Inside Chanel West Coast And Rob Dyrdek's Relationship

Many people know Chanel West Coast and Rob Dyrdek as the co-hosts of MTV's Ridiculousness. Few know that they're actually friends off-screen. Surprisingly, their relationship goes way back. Chanel West Coast was originally buds with his cousin, Scott "Big Cat" Pfaff, and met Dyrdek through him, as she explained to WZRA TV. Needless to say, Chanel West Coast quickly became a part of the crew, and their real-life friendship was all documented on the reality series Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory.

Even when the beloved show left MTV in 2015, their relationship didn't end there. Dyrdek has taken Chanel West Coast along for all of his wild rides — from fighting a tiger to voicing a cartoon character. "We're just good friends and we just get to, like, hang out and film," she explained to People, and it doesn't seem as though their crazy adventures together will end anytime soon.

Read on for a look inside Chanel West Coast and Rob Dyrdek's relationship.

Rob Dyrdek has never had much to do with rap music, but he clearly knew he needed Chanel West Coast in his life. Even though Dyrdek presumably knew the job wasn't the best fit for Chanel, he offered her a receptionist job and managed to make the job sound appealing. "He knew I was aspiring to be a rapper and that's why he was like, 'Do you want to be my rapping receptionist?'" she explained to 303 Magazine. "It sounded funny being a rapping receptionist." She was into the idea and took advantage of the opportunity.

As Dyrdek's receptionist, Chanel West Coast appeared quite often on his reality show Fantasy Factory. Yet, as their friendship grew, so did her role on the television series. She eventually became one of the stars for seven seasons, and the rest of her career took off from there. "Now she's signed a deal with Polo and is going to get a really big record deal doing all of these tracks with Snoop Dog and Lil Jon and Chris Brown," Dyrdek told SFGate (via Medium) less than two years after Fantasy Factory's premiere. "She's on her way."

Before her fame and fortune, Chanel West Coast had always classified herself as a rapper. Immediately after Rob Dyrdek met her, he realized, "She doesn't just think it, she really believes it," he explained to SFGate in an interview that's no long on the site, "and she's actually good at it." After growing up in such a musical family, Chanel West Coast knew she was destined to become an artist, too. 

Her determination to make something more of herself is exactly what drew Dyrdek to her. She was hustling and bustling, selling tickets to her own shows, and spending all day on social media to connect with other creative people in the industry. Dyrdek experienced something similar on his way to becoming a professional skateboarder. "I think Rob saw that I was a hustler and he really respected that," Chanel West Coast told Fat Joe in an interview. The duo's drive eventually led to starring roles on a second show for MTV called Ridiculousness in 2011.

When Fantasy Factory came to an end in 2015, Chanel West Coast and Rob Dyrdek continued to work together on a new series called Ridiculousness. "The entire thing is basically a 45-minute improv comedy show with two people you have great chemistry with," Dyrdek described to The Inside Reel, so, naturally, he brought his bestie West Coast on board.

Though Ridiculousness wasn't what they were used to in the reality show realm, this viral video show became one of the most popular to ever air on MTV. In fact, it was the second highest-rated show in 2011, only behind Jersey Shore, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Yet, when Dyrdek asked West Coast to be a part of it, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. "I didn't think Ridiculousness was going to be bigger than Fantasy Factory," she admitted to CBS Boston. While she continued creating her own music off-screen, she told TooFab that she still considers working with Dyrdek on Ridiculousness "the greatest job in the world."

While many of us know Rob Dyrdek as a daring television star doing the craziest stunts, Chanel West Coast has admitted that he's a different person off-screen. "It's almost like the camera turns on and, like, that side of him turns on," she told People. While his sense of humor is never lost when he steps foot off stage, "when the cameras aren't on, he's a lot more chill," she revealed.

Though Dyrdek isn't an actor, he clearly understands the entertainment industry. He went big when he launched Fantasy Factory because he clearly knows that everything on-screen needs to be bigger than ever, too. The ratings, after all, showed that Dyrdek's adrenaline-packed stunts are a big success. His personality has made him an MTV icon for nearly two decades.

He even agrees with West Coast when it comes to how he acts off-screen. Behind the scenes, Dyrdek is all business. "I'm so serious with the stuff I do in my normal life," he told The New York Times. "It's almost like the television stuff is an outlet to be crazy." And fans obviously love it.

When Rob Dyrdek was creating his own cartoon for Nicktoons in 2012, he already had the perfect name in mind — Wild Grinders. "I came up with the name when I was eleven years old, when I needed a name for my first skate crew," he explained to Cartoon Brew. While he obviously wasn't surrounding himself with the same individuals in the entertainment industry, he still had the perfect people in mind to voice the characters along with him. And so Chanel West Coast became a part of his cartoon crew. 

Surprisingly, when the series first aired, West Coast may have been intended as only a guest star. However, she had something more permanent in mind. "That was kind of my goal. I'm like, I really want to be a part of the Wild Grinders permanently," she admitted at the time to WZRA TV. It was after showing Dyrdek her serious skateboarding skills off-screen that he decided to hire her to voice the character of FLIPZ full-time. After all, she understands exactly what it means to be a part of his skating squad.

Rob Dyrdek gave Chanel West Coast her big break in the entertainment industry. Along with it came a big paycheck, too. However, few know that during the first few seasons of Fantasy Factory, West Coast was still struggling behind the scenes. "I was so broke," she explained to 303 Magazine, adding, "It was weird because you're on a TV show and people know you from being on TV, but I couldn't even afford a car." In fact, the day Dyrdek approached her about being a part of the show, she barely had enough money to afford food. Luckily, she's come a long way since then — a very long way. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she's now worth an estimated $3 million. Clearly, Chanel West Coast has had a gorgeous transformation!

Since West Coast spent a majority of her childhood watching her parents make it in the music industry, too, her pay days are a sign of her success. "I can help my mom out who struggles," she said. "When I just saw my family in New York, [I was able] to pay for the whole dinner for my family — that's a cool feeling."

After meeting Rob Dyrdek over a decade ago, it's obvious that he and Chanel West Coast have grown close. "We're kind of like family," she told In Touch Weekly. After all, they've spent so many hours filming together since Fantasy Factory first aired in 2009.

Fans are loving whatever they do together, and MTV is, too. Ridiculousness has been around since 2011, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. "The show is made the same way you and your friends would all sit around and watch this stuff and what would pop into your head," Dyrdek explained to HuffPost, and their show certainly wouldn't be the same if they weren't as close off-screen as well.

Not only have they navigated the entertainment industry together, but they've experienced a lot of life together, too. "I've basically grown up in my 20s on this show," West Coast told People.

After watching every episode of their reality series, it's obvious that Dyrdek has learned an awful lot about his co-star, including all the ways he can make her feel the most embarrassed. Let's be honest, though: That's what family does best.