Being a musician is an exhausting job. Between recording albums, promoting them, playing them around the country, and then doing it all over again with new music, it’s hard to imagine that the music industry’s hottest professionals get a lot of downtime in the heyday of their careers.
But somehow, these eight stars managed to make it to some of the world’s biggest stages—and film a TV show of their own on the side. Whether they’re executive producing a fictional drama like 50 Cent or starring in a reality show of their own like Mariah Carey in her upcoming series, Mariah’s World, these stars put in some serious hustle on the side to do it all.
Who can forget Jessica Simpson’s “chicken of the sea” comment on Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, or Britney Spears’s troubled series, Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, filmed just two years before her head-shaving meltdown?
VIDEO: Christina Aguilera's Spot-on Britney Spears Impression
Keep scrolling to see eight singers who put on a new hat with TV shows of their own.
Nick Lachey & Jessica Simpson: Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica
For Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, married life wasn't the only thing to adjust to after getting hitched. The couple launched their reality show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, in 2003, which followed their glam life in the spotlight—and gave Simpson much of her "ditzy blonde" reputation. After all, who could forget that "Chicken of the Sea" episode.
Newlyweds and wedded bliss didn't last long, though. The show was cancelled in 2005, the same year that the couple announced their split.
Britney Spears: Britney and Kevin: Chaotic
Spears gave fans an inside, unfiltered look at her personal life with then-husband Kevin Federline in this five-episode series on UPN. The show featured home video footage shot by the couple, documenting their relationship and then marriage, interspersed with commentary by the duo.
Britney and Kevin: Chaotic debuted in May 2005 and aired its final episode just one month later.
Kevin Jonas: Married to Jonas
The oldest member of the Jonas Brothers clan let fans into his home with the E! series, Married to Jonas. Kevin met Danielle Deleasa, or Dani, while on a family vacation, and the duo quickly fell in love.
Married to Jonas chronicled what happens when a normal girl marries one of the hottest stars in music, airing two years after their storybook wedding at Oheka Castle. The series debuted in 2012 and lasted just one year.
Mark Wahlberg: Wahlburgers
Before Mark Wahlberg was a successful actor, he was Marky Mark, the lead singer of his rap group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Now that he's a Hollywood big shot, he still spends plenty of time with his family, the owners of the Wahlburger restaurant chain.
The Wahlburgers, which debuted in 2014, gives a behind-the-scenes look at Mark, along with his brothers Donnie and chef Paul, as they run the restaurants and have some fun in the process.
50 Cent: Power
The iconic rapper produces the Starz series, Power, and stars as the drug lord, Kanan. The crime drama premiered in June 2014, and has since aired three seasons on TV and ordered a fourth and fifth season still to come.
Christina Aguilera: Tracks
Aguilera executive produces the new musical game show on Spike, which is hosted by Bow Wow. In the show, contestants have to guess the name of a song based on individual tracks, like drum, guitar, bass, or more.
Aguilera has even lent her voice to the series, which premiered on Sept. 1, 2016. On the show's first episode, the singer totally slayed a rendition of Bruno Mars's "Uptown Funk."
Mariah Carey: Mariah's World
Carey is starring in the upcoming reality series, Mariah's World, on E!, premiering Dec. 4, 2016. The 8-part series will give fans an inside look at the engaged starlet's world tour, with appearances by her 5-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe. "They are so funny that they should have their own show because they’re twins and they have like their own little language and it’s hilarious," she said of the new show.
Carey revealed that her ex, Nick Cannon, will also make an appearance in the series, though we've yet to find out if fiancé James Packer will be featured. Regardless, it promises to give an inside look at her ultra-glam lifestyle.
Jennifer Lopez: World of Dance
As if J.Lo wasn't busy enough with her new music, Las Vegas residency, and Shades of Blue, the singer is partnering with NBC on a new dance competition show called World of Dance. Lopez will also serve as a judge on the show, which airs in 2017.
"I’m truly excited to announce that I will be partnering with World of Dance and NBC to bring broadcast television’s biggest, fiercest, most talent-heavy dance competition ever seen, featuring the world’s elite performers competing for a grand prize of $1,000,000," she announced.
