People Share Their Rude Celebrity Stories

Celebrities: they’re just like us. Some of them are good people or act just as they seem on the big screen. On the other hand, just like people we all know, some celebs are completely awful to work with and interact with on a regular basis. The only difference is that musicians, actors, athletes, and other superstars often think they’re completely justified in being awful because they made it big…. 

However, just because these people found success in a particular industry doesn’t give them the right to act like they’re better than everyone. Sure, they made lots of money and have recognizable faces, but that doesn’t mean they should be rude to people, especially their own fans. The people of the internet came together to dish on the times when celebs were just the worst.

Whitney Houston

Sorry to speak ill of the dead, but Whitney Huston used to frequent a place I tended bar at. She would give me dirty looks like I was trying to steal her man whenever I delivered a drink that Bobby ordered. And I’m not even great looking enough to be a threat! It’s my job. She also tried, repeatedly, to smoke at the bar….

We had just passed no-smoking laws in GA, and they were no joke at the time. The cake topper was consistently tipping $3 on a $94 tab as well as a $300 tab. When I tried getting her to think about what she was doing, she just ignored me. She was the worst. God rest her soul. Reddit User: ZouZout

Ja Rule

I watched Ja Rule kick a production assistant down a flight of stairs. I was security for the MTV Beach House in the summer of 2002. Ja Rule and a group of others were upstairs in the green room of the beach house. It was originally a lifeguard station that they converted, and the green room had a very small and tight winding staircase…. 

The PA brought up a bottle of generic water to Ja and crew, but it was the wrong water. He yelled at the PA, and when he turned around to go get him the “right” water, Ja kicked him in the back of the legs, and he went down the stairs. I was stationed at the front of the house and heard yelling and a bit of commotion. Reddit User: Fromhe

Jerry Seinfield

Jerry Seinfeld came into a restaurant I bartended at for an interview (magazine). He was a regular for us. When he came in, he’d act like someone of his caliber; he wanted to eat as soon as he could and duck out. When people noticed him, he’d wave and keep it pushing. No one ever bothered him because everyone knew him from the neighborhood….

On a particular day, he comes in to do his interview, and he tells his server (the same girl who always serves him) to buzz off when she comes to do her “how’s everything goin’ for ya” round. She’d only come up that one time after the food was dropped off. The interview stopped there. Seinfeld threw up his hands and left shortly after. Reddit User: _adone

Jamie Kennedy

Back in 2002, I won a trip to Miami for some contest Axe had after I clicked an internet banner. It was surprising, because I always thought those were fake, but also I had to pay $1200 in taxes. They set up a house party at Jamie Kennedy’s house, and when I approached him, he gave me a sneer and walked away…. 

Conversely, Seth Green, who was also there, was awesome. His manager or whatever she was started to turn me away, thinking I wanted an autograph when all I wanted was to say hi. He heard me explain and turned around to shake my hand and talk for a few seconds, gave a bow, and continued his conversation that I inadvertently interrupted. Reddit User: AcidTwister

Demi Lovato

A few years ago, I was with a coworker friend, and Demi Lovato was at an event near where we worked. Now I did not and still don’t care about her, but my friend was so over the moon for her and went on about how she had her book, how Demi got her to stop cutting, and so on….

Demi walked our way, and my friend started to say things like “OMG you got me through my depression and-” but Demi made a face, rolled her eyes, and walked around us. It broke my friend’s heart. She never mentioned Demi after that. You would think someone that literally built a career upon helping kids and being a strong woman would be more compassionate. Reddit User: SunflowersA

Chad Krueger

Chad Krueger from Nickleback makes this list for me. My buddy was at the Roxy, watching some live music. Chad was in front of him. Someone else yelled, “Nickleback sucks!” Chad thought it was my buddy, turned around, and punched him out cold. I just stood there in shock at the whole situation and tried to explain to Chad that he got the wrong guy…. 

My friend woke up to find out he got punched out by Chad Krueger, which is the equivalent to someone urinating on your ego but also a hilarious story. Long story short, he got paid out through private litigation because Nickleback was about to go on tour, and Chad couldn’t get stuck in Canada fighting the case or worse. Crazy. Reddit User: elongatedfishsticks

Alicia Keys

I worked security at a local concert venue for over ten years, and she was hands down the meanest artist that I rubbed elbows with. One night, I was asked to stay late and work a meet and greet in the catering trailer after her show. I stood next to Alicia and her assistant at the time (guessing 2006) while she met a group of fans one by one…. 

Each fan gave her gifts and flowers and had roughly 30 seconds to say hello. Being so close, I was able to hear every word she said to her assistant, and it wasn’t pretty. She basically bad-mouthed the entire group; she had something negative to say about almost everyone’s outfits and appearance. I hope she’s grown since then. Reddit User: RussianBreadMaker

Usher

I met Usher at a party once. One of the rudest and most diva-like people I’ve ever met. Made small-talk with him about his time in the country, and mid-conversation, he asked what made me think I could approach him. Keep in mind we were both guests of a mutual friend; the dress code was black tie, and he rocked up in a t-shirt and hoodie….

Another dude asked for a picture with him, and he was like, “How about you go get another drink instead” and walked off. If this was on the street, then sure, but again, this was at a party where literally everyone was taking selfies. He stayed about 30 minutes then left. Maybe the guy was drunk, I don’t know. Reddit User: meat_on_a_hook

Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels is the guy from Dumb and Dumber. He lives right next door to my cousins and is very disliked in their community. He always assumes everyone will mob him and ask for autographs or whatever, so he won’t interact with anyone. He’s lived next to my cousins for at least 15 years and has only talked to them once or twice….

My favorite anecdote is that my grandpa once sat next to him in a bar and tried to strike up a conversation. Jeff Daniels was rude and left. The bartender told my grandpa not to worry about it, he just doesn’t like to talk to fans, and my grandpa was like, “Wait, who was that?” It turned out my grandpa had never heard of Jeff Daniels. Reddit User: bee_on_a_oiuja_board

Bill Nye 

Granted, in the last few years, he’s revealed himself as a self-centered jerk, but I’m reminded of a story from a podcast a few months back where a girl was working retail at a clothing store, and Bill Nye walks in. He ends up at her register, and she says something to the tune of, “Hi Bill, I just wanted to say I appreciate what you did for getting kids into science….”

“I grew up watching your show!” Bill replies, “And look where that got you.” Apparently the girl was devastated and just kept ringing him up and he left. According to other people that have met him, he’s just really quirky, so I’m not sure if he’s mean or just awkward and didn’t mean anything by it. It was pretty strange. Reddit User: SweenCuisine

Dane Cook

Dane Cook is a huge jerk. My uncle and I were in a crew to move some stage equipment for one of his stand-up shows. There was a rule that if anyone actually saw him, they were not supposed to try and talk with him or even “look him in the eye.” We were actually told that by his management….

One of our crew who was working for him tried to stop him behind the stage and ask for an autograph, and Dane Cook had them immediately fired and escorted off of the premises. On the flip side of the coin, we worked a show for Taylor Swift, and she bought everyone doughnuts and fried chicken. She really did seem like an all-around good person. Reddit User: Theresabearintheboat

Christian Bale

Christian Bale was notorious for going off on someone while shooting Terminator Salvation. Bale looked like a complete jerk and maniac when he cursed out everyone and even threatened to fire some guy trying to help out on set. But after the incident, Bale came out and apologized. He kept saying he was trying to summon an air of madness…. 

Apparently, it was for his role as John Connor, and he had a lot of shame in how he treated the coworker. Also, after the incident, numerous actors and directors have come out and said how much they enjoy working with Bale and that his dedication to roles is inspiring, and that the incident didn’t reflect how he normally works with other people. Reddit User: Elevi8806

Sylvester Stallone

I need to stay vague to protect a friend’s identity, but he runs a high-end travel outfit that basically makes arrangements for the super-rich in a nice tropical location. He has a bunch of these stories. My friend worked there for years, but she said that this was the strangest thing that ever happened by far, and it happened to include Sylvester Stallone….

So Stallone stays at a very swanky resort. He checks out, and there’s poop in the tub. They let it slide because it’s Stallone. He comes and visits again, and when he checks out, there’s more poop in the tub upon checkout. This time, they warn him not to do it again. During the final visit, there was more poop…and a permanent ban from the resort. Reddit User: Foxfaux

Ellen Degeneres

My dad works in the entertainment industry and says she’s notorious for being awful with her staff and really not giving a crap about anyone but herself. Her staff also now has to sign clauses saying they can’t say anything bad about her if/when they’re fired or quit. Honestly, if you have to try that hard to keep people from talking bad about you, you’re probably the worst…. 

I read a story about how she can’t stand when guests get more laughs then her, and that if you watch closely, you can see her grab back the spotlight. I watched her show with this in mind, and it was dead-on. I can’t stand to watch her now. Anyone who’s that self-centered but wants to pretend they care for others makes me sick. Reddit User: alwayshappier15

Daniel Radcliffe

I met Daniel Radcliffe very briefly when he was on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, post-Potter. I waited at the stage door, and he came out after the show to sign. He was so sweet and spent a lot of time with people! I had him sign my copy of the Deathly Hallows but babbled something to the effect of “Sorry, I know you’re not just Harry Potter….”

He looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Please don’t be sorry, I’m so proud of Harry Potter and happy to sign it,” and I told him I was really excited for The Woman in Black to come out, and he said thank you and let me take his picture when I asked. Super nice guy, really made this fangirl’s dreams come true. Reddit User: practiced-compassion

Will Ferrell

When filming Talladega Nights, he dined at a Charlotte restaurant with some of the production crew, including John C. Reilly. Apparently, whenever Will was addressed by the waitress, he would refuse to look or speak to her. Instead, he would look at someone else and say, “Tell the girl I’d like this.” But I’m almost positive that the whole thing was an act….

I met him at a charity event (I was working in sports, and he came to raise money for a local hospital with a bunch of other celebrities), and he was doing similar stuff, but it was a total bit. “Would you tell your mom to stop staring at my face!” and he would make that about-to-cry Will Ferrell face. It was hilarious. Reddit User: heart-in-your-hands

Will Smith

I had a family friend’s son who was in the movie Men in Black 2 when Agent J (Will Smith) goes to pick up Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) to bring him back. They enter the headquarters, and my family friend’s son was the one who said, “Welcome back, Agent K.” He died a few years ago from a very aggressive rheumatoid arthritis, sadly….

But he said on set Will Smith was terrible to everyone, wouldn’t talk to anyone, and thought of himself as “too good” for the other people there. However, he said Tommy Lee Jones was a great guy and brought coffee for a lot of people and stuck around to talk to other aspiring actors and actresses, etc. Reddit User: ThatOneClone

Howard Schultz

So I don’t know how much of a celebrity he is outside of the Northwest, but Howard Schultz (of Starbucks) is definitely not the nice guy he paints himself to be. The first time I met him, I told him I was a veteran, and I appreciated all the work he was doing for veterans and their families, and he was so rude to me…. 

Once he learned that I wasn’t a combat vet, he completely dismissed me. He didn’t want to give me the time of day. I worked at Starbucks HQ, and my desk was right next to his office, so I saw him all the time and he’s just not a friendly person. He also doesn’t appear to actually care about making the company more diverse. Reddit User: [redacted]

Mario Lopez

Mario Lopez came into the bookstore I worked at to grab lunch from the attached coffee shop. The girl at the counter was relatively new and didn’t know the buttons all that well yet. The cafe worker was flustered and accidentally rang him up for two sandwiches. She had to ring a manager since she didn’t have the ability to remove items herself…. 

He acted pretty rudely about the whole thing, even though the barista apologized a bunch for the incident. He has the most undeserved sense of self-importance I’ve ever witnessed in person. You’re in town shooting a Hallmark movie no one’s ever going to see, Mario. Cut the extra sandwich into three pieces and split it between all your fans. Reddit User: Darwin322

Jennifer Lawrence

I’ll never forgive Jennifer Lawrence for that time she bragged about scratching her butt with sacred rocks in Hawaii, dislodging one, and almost killing someone. Yeah, for real. She bragged and laughed about it on TV like it was just another “quirky and relatable” story. That seems like her honest feelings about it. I don’t know or care if she ever apologized….

At that point, you know it’s just damage control, but to be fair, I don’t know if that means she’s a bad person or if she’s just stupid. I hope she’s just inconsiderate because it’s easier to grow from that than being an awful person. Regardless, I wouldn’t want actually to meet her in person, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Reddit User: The_True_Dr_Pepper

Leonardo DiCaprio

My brother worked for a hotel in Miami, and he was a personal assistant for celebrities or any extremely wealthy people that stayed at the hotel. He liked working there for the most part. Leonardo DiCaprio came in, and he had to do anything he asked; Leo went under an alias, and my brother forgot to call him by it….

Leo got super angry and called my brother a peasant for the rest of his stay. I remember what he said to him: “Pack my cigarettes, peasant.” I would have paid to be there to punch him in the face for saying that. If you get to the point of really thinking you’re better than people, screw you. Reddit User: bjukee

Tim Allen

He came into a coffee shop I worked at, and he was very, very rude to the customers and me. I didn’t recognize him at first (he looks older and had kind of a beard growing), and he had caught me off guard, so when I asked his name for the order, he said “Seriously? Tim!” in a very arrogant manner…. 

Then it hit me who he was, and I got a little flustered and forgot that he had ordered a breakfast sandwich and repeated his order back. “Ok, so just the latte and the Kcups for you?” and he said, “Wow, we’re on a roll this morning, aren’t we? No…I asked for the ham and Swiss too.” So I wrote it down and apologized and finished the order. Reddit User: kelleeboo13

Rachel McAdams 

I was in Toronto at the time. I was instructing my daughter how to parallel park in the west end of the city. We were in front of a prop house. It’s exactly as it sounds: a place that sells props. Well, out strolls this blonde woman in leopard tights and the most radiant smile. I recognized her immediately…. 

I politely told her that I really liked her role in The Time Traveler’s Wife. She smiled and thanked me, then told me how nice it was to film in Toronto so she could be close to her home in St. Thomas, Ontario. The nicest unaffected star I’ve ever met. Just chatty and pleasant. It was Rachel McAdams. She’s so pretty with zero makeup and totally disarming. Reddit User: rberg57

Donovan McNabb

Donavan McNabb was at a Hooters event; we won tickets to go meet some baseball and football players there. It was specifically meet and greets. Dontrelle Willis was an awesome and super nice guy along with Beast mode! That guy was a class act. But McNabb was awful, especially for being such a crappy quarterback. He was an absolute jerk…. 

The entire time he was the complete opposite of his peers. It made you wonder what they thought of him. Dude didn’t sign autographs and spent the whole time on his phone. When asked for an autograph, he’d just roll his eyes. Like dude, you’re not even that good. Get out of here. Really disappointing that he’s even on the team after seeing that. Reddit User: conejo454

John Leguizamo 

Boy, do I have a story for you. So if anyone has heard or seen his play Latin History for Morons, they would know that his son got bullied in middle school. Which if it was true, I would feel for him, but the truth is, though, his son was the bully. These are some of the things he did…. 

He punched my friend and punched me and gave me a bloody nose in a movie theater. He made Jew and fat jokes to one overweight Jewish kid then later beat that kid up. He stole from his parents and brought knives to school. He tortured his dog (put it in the freezer and other things). He stole credit cards, blamed it on the dog, blew up fireworks at a kid’s house, and threw rocks at Jewish students’ cars. Reddit User: [redacted]

Sinbad

A few years ago, I was having a pretty severe mental crisis and wound up in a mental hospital, and who winds up in the same ward as me? Sinbad. The guy was the biggest freaking bully you could imagine to another patient on our ward and me: screaming, cursing, calling me a loser, saying that the hospital is “Sinbad’s house….” 

He was just an all-around jerk, to say the least, and very scary to be around. Now, I understand he was in a hospital, so he must have been going through some pretty serious crap at the time, so I don’t hold it against him too much. I was just shocked at how much of a bully he was. Reddit User: Boh-dar

Ian McKellen

I’ve never met the guy, but judging by his reaction to my son recognizing him, I would say that Ian McKellen is either a good guy or just likes messing with young kids’ heads. He was starring in a play in the West End (London) last year, and I was visiting the city with my 8-year-old son, who’s a huge Marvel movie fan…. 

We had just walked past the theater where the play was when my son suddenly starts walking slower and stiffens up, staring straight ahead. Without moving his head to look at me, my son says, “Dad, its Magneto!” I followed his gaze and saw Ian McKellen walking a few meters in front of us. However, he didn’t say anything at all. Reddit User: simev

DJ Tiesto 

I have a friend who works security for a high-end hotel in a big city, which has its own private club. Pretty cool, I know. One night, my friend is guarding the rear entrance to the club, which leads directly back into the hotel where Tiesto is staying. My friend isn’t familiar with EDM and doesn’t know what Tiesto looks like…. 

At one point, Tiesto, drunk as a skunk, walks towards the rear exit, and my friend gets in his way and says, “Sorry, sir, you can’t go out this way.” Tiesto replies, “Do you know who I am?”. My friend, not knowing who he is, replies, “No. Who are you? Jesus?” Yeah, hotel management was little chapped with him, but I laughed pretty hard. Reddit User: Deh_Pro_See

Will Arnett 

He’s not a jerk, but my sister met Will Arnett at a restaurant/bar in Toronto. She recognized him but didn’t know who he was, and she was a little buzzed, so she started naming stuff he was in without knowing the name, like “that depressing horse show my brother loves.” Will, being very drunk, found this hysterical, and told her that she couldn’t get a picture or an autograph if she didn’t remember his name….. 

She eventually gave up and called him a jerk or something, and they both just laughed it off. So apparently he’s a fun dude. I later read that he’s a severe alcoholic, which kind of made the story sad retroactively. She also met James Woods on an airplane, and he’s exactly the type of jerk you’d expect. Reddit User: TyChris2

Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn has a very positive public image for being the most dominant female skier of this generation but is the complete opposite when the cameras are off. My friend, who’s related to a men’s US ski team racer, went to skiing boarding schools that would train in the same places as the women’s ski team in the off season…. 

All of them said that she’s the definition of a selfish jerk. Whether it be on the hill not waiting in line behind people in the gate or off-mountain meet and greets that she would refuse to go to because it would be a waste of time. Since there was no press there, she didn’t feel obligated to do anything. Reddit User: WDKJokerr

Jennifer Lopez

Back when J. Lo and Ben Affleck were an item, a friend of my brother was a blackjack dealer in Vegas. Ben Affleck and his crew were at his table for a few hours. Apparently, it had been a pretty long night for his brother. Ben seemed nice enough, and everyone he was with was relatively tame, except one miss Jennifer Lopez….

J. Lo came down to get Ben to go somewhere or something. Ben threw down a $500 chip as a tip for my brother’s friend, and before it even stopped spinning on the table, J. Lo picked it back up said “that’s too much” to Ben and replaced that $500 chip with a $50 chip from Ben’s winnings/stack. What a jerk. Reddit User: jujubean112

Shaun White

All I did was skateboard and snowboard when I was younger. I was on vacation in California during the summer break between maybe 6th and 7th grade. My brother and I decided to go to a big skate park in Encinitas. Shaun White was there skating, and this is way before he was even close to as famous as he is now…. 

I know all the unwritten rules of skate parks and waited until he was taking a break to say hi or something. I never asked for an autograph or anything. “Hey man, my brother and I are big fans. It’s really cool to meet you and watch you skate.” I’ll never forget his response of, simply, “Screw off.” Reddit User: AW2111

Morgan Freeman

I worked at a restaurant in Mississippi during my college years, and it was very popular. Freeman would eat there all the time. He always left hammered. He was very rude to the hostesses and managers. I served him many times, and he’d always give me a hard time. For example, one night, he drunkenly asked me to straighten a painting on the wall…. 

He wasn’t very understanding and drunkenly yelled at me for being an “incompetent jerk” and such. He likes Tito’s on the rocks with three olives. He’d drink 3-4 and get so drunk that his girlfriend/wife(?) had to carry him out. I liked serving him, though, because I’d harmlessly mess with him, and he would take it so seriously. He tipped well, at least. Reddit User: JohnStamossi

Harrison Ford

My friend’s wealthy dad would park his plane in a hangar adjacent to Harrison Ford’s hangar in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (Rich people crap, I know.) Whenever my friend’s dad would approach him, even with just neighborly pleasantries, Harrison Ford would chase him off with profanity-laden rants, telling him to screw off, etc. He would always act like this, even with kids present…. 

Everyone he would be with would also be your stereotypical snooty-tooty rich people sort. He might not have a rep as the nicest guy in Hollywood, but I was surprised to learn just how awful he was in private. Some of the most iconic people turn out to be the worst. It’s sad, and really, I always loved his movies. Reddit User: kRobot_Legit

Lindsay Lohan

While I enjoyed her acting, I was very disappointed to hear how she isn’t a nice person in real life; even Michael Keaton didn’t like her, and he found her difficult to work within Herbie Fully Loaded. All the actors felt that way about her on the set, I hear. I remember hearing bad stories about her in the media…. 

This story is the only thing I remember about her, but I have heard that most child actors are like that, and while they’re responsible for their actions, it’s understandable how they got that way. They never learned how to share or do things like that. They didn’t spend a lot of time with their peers and missed out on learning a sense of reciprocity. Reddit User: diaperedwoman

Gareth Gates

I’m not sure if anyone outside the UK would know of him, but Gareth Gates. A few years back he starred in a pantomime in my home town, and the Wetherspoons I worked in happened to be right next to the theatre. You don’t really have to know about it to know that he was somewhat famous in the area. He would come in talking down to staff, making crazy and unreasonable demands…. 

He was acting like a hotshot star despite being a year-old one-hit wonder. Honestly, he wasn’t even that impressive. Making it in the UK is nothing compared to making it in America. The pantomime was on a month and a half, and we saw him just about every other night during that period, and if I never see him again, it’ll be too soon! Reddit User: throwaway6495385

Jared Leto

I had a friend that met Jared Leto on a couple of occasions. She told me pre-Dallas Buyers club she met him in Baltimore before one of his shows with his band. He was really nice and seemed genuinely appreciative of her coming to the show and liking his music. Post that movie, and she ran into him in DC. Said he was a completely different person…. 

He was self-absorbed and talking to people in a very demeaning way. General “I’m better than you” attitude. On the flip side, I met Zakk Wylde (Ozzy guitarist) once. He was probably the nicest guy you could ever meet. Just so down to earth and cool. Very positive mentality with him as well, which was kind of inspiring. Reddit User: carvedfromstone

Alyssa Milano and Colin Ferrell

Years ago, I worked in lighting for several studios in LA. Alyssa Milano (Charmed) and Colin Ferrell (SWATT) were both absolutely miserable to work with. Maybe they were going through stuff at the time and are peaches now, but I basically can’t enjoy anything I see them in anymore. Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise were both delightfully charming and professional….

I remember each of them making efforts to greet and thank crew members and even chat for a bit. It was all clearly very genuine, and I would definitely say that those projects came out better because of the positive work environment they helped create. I have no doubt it’s a big part of why they’ve been so successful over the years. Reddit User: rkotarek

Wayne Gretzky

I met Wayne during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. A group of us kids waited outside in the snow for over 4 hours while he was doing interviews. Then he proceeded to have his security team push through the group of us instead of saying hi or signing autographs. He actually knocked over one of my friends. He was just genuinely super rude….

Then when his ride left without him, he was forced to wait 10 minutes while we heckled him. It felt good for a while, but when someone is that entitled, they just don’t get it. Meanwhile, the Canadian skier Alexandre Bilodeau, who had won gold the night before, stayed behind for photos, autographs, and let us hold his gold medal. He was a class act. Reddit User: Dunsteen

Chris Parnell and Jason Sudeikis

My aunt worked at SNL for a good long while. Chris Parnell was a jerk to all of his assistants (went through 6 or 7 over a short period of time) and refused to talk to a lot of the crew. Jason Sudeikis…man, I was a really big fan of his, so when I was going to meet him, I was crazy excited…. 

I was hanging out in a hair room with lots of different wigs after the show, and he’s walking by. My aunt calls to him and says, “Jason, come meet my nephew.” He says, “Naw, I’m good.” And he walked away. He ended up having to come back to grab his backpack, and he shoulder-checked me to get to his bag. Reddit User: BubbleWrapGuy