salacious things I say. Cancelled Tana is not dead; she’s just smaller and more dormant now. There are certain situations that call for a loud, OG Tana-style rant or tangent because that’s just who I am. This era is about discretion in knowing when to let Cancelled Tana on the mic.
What’s the hottest take you have right now?
I’m obsessed with touching grass. I’m obsessed with locking my phone and touching grass. I still have days where I use my phone for my business and my work, but I will find myself not scrolling for a full 18 hours because I open TikTok a lot now or I open other platforms and everything is a conspiracy theory. Selena Gomez is not a clone, okay? Jim Carrey is not a clone. And even if they were, we will never know. The time spent conspiring and talking about all of these negative things and the consumerism and the endless void of needing some new product to be happy, like I’m definitely recognizing the damages of overconsuming social media, comparing yourself to others and all of these things, which I never, ever, ever thought I would say.
While you say that you’re not paying attention to views or charts amid the brand safe era, but you’re authenticity is connecting anyway. The Medicube post had 23 million views the last time I checked. May I ask how much money you made from that?
Oh my goodness. Well, here’s what I will say: I was on YouTube for 10 years begging brands to work with me and trying to convince them why an influencer was just as valuable as a Facebook ad or a TV commercial. We have finally gotten to this place in the realm where brands understand the direct to consumer influencer. Medicube and Jack in the Box are great examples because they hit me up, like, “Hey, we know you love our stuff, girl. Say whatever you want.” Six years ago, Tana couldn’t get the deal and if she did, she received a 10-page script that controlled how she breathed. Now, to be in this place where brands trust me tenfold to be myself is amazing. That’s where the conversion comes from. I’m not buying something from someone unless they are authentically talking about why the love it versus reading off 10 talking points. You can see their eyes move when they’re reading.
The brand safe era is more lucrative than any other era I’ve been a part of. I have seen some checks in these past few months that you would have to get Tana in front of the dirty door and shock her chest to wake her up to believe it. I see why people were shutting up for so long. But at the same time, I’m not taking deals just to be greedy. Point blank period. There are so many brands coming to me at this time with opportunities for things that I use, things I love. I’m so excited to work with them because I hope I’m paying back their ROI because I’m genuinely converting the product.
Can you give me an indication of just how many people are knocking at the door, how many offers are waiting for you to take a closer look at right now?
Comparatively speaking, this is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. My manager, Brittny Turner, she is a powerhouse. She is five people in one and my biggest inspiration every single day. She’s calling every day with a new opportunity, even if it’s not necessarily a branded integration. It’s speaking at a college or it’s a live show or it’s just all of these things that I never thought I would get to do like hosting Miami Swim Week. I feel like my team has expanded to 12, almost 15 people if you count glam.
You are here with your publicist [Icon PR’s Gary Easton]. Working with a publicist is new for you?
I met Gary at the American Music Awards when I was walking the red carpet with my boyfriend like all the other influencers and celebrities there. Normally, I would just get escorted into the event by a publicist but I never had one because I was a publicist’s nightmare. No publicist could have saved me even if they wanted to work with me, which they did not. I was not willing to listen nor was I ever thinking about the future or how my behavior was affecting my business. I was a nightmare. Gary and I went to the same high school and both grew up in Las Vegas. He helped me that night we caught a vibe. I’ll never want a PR person who’s going to tell me what to say and do. I want someone who believes in me and my vision, but is there to have my back and guide me in the right direction or give me a second opinion. This is the first time in my life that I, Tana Mongeau, have a publicist and it’s amazing.
Is OnlyFans part of this new era?
I quit. I woke up one day and I had a shoot. When I got there, I felt like it was not me anymore. I still have fun posting bikini pics on Instagram now and again. I’m not sitting here telling the world that I will be in a turtleneck forever but, yeah, I’m not going to be a crazy girl behind a paywall anymore. I had so much fun doing it. I never want to glamorize it — this is just my personal experience — but I had fun and had a very fun time with my girls at Unruly. But I’m done. It’s no longer me. It was the puzzle piece that didn’t fit in this era anymore. I was taking meetings about opportunities and lining up shoots and I just said to myself, “This is me wearing a skin suit of Tana who no longer exists.”
For a long time, OnlyFans was so great because men were sexualizing me no matter what, especially due to a lot of my actions, and I wasn’t going to get anything brand safe. So it fueled a part of my business and I had fun being that person because that’s who I was at the time. Now I’m transferring that energy to other parts of my business, whether it’s podcasting or brand integrations, and I’ve been having conversations about different Ips. I don’t want to hop into anything unless it’s perfectly authentically me. I’m in the baseline stages of deciding whether or not I want to launch a brand.
What type of brand speaks to you most?
I’ve been really obsessed with makeup. These are just very early conversations and meetings but I had so much fun doing the Tarte product. Creating that and seeing how my girls all over the world rallied for me. At least once a month, I’m in public and a girl will come up to me with my lip kit stuck to her phone. That has ignited a fire in me to do something as authentic as that was. Also, I’m writing a book. I’m also never going to stop touring. I have an itch for the road. I’m very satisfied with all of those buckets of my business and I will only be bringing in new buckets if there’s something that really speaks to me.
Let’s talk about the bucket that is Hollywood. I imagine you’ve had offers over the years to more here. Would you do another show? A series? A movie? What appeals to you?
Of course. I’ve had a few things almost happen recently. Trisha and I were debating doing something in traditional television and we decided to wait for the right thing. I’ve done a few auditions here and there. I auditioned for Euphoria. I really wanted it but I don’t think my acting is great enough yet. It was a really cool role and I was so bummed that I didn’t get it, but I also understand because my acting chops are not up to par. The role was like a story-timey TikTok influencer girl. I found out about the audition 48 hours before. I hired an acting coach and we got to work and we did the audition and it was giving 48 hours before. I did my best but in that moment as I was auditioning, I was like, “Oh my gosh, I would so do something like this if I could dedicate my time to becoming good at this craft.”
You and Trisha are also heading to Las Vegas for a show. What can fans expect from that?
First of all, once again, hats off to the Trisha Paytas manifestation skill pack, right? She and I were continuously manifesting a Vegas residency. I’m from Las Vegas. She loves Las Vegas. There’s something so camp and extraordinary about that city. Now that I’ve healed, the love I have for Las Vegas is undeniable. The Cosmopolitan came back to us and that venue means so much to me. It’s where Chelsea Handler has her residency and she is everything to me. Her show is incredible. Trisha and I are doing a one night only special and we want to bring in all elements of Las Vegas, like the Blue Man Group, magicians, show girls and performances and more while also tying in our show, Not Loveline, by giving advice to the girls in the audience. I’d be lying to you if I said we want it to be one-night only.
How far along is the memoir?
It has been the craziest experience of my life by far. It is all consuming and it’s a lot of my childhood. I think that people saw me in the media be so crazy for so long without the backstory of how the hell did this girl get here? What made her these ways? The memoir will let people into my world to see how I became the ways that I was and am. I almost equate it to like a Benjamin Button, like where I had to be my own parent and an adult at such a young age and I almost had to learn morals in a backwards way and learn all of these different life lessons through self-sufficiency.
Will we see the Tana Mongeau era as a married woman or mother?
I mean, of course. Makoa, my partner, we talk about it a lot. I can’t wait to marry him and I can’t wait to be a mother as well. I am so excited to give a little girl or a little boy the childhood I never got. I’m almost overly anal about ensuring that I’m going to be ready to be a parent. I see a lot of people now in my life just kind of popping out kids and they’re just doing their thing and I love that for them. I’m obsessed with that for them, but I think I am the type of person who will want to read every parenting book, do every type of EMDR therapy and every type of just traditional therapy and just seeing that by the time I’m ready to be a parent that I am so perfectly fit and ready for it.
Let’s end with Brand Safe. Is there a dream guest or partner you want to work with in this era?
If Adam Sandler sits down across from me on the Brand Safe podcast, I can die happy. But that’s just a personal thing. I also think that we’re calling this podcast Brand Safe for many reasons. While this is the new era, there obviously is also some irony there, right? I’m going to swear, I’m going to say crazy things still. I’m not like flawlessly brand safe, and I think that’s OK. I’m just so grateful for this era that I don’t want to place my worth in one specific benchmark. But I can’t believe all of the things I’ve gotten to do already. But, obviously, I still want Chili’s to call me back, but I digress.
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