During the heyday of reality TV, Toddlers & Tiaras was one of the most popular shows around. While it launched the career of Honey Boo Boo, another memorable pageant star was Danielle Kirby. Like many other young contestants, Kirby was featured showing off her smile and, at times, throwing tantrums when she didn’t win the titles she believed she deserved.
At just 8 years old, Kirby was filmed in tears after losing the grand supreme title to a baby. Frustrated, she expressed her disappointment, saying, “I think it’s really not fair that a baby won a thousand dollars and it can’t even sing or dance or do nothing but poop and pee.”
Kirby also stirred some controversy when she was seen hitting a boy and expressing frustration with another contestant who she believed was stealing her spotlight. Confident in her looks, Kirby once famously said, “I don’t believe in beauty sleep ‘cause I’m always beautiful.” However, behind the scenes, things were not as glamorous as they seemed.
Danielle Kirby Sets the Record Straight
In the 2021 TLC Where Are They Now reunion special for the Toddlers & Tiaras cast, Kirby, then 18, revealed that she was preparing for the Miss Las Vegas Teen USA pageant and considering a career in cosmetology like her mother. However, she ended up working as a personal assistant for the founder of a skincare company called Beauty Kitchen.
Despite her confident public persona, Kirby explained on the Spirituality and Self-Love in the Modern World podcast in 2021 that she had felt hurt by the negative attention she received on Toddlers & Tiaras. She claimed that the show’s editing made her appear brattier than she was, sharing that scenes like hitting her younger brother (who was actually pulling rhinestones off her dress) were misrepresented. She also revealed that her infamous comment about trashing a hotel room was a suggestion from producers, which she repeated sarcastically but was edited to appear genuine.
Danielle Kirby Today: A Mental Health Advocate
On the Spirituality and Self-Love in the Modern World podcast, Kirby opened up about her struggle with bipolar disorder, a condition characterized by extreme mood swings. She first experienced symptoms during her freshman year of high school, when bullying and the stress of puberty triggered her condition. Having grown up with a father who also has bipolar disorder, Kirby was familiar with the illness.
Since then, she has become an advocate for mental health awareness, sharing her experiences on the Guide Through Bipolar website and founding an organization called Be Bigger to empower others to love themselves and feel supported.
As of 2023, Kirby is pursuing a psychology degree at Post University, inspired by her mental health journey. Reflecting on her younger self, Kirby admits, “I was definitely arrogant. I was a beautiful child, but I shouldn’t have expressed it the way I did.” Today, she describes herself as a “strong, independent, incredible woman,” acknowledging that her confidence may sound conceited, but affirming that it’s true.
