A question for the Rabbi: when did you start becoming such a celebrity? When did you get to the point that people write a Wikipedia entry about you? Was it planned?

A nosy question, but since the answer may have some public interest, I’ll answer.
Absolutely not planned. It started when I wrote the book Two Carts. I sent it to various publishers, and nobody could even be bothered to open it and reply. At one of the publishers (I think it was Hakibbutz Hameuchad), I called and they referred me to the relevant reader, and he told me that they had just published something of that sort, so it wasn’t suitable for them. I was surprised, because I didn’t know of any similar book, and when I asked, he said it was The Knitted Kippah by Levi Yitzhak HaYerushalmi. At that point I realized he hadn’t even read the summary.
I consulted a smart friend who knows a bit about these things, and he told me I needed to start writing articles in various forums so that I’d be better known, and then maybe they’d pay attention to a manuscript I sent. So that’s what I did.
There was a goal of becoming better known, but not in connection with celebrity. My articles were also analytical, not journalistic op-eds in the press (the internet didn’t really exist yet). That doesn’t make you a celebrity.
By the way, to my surprise, in the broader public almost nobody knows me. The familiarity is mainly in the religious-Haredi world, and even there not on any especially large scale. So even now it’s hard to talk about celebrity. (I haven’t checked the gossip columns, but I assume my name isn’t floating around there, and all the better.)
In the age of podcasts, meaning over the last year or two, people look for interviewees on various topics, and by browsing online they find my name on a few issues that interest them (God, religious coercion, free will, and the like), and so they invite me more. And those are also people who, because of their line of work, are more familiar with different figures involved in thought and ideas, so they know me more.
I also refuse to come for interviews in the media (only by phone or Zoom), because in my experience it’s a waste of time. You get a few minutes, the interviewer cuts you off, and complex arguments can’t be presented there. It’s not worth the trip just to provide entertainment for the masses (about a month or two ago I got a call from the producer of The Chase, who tried to convince me how important it was for me to participate there. From what she said, it sounded like this was roughly equivalent to saving the world. Unbelievable what kind of movie these people are living in). Only if there’s a topic important to me on which I want to express a Torah position do I agree (like on renting apartments to non-Jews), or if I have an opportunity for an interview about one of my books (like on London and Kirschenbaum), or if it’s an offer for a long program where it’s actually possible to talk.

Thanks for the detailed answer. In my opinion it would have been worth it for you to go on The Chase not because of the influence or importance, but mainly because you can make pretty decent money from that show.