Carly Reeves: who is Tom Hanks' niece, what happened on Claim to Fame TV show - and how to watch in the UK

The new season of Claim to Fame has got off to its hottest start yet as the premiere episode saw Tom Hanks' niece Carly Reeves booted from the show - but its her foul mouthed outburst that has the world talking.

Hosts Kevin and Frankie Jonas kicked off the second season of the reality series on Monday (26 June) with a batch of a dozen contestants with rich and famous family backgrounds, all of whom must conceal their identity for the best chance to walk away with $100,000.

In the first episode aptly titled 'Megastars and Meltdowns', contestant Hugo correctly guessed Carly Reeves' Hollywood uncle, but things did not go the way you think.

Here is everything you need to know about the Carly Reeves incident on Claim to Fame; including whether or not you can watch the Hulu and ABC programme in the UK.

Who is Carly Reeves?

Born and raised in Reseda, California, Carly Reeves is a 39-year-old actress, performer and producer who is most famous for being the niece of world-renowned actor Tom Hanks. She is related to Hanks through his wife, Rita Wilson. Reeves was educated at the prestigious School of Theatre, Film and Television at UCLA.

Just like her Hollywood icon uncle, Reeves is also a star of the big screen. She made her acting debut in the 2004 Hilary Duff movie Raise Your Voice. Her other high-profile credits include: Larry Crowne (2011), Broken at Love (2012-2018) and Charlie Wilson's War (2007).

Reeves' major breakthrough in the mainstream took place when she was a contestant on ABC programme Claim to Fame. She was the first to exit the show in the premiere of its second series in 2023.

What is Claim to Fame?

Claim to Fame is an American reality television series that airs on ABC and is hosted by Kevin and Frankie of The Jonas Brothers. The premise of the programme involves 12 contestants who each have a famous relative and move into a house together, as they aim to find out just what major celebrities are connected to who.

In each episode of the show, which first aired in 2022, there is a competition that each contestant takes part in and the winner gets immunity and progresses into the next round. The remaining participants then have to vote between two of the lowest ranked performers to make one of them 'the guesser' - they then have a choice between all other contestants, not including the one who is immune, to guess who their 'Claim to Fame' is, if they are correct then that person leaves the show, but if they are wrong they are shown the exit instead.

After 10 episodes and plenty of drama, betrayal and jaw-dropping moments, a winner is crowned and they take home a whopping $100,000 which is around £78,000.

What did Carly Reeves do on Claim to Fame?

Season two could not have got off to a more dramatic start as the premiere episode saw Reeves, Tom Hanks' niece, go on a foul mouthed meltdown following her elimination from Claim to Fame.

On Monday's episode, Reeves' fellow contestant Hugo correctly guessed her Academy Award-winning uncle, which following the premise of the reality series saw her dumped. Fellow contestants were visibly shocked when hosts Kevin and Frankie revealed that the was correct, leaving the first exit of the season in emotional hysterics.

Reeves burst into tears, leaving the room and rushed upstairs to pack her bags as she let out the most chilling scream. The camera followed her as she sobbed, swore and grew more furious by the second.

In her outburst, she said: "His freakin’ clues are so freakin’ obvious, there’s literally no reference to benches on any other movie. Even Gabriel found that out. He’s not even, like, smart.

"I didn’t even get to do any challenges! I don’t deserve this. I should have more camera time. I should be aired longer!"

The moment has been branded one of the best in TV history by many, with the clip going viral online.

Speaking about the incident to USA Today, Reeves explained: "I thought that my clues were just super easy. I felt like I didn’t get as easy a game as everyone else. They could have used a million different clues from all of his different movies, but they decided to use the biggest movie of his and make three clues about that.

"I thought I didn’t get a good shot at it, and I just felt like it was all kind of planned to make me go home. But in reality, I know that it’s just a game, and people had their theories about me, and they were right.”

How to watch Claim to Fame in the UK

Sadly for viewers in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland who are anxiously on the hunt for ways to watch the drama in Claim to Fame unfold, it does not air in the United Kingdom. For those across the Atlantic, it streams via on-demand services like Hulu and is broadcast on ABC every Monday from 8pm EST.