People Are Sharing Stories About The Rudest Celebs They've Ever Met, And I'm Beginning To Agree That You Shouldn't Meet Your Heroes
by Carley Suthers · BuzzFeedNo matter how famous they become, celebrities are still human beings. Just like us, they have both good and bad days — and sometimes, unfortunate fans will meet them on a bad or difficult day and get a taste of their favorite star's more impolite behavior...
So, when Redditor, Jackytobacky asked: "Who is the rudest celeb you have met? What happened?" I quickly realized why people say you should never meet your heroes — Here are 17 stories people shared about their worst encounters with celebs:
Note: BuzzFeed cannot confirm the validity of these stories. These individuals are supposedly speaking from their own experiences.
1. The Kardashians:
"For me, it's the Kardashians. I didn't know who they were then, but my coworkers told me after they had left. The mom [Kris] came into my place of work, was on her cell the entire time, and waved off people asking her if she needed help.
Meanwhile, the younger two—Kylie and Kendall—destroyed the store. They kept grabbing things, asking their mom to buy them for them, and then tossing them on the floor. They even hauled big items from the back of the store to the front and left them there. She didn't even try to parent her kids.
At checkout, she didn't load the items onto the conveyor belt at all, so I scanned her stuff and left it in her cart. She said she wanted bags, so I begrudgingly bagged the items and left them in the bagging area for her to put into her cart. She then took out her card to pay, tapped it, and tried to hand it to me. I pointed to the machine and told her she had to use it. Then she slid her card and stood there as if there was nothing else to do. I think she asked me, 'Why is this taking so long?' Because you have to enter your PIN and say okay to the amount, girl. I think she filmed an episode of her show a few years later while shopping at a grocery store with her daughter. And they're having the best time because it's so 'new' and 'fun.' They're so fake."
2. Oprah Winfrey:
"Oprah visited Walter Reed (the military hospital) when my cousin was there. He'd been the only person in his caravan to survive a roadside bombing, and he came out of it with brain damage, two missing legs, and a wife who 'Dear John'd' before he was even out of surgery.
When asked (on camera) if he'd do it all again for his country, my cousin understandably said 'hell no.' Oprah then proceeded to lecture him on the meaning of patriotism.
He's doing okay now, but he still says 'F*ck Oprah' whenever she comes up in conversation."
3. Henry Winkler:
"At the time, I was a 12-year-old boy in NYC and a HUGE fan of the Fonz —Fonz poster, Fonz lunchbox, Fonz t-shirt, etc. I was at a block party on West 90th Street, and who did I see walking but Henry Winkler? I ran up and said, 'Please, Mr. Winkler, can I have an autograph?'
He — still walking — quickly turned to me and snarled, 'GET AWAY!' and kept walking. I stood there stunned. A nice woman who was with him stopped and asked for my address.
So, I went home, took down that Fonz poster, and told my mom I no longer wanted the T-shirt. Two weeks later, a signed 8x10 of The Fonz appears in the mail. I looked at that glossy for a long time before I tore it up and threw it away. It's 100% true. I’m an adult now and understand that people have bad days.
I know people who have worked with him, and they say he is a fantastic human being. But 12-year-old me will never forget."
4. Kenny Rogers:
"This happened in the early 1990s. I handled security at a large corporate hotel in a Canadian city. Any big-name group that performed in our city stayed at our hotel. One morning at 4:30, I escorted Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers from their guest floor to the lobby to their limo.
I am 6 foot, 5 inches tall, and when Ms. Parton approached me as I stood outside of the elevator, she said, in her sweet southern belle voice, 'Y’all sure grow ‘em big up here in Canada.' She touched my arm in a friendly manner. She was just as sweet as pie! I blushed and instantly forgot everything about my job.
Kenny did not even look at me as he boarded the elevator.
I had put the elevator into individual use so it would stay on the floor with open doors, but I took the keys with me. When it was time to descend to the lobby — in my flustered state — I had forgotten which of the roughly 30 keys on the ring controlled that elevator despite having worked there for several years. There was a long pause while I searched the key ring, key by key, two or three different times. Kenny was glaring at me the whole time, barely concealed rage bubbling just under the surface.
I finally found the right key, but when I went to put the elevator back into group service, I fumbled and dropped the keys in my haste. Kenny made a louder, exasperated sound, but Dolly came to my defense, touching my arm again and saying: 'Sugar, you just take your time; we’re in no hurry!' Kenny made another noise, but Dolly shushed him.
We eventually made it to the lobby, and I escorted them to the carport and their waiting limo. Kenny never even looked at me as he walked out the door and got into the car. Dolly, however, stopped to chat with me for a bit, thanking me and then tipped me a $100 bill. That was more than I made in a day back then! She did the same for the bellman who had brought their luggage down. Total class act!
That was my favorite and least favorite celebrity at the same time!"
5. Madonna:
"I worked at a boutique luxury retail store about 12 years ago; it was a place where many celebrities shopped because the inventory was cool and the staff/clientele was very low-key. I met everyone from Paul McCartney, Gwen Stefani, Victoria and David Beckham, Steven Tyler, Goldie Hawn, famous artists and architects, etc.! The point is we were used to people of all levels of fame coming in and treating everyone with the same level of service.
Like many similar shops, the store worked on group commission. Madonna came in one day, and she shopped for hours. The store had seven floors, so there was a lot to see, and one of our personal shoppers took her around and showed her everything, pulled her sizes from stock, helped her try things on, and organized her dressing rooms.
I managed one of the floors. When she came to my floor, one of my staff members — who had been working at the store the longest out of anyone — came up to her and very politely expressed how much her music had meant to him growing up as a gay man in a communist country in the '80s. From my point of view, it wasn’t inappropriate or unprofessional, just a really heartfelt 'I’m a fan' acknowledgment. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him in disgust. After she left our floor, he cried.
She shopped a little more and then purchased nothing after trying on tons and tons of clothes and wasting everyone’s time. But if that’s not enough to make her the rudest, we got a call the following day from one of the most expensive brands we carried (like 5-digit pieces) saying that we were to send Madonna everything she liked for free."
—u/kdfantasy
6. Amy Schumer:
"We were walking out of Comedy Cellar (she did not perform during the show we went to), but I saw her on the sidewalk, clearly walking toward the club; she was maybe 10 feet away from us. I say, 'Omg, it’s Amy Schumer!' to my bf because I think seeing a celebrity in the wild is fun.
And Amy Schumer looks at me and says, 'F*ck off!' My bf and I were in disbelief, lol.
We laugh about it now and then because it’s kind of silly. I could understand if we’d badgered her for a selfie or stopped her for pointless chitchat, but literally, all we did was notice her walking into the club we just left (dropping by for a show, I’d imagine?) and said it aloud.
But I’ll tell ya, before that, I sort of bought into the narrative that she was being punished for being a woman in comedy and that people calling her unlikeable was sexist because things like that definitely do happen. But, I think, in her case, she is actually just rude; sometimes a spade is a spade."
7. P!nk:
"P!nk was so unbelievably rude and tried to be mean and condescending by mentioning what salary she imagined I was making and what a small and worthless person that made me.
She was not very successful for two reasons:
1) I was earning at least 5 times what she imagined and what I felt I probably should have been earning at that point in my career
2) I didn't know who she was, so I was even more confused/bemused. The facility's owner called me to apologize for how I had been treated and then asked me if I knew who she was as he hadn't heard of her either but that she had been rude to all his staff, too."
8. Katy Perry:
"My view of Katy was totally ruined when I worked as a PA for the NFL Honors show several years back. I was assigned to the green room because I had no problem being friendly with celebs and not getting star-struck.
I had a few interactions with Tim Tebow and Rich Eisen that proved this to my boss (both are very cool and friendly guys). Part of my job was to greet celebrities at the VIP entrance if they didn’t want to walk the red carpet, call their assigned handler, and keep them happy until the handler showed up a minute or 2 later. Most celebs were friendly and normal. Joel McHale gave me a ‘good game’ tap on the butt as he left because we were talking about me being a college football player. He was fun.
But Katy came in and literally threw her assistant at me. Most celebs were on their own or with a significant other. She had an entourage. She would not look at anyone who tried to address her and would literally keep a wall of people around her that she would throw like Pokémon balls whenever she encountered a stranger. That was the part that bothered me most — how she treated her staff. She also left as soon as her bit was done (most of the celebs hung out, drank, and socialized) and was just as much an ice queen then as well."
9. Robert Duvall:
"Robert was in Jacksonville filming part of Days of Thunder or staying here related to the movie circa 1989/early 1990. I was 10 years old, and my family and I were out to a rare dinner for us at one of the nicer restaurants in the Jacksonville Landing (RIP).
My dad (a huge Godfather I/II fan) immediately recognized him, leaned into the table, and excitedly but quietly said to my mom, 'That's Robert Duvall! From The Godfather!' He saw my parents look over, and he made a nasty face at them before waving the waiter over and whispering something to him.
The waiter shook his head, and Robert Duvall became visibly angry and slammed his fist on the table. The waiter said something back to him, shook his head again, and then Robert stood up, threw some money on the table, and left. I can only assume that he was also an incredible asshole to the waiter before we got there because the waiter later came over with a bottle of wine for my parents and said, 'Complements of Mr. Duvall. He overpaid.'' On the way out, my dad and the waiter chatted for a few minutes, and on the way home in the car, my dad told my mom that Robert Duvall tried to get us kicked out because my dad recognized him, and he didn't want to be bothered. All we did was look in his direction."
10. Bill Nye:
"I haven't met very many celebs, but I gotta say that Bill Nye the Science Guy was the rudest. I grew up in Seattle and ran into him with my dad when I was young while he was setting up for a shoot for that show on Alki Beach.
I was a huge nerd; he was one of my heroes because of that show. My pops told me to go and say hello, so I did, and Bill responded with something along the lines of 'Get out of here, kid! We're busy! Where are your parents at?' I pointed at my pa across the beach and said, 'Right over there!' Bill told me to leave him alone; I was devastated (mind you, I was 6 or 7)."
11. B.J. Novak:
"I used to cook/bartend at a local dive bar when I was in college. He came and did a comedy set for the students (he bombed; it was awful). After the show, I went in for the late night shift. As I'm standing there behind the bar, clocking in and getting ready to head back to the kitchen, B.J. walks in and sits down at the bar, looking completely bummed.
Our main bartender goes over to talk to him. He sneered at our menu and asked for things that he knew we would never have. (This was where the broke college kids and even more broke townies drank.) The fact that we offered more than one vodka was a miracle.
He finally picked something up, and the bartender asked for his ID. Keep in mind that this is a college town bar. We carded everyone who ordered a drink, regardless of how old they looked. There were signs saying this in about 8 different places. B.J. lost it. He completely blew up on our bartender, cussing him out and saying things like, 'Do you know who the f*ck I am? I'll buy this place and fire the whole f*cking staff!'
Our bartender knew exactly who he was but was quick enough to say, 'You look like some sort of off-brand Seth Meyers. Either show me your ID or get the f*ck out.'
He eventually showed his ID and went to sit in a corner. Every now and then, he'd make a rude comment to a server walking by. When he tried to order another round, the bartender cut him off and kicked him out."
12. Tyler Perry:
"My family lives in a smaller city in east Texas, and Tyler and his entourage of about 20 people randomly showed up at this local pizza place — unannounced — walked in, and demanded 6 tables; the store didn't have that many tables open and asked them if they could wait.
The dude blows up on the wait staff and pulls the 'don’t you know who I am?' bs. There was a palpable collective eye roll throughout the building. They manage to eventually pull the tables together and sit them down. They’re being loud and obnoxious and demanding. At some point, a timid waitress comes to our table and says, 'Umm… Mr. Perry has requested that fans not disturb him and please don’t ask for autographs or photos.'
My dad famously shouted at him from across the room, 'You can tell Mr. Perry not to disturb us while WE’RE eating!'
Classic dad. I love that man."
13. Ben Platt:
"I worked on a set once and brought breakfast for Ben Platt, and he completely ignored me. He was in the hairstyling chair; however, he wasn’t being actively worked on. I said, 'Hi, I have breakfast for Ben.' He didn’t acknowledge me or look up and just stared at his phone.
The hairstylist looked at him and realized he wasn’t gonna say anything, then said, 'Uhh, I guess right there, honey,' and pointed to the counter in front of him. I set it down and said, 'Enjoy!' and again, nothing, and the hairstylist thanked me instead of him.
Later, the stars were being escorted to set, and I was basically just there to hold the door open for them. Every single one of them said hi with a smile and thanked me, except… you guessed it, Ben Platt, who just breezed right past me without acknowledgment. I wouldn’t have felt that was all that rude if all the others hadn’t greeted me so warmly when entering. So yeah, f*ck Ben Platt. Dear Evan Hansen sucked."
14. Ashton Kutcher:
"I bartended at a restaurant. Ashton Kutcher once sat at my bar, and brought along the drink he ordered at the other bar while waiting for a seat. The hostess who seated him advised me of what he and his companion were drinking so I could seamlessly serve them a second round: a prosecco for the lady and a gin and tonic for the gentleman. This was standard practice for any guest being seated with drinks already in hand.
When it came time for another round, I asked, 'Sir, may I get you another gin and tonic?' But I'd apparently been misinformed because it was a vodka tonic, and Kutcher looked at me with daggers in his eyes. 'VODKA tonic,' he demanded dismissively, as though it were a personal attack to misidentify his spirit. They left without a single pleasantry after a while and left a below-average tip."
15. Tommy Lee Jones:
"I was working as a security guard on the movie shoot for The Hunted. In my second week on the job, I was posted in front of Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio del Toro’s trailers on this side street in a residential area. Basically, just stand there all day and make sure nobody messes with anything.
Day 1 was fine. I was there all day and never saw Tommy Lee Jones. Benicio came and went throughout the day and was super nice. He even came out and had a chat once. It was a trip because I had just seen him on TV the week prior accepting an Oscar. I congratulated him on that, and he was thankful. He just seemed like an alright dude that wasn’t all up his own ass.
Day 2 was a different story. I come in at 10 a.m. and relieve the overnight person. I’m standing there, and this dog comes trotting up to me. Super friendly. I assumed it was a neighborhood dog that got out. It just kind of hung out with me for about 20 minutes until an SUV came flying down the street and stopped right before the barricade. I see an old man hop out of the back. He points and yells, 'HEY!' And walks toward me with a purpose. 'GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY DOG!'
It’s at this point that I realize it’s Tommy Lee Jones. I put my hands up and said, 'Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was your dog.'
I don’t know if he heard me, but he walked right up to me with his driver right behind him, ready to pull him back if he had to. He put his finger on my chest and said, 'Why is she out? Who let my dog out?'
I tried to tell him she was out when I got there, and I had no idea it was even his dog, but I was only 20 and just completely scared out of my mind, so I was stuttering and stammering, and he kept interrupting me, demanding answers. By then, a few more of his people had gathered around, and someone got ahold of my boss. Then my phone rang, and it was my boss telling me to just go home for the day and it would get handled.
I went home and called him later, asking if I should still come in tomorrow. He said, 'Nope, you don’t work here anymore.' I tried explaining everything, but I couldn't get through.
So, Tommy Lee Jones got me fired from a job for something I was not responsible for."
16. John Elway:
"Two shitty encounters that demonstrated just how full of himself he is, and growing up in Denver, I've heard many more similar stories. He came into the pizza restaurant I worked at in high school on a busy Friday night, pulled staff aside, and said that we had to let all the other customers know that he was there but 'wouldn’t be signing autographs or talking to fans.'
Then, a few years later, I was at a Bon Jovi concert in Denver, and he and his entourage were in the row in front of us. They showed up 10 minutes after the band started. They stood in the aisles, took their own time sitting down and moving out of everybody’s way, then sat down the entire show and talked loudly and barely paid attention the entire 2.5-hour show and left early, again taking their time and blocking everybody’s view as they gathered their things and left."
17. Bill Murray:
"I met Bill Murray. Of note is that I didn’t want to be there but was forced to because, for some reason, my sister was going through a huge Bill Murray phase at age 10. Bill asked me some questions and then said, 'You’re not making a lot of eye contact. What, do you have Asperger’s or something?'
The answer was yes."