Chanel West Coast Talks ‘West Coast Hustle’ Struggles & ‘Ridiculousness’ Exit

Chanel West Coast is enjoying a new chapter in her life. It started last year when the TV personality exited Ridiculousness after 30 seasons on the MTV viral clip show. Three months later, she started filming The West Coast Hustle.

The docuseries centers on West Coast, whose real name is Chelsea Chanel Dudley, as she turns her attention back to jumpstarting her music career to new heights. This is easier said than done while juggling being a good girlfriend to Dom Fenison and a mom to their baby Bowie. Here, West Coast gets candid about the struggles she faced during filming.

Leaving a show after 30 seasons sounds like a big life change. How was it coming to grips with all that in the weeks and months after the formal announcement came out? 

Chanel West Coast: They were very emotional, probably one of the hardest things I’ve gone through in my whole life to be honest. I have been working to get my own show for several years, and this is just the natural evolution of where Chanel West Coast is supposed to go.

What do you think of Lauren “Lolo” Wood stepping in as a co-host? 

I’m very happy for her. I hope she has a lot of fun on the show. I hope she kills it.

Any words of advice? 

Just be yourself. I know people could see I was very much myself, and it worked for me. Just be yourself.

How did Dom feel about the idea of this reality show? 

When I first told Dom the news about the show, I think he was a little bit unprepared. Naturally, he is a very supportive partner. He knew this was a great platform for not just me to showcase all the things I’m doing, but to showcase all the things he is doing as well. Also, showing our daughter. We’re just really excited for the world to get to see us on a deeper level, to get to know us, to get to know him because they don’t even know him at all yet.

You also have a couple who are friends of yours as part of it. They’re going through something really personal this season. How was it having them involved? 

Our friends are a big part of the show. People are going to get to see a very deep storyline that was something very raw and real that happened. Even that storyline taking place, it was something I was hesitant about having on the TV show. I wanted the show to be happy and fun, but I did want it to be real and relatable. So did my friends, who went through something very hard that you will see on the show. They wanted to be inspiring to people who had to go through what they were going through. That is what Dom and I want as well. We want our struggles and everything you see on this show to inspire other people.

Some of the struggles you touch on are coming back from pregnancy and the pressure that comes with being a public figure and in entertainment. What does it mean for you to show this vulnerability? 

I was really open in the show about that struggle to look good and be on camera again. I did get liposuction surgery and was very open. Those are the things that a lot of people hide, procedures like that. I wanted to be very open about it and show people it’s not the easiest thing. You don’t just get your fat sucked out and you’re pretty the next day. There is a huge recovery process that goes with something like that as well. I did this while still having to be a mom and taking care of my baby while I was recovering from a crazy invasive surgery. I think there are girls who hide those things and put on this pretty face for the camera and try to appear perfect. They don’t show all the work it took to get there. I want people to see it takes a lot of work for people to be “perfect.”

You’re so used to being in front of the camera. Did the experience feel different in this setting? 

It’s hard to lose all privacy and to be so vulnerable and open about everything. Through the process, we got really comfortable with it. You almost forget you’re being so open in front of a camera. They are just around so much. It was an interesting process, but we know losing a bit of privacy can lead to our story uplifting and inspiring other people. We’re okay with losing a bit of privacy for that, exposing what we’re going through for the sake of helping others.

MTV

A lot of the season is about you trying to take your music career to the next level and the sacrifices that come with it. 

The fans can expect a very humble side of me. I’m showing lots of humility in my career. Some people put on this front like everything is perfect. I’m really exposing that I have struggled a lot with my music career. There have been so many hurdles I’ve had to jump over to get to where I am now. And I’m still not where I want to be. That’s what I want to show. I was successful on TV for 12 years. I’ve been on 30 seasons of Ridiculousness and a total of 38 seasons of television when you combine three TV shows I’ve been on. I haven’t been able to get where I want to be with my music.

I have fame, but fame is not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for success in my music career. That is my passion and what I’ve always loved to do. I think the fans will see that just because I’m successful on Ridiculousness doesn’t mean that my life is perfect or that I’m 100 percent happy where I’m at. I’m striving for some big goals. I think the fans are going to see that, “Wow, even though this girl has had success and made it, she is still working hard to go even further.” I hope that inspires people to work a little harder, too.

What did you take from the filming experience? 

This has made me really learn. I have such a great fan base, but along with fame comes the haters. I see the hate comments here and there. I think, “If I was getting hate comments when I was sitting on a couch on Ridiculousness looking perfect, I know I’m going to get comments when I’m 40 pounds overweight after having a baby.” This whole process made me realize that there are going to be haters.

People are going to have negative things to say, but I know the good people out there who are not haters and are going to watch this and feel something. We’re going to make people feel good watching the show and inspire people. That’s the gist of it all. I learned to let go of my insecurities because if I let go of them and am raw and real, it will help other people. The more open and honest you are, the more honest and open others can be. It’s a ripple effect.

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What else can you tease that we’ll see over the course of the season? 

You’re going to see the progression in my music career. This season, I dropped my album. You’re going to see a lot. It’s a crazy rollercoaster ride. There will be ups and downs. It’s such a great show. I compared it to Forrest Gump yesterday, but Forrest Gump makes you laugh, cry and have this feel-good feeling when you’re watching it. That’s what this TV show gives you.

You signed a deal with Paramount Media Networks. What are some of the other opportunities you’re developing or hoping to develop? 

This is my first project, getting to executive produce with Paramount-MTV. I just want to produce other TV shows for MTV. I’ve been watching MTV religiously since I was a little kid. I know this network like the back of my hand. I just want to produce new content for this network and for the new generation. I feel like I have a lot of great ideas. Right now, I’m in the process of pitching them. Who knows? After The West Coast Hustle, I might be producing other TV shows for them as well.

The West Coast Hustle, Series Premiere, Thursday, July 18, 9/8c, MTV