When Megan Thee Stallion's not on the road performing at events like Coachella or the Grammys and gracing the Met Gala carpet, you might find her venturing into new arenas.
On March 24, she made her Broadway debut as Zidler in "Moulin Rouge! The Musical." Megan says that people have joked about her "manifesting" events in her life, even pointing out old social media posts that have come true. Still, she says, the seed for being on Broadway might have been planted when she was a child. Megan shared that her late mother would want her to sing and would put her into plays.
"I guess that manifested into me being who I am today, but going back to her putting me in plays when I was young, when I got the opportunity to be a part of Broadway, I was like, 'Wow. I feel like this is something that my mom would've really wanted me to do," Megan told USA TODAY while promoting a partnership with Cheetos.
"So, loving 'Moulin Rouge!' and knowing that my mom loved theatre, I feel like she saw this for me. I feel like she manifested this for me. So, I feel really excited to do it, and I'm (going to) put my all into it."
Megan admits that Broadway isn't the only milestone collaboration on her schedule lately. She has a new joint effort with Cheetos that plays on her love for Flamin' Hot Cheetos and pickles.
The Houston native, who grew up eating the snack, announced a partnership with the brand in 2022. Since that moment, she's continued to build upon her relationship with Cheetos, appearing in multiple ads over the last four years. Now, the rapper has new content that will likely turn heads, just as her Broadway debut will.
Megan and the rock band Nickelback recently combined their musical talents to create "Pickle's Back," a reimagination of Nickelback's iconic song "How You Remind Me." The new song has a twist in honor of the return of the Cheetos Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle flavor and launch of Cheetos Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle Puffs.
"To go from buying 50-cent bags of chips at school to actually working with the brand, it feels full circle. It feels so right. It feels very obvious," Megan said. "It feels like, 'Who else was y'all gone call to do this job besides me? Who (is) really waking up and eating the Flamin' Hot Cheetos with the lime, with the pickle, besides Megan Thee Stallion?' They knew."
The 31-year-old artist told USA TODAY that it was apparent to her someone had been doing their homework, and when she learned that Nickelback would be involved, she sang "How You Remind Me" just to make sure she heard the information correctly. However, she was all in on creating something different.
"Oh, my God. I don't think people are gonna be ready," Megan said about the collaboration with the rock band. "They're gonna see it and read it and be like, 'Hmmm, Megan (Thee Stallion) and Nickelback, what the hell is that gonna sound like? But I feel like that's what they do when they see hot Cheetos and pickles -- 'Hmmm, what the hell is that gonna taste like?'"
As unique as a partnership with Broadway and Cheetos may seem, Megan has also taken her collaborations to other spaces, like women's sports.
She's a known fan of WNBA star Angel Reese and has connected with Reese at concerts and events and even for TikTok videos. The Warner Music artist says that "everybody knows Angel Reese is my girl," calling Reese her "twin." The artist also praised Reese for having unique collaborations as she does and for having an "incredible work ethic" on and off the court. That said, Reese isn't the only athlete that Megan supports.
The rapper made sure to congratulate the U.S. women's hockey team after its gold medal win over Canada during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Megan shared with USA TODAY how proud she was of Laila Edwards for becoming the first Black woman to play for the U.S. Olympic hockey team. She gifted Edwards and the women's hockey team Ace of Spades champagne in celebration of their achievement.
"Because they needed to turn up. They're doing big things," Megan said. "They needed to turn up with more gold things because they went out there and they won gold.
"I feel like women in general just need to be supported always, and any time I can always lift them up and make them feel better ... any way I could have contributed to that happiness and those smiles, I was really happy to be a part of that."
From Cheetos to Broadway to connections with top women athletes, Megan seemingly breaks barriers with many collaborations she's involved in. The rapper admits that if her younger self could see what she's doing now, she would be very impressed.
"She would think I'm so cool. Little Megan would definitely just be in shambles. She would probably be crying every time she sees me do something positive and proud," Megan said.
"I think I remind myself a lot of my mom now. As I grow up, I keep thinking, 'Damn, that's some Holly (expletive)' or 'Damn. That's something my momma would have did or would have said.' So I think my little self would just be following me around because I would be following my mom around."