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40 Of The Rudest Celebs Folks Had The Displeasure Of Meeting Or Working With
I feel like almost everyone has a celebrity story to share. In my case, a long time ago, I met Freya Mavor from Skins while she was just walking down the street in my hometown. She was really kind, and honestly, I think she was surprised that someone recognized her.
So, while most of my celebrity encounters have been pretty positive (and mostly at Comic Con), not everyone can say the same. And that’s where we’re going today: a star-studded selection of stories filled with nightmare moments when fans, or just regular people, realized that some celebrities really aren’t worth your time and could use a bit of common sense.
Read more: Reddit
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#1
I worked on visual effects on The Abyss (we called it The A***e a week into the experience). This is well known in the industry, but James Cameron is easily one of the most arrogant and smug a******s on the planet earth. One day we had to wait for dailies to start because Cameron had a dental appointment. We finally assemble to watch dailies and Cameron comes in and sits in the front row. An executive that was sitting behind him leaned over and asked him how he was feeling after the dentist. Cameron turned around and in a very load voice said, "You work for me - don't you ever ask me a personal question." Classic Cameron.
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#2
Mario Lopez was contracted to host a charity fashion show for the company i worked for. He and his wife just had a baby.
Despite being contracted to appear at the ire show meet and greet and after party he purposely was late from the hotel and missed it and then claimed he had a flight to catch right after the show, we booked his flight it didn't leave until the next morning.
He kept learing at the models backstage some were teenagers (18-19) and "accidently" kept turning the wrong direction off stage and going into their dressing room.
Flat hit on several and tried to get their numbers. All around off stage was a total and complete arrogant a*****e.
Best: John Cena
In a restaurant in San Diego with some coworkers. Table next to us asked the waiter if the guy in back was John Cena. He said he was and a regular. That was the extent of their inquiry. They didn't stare, taken pics, nothing.
About 30 mins later after they are done eating, Cena appears at their table. Apologies and says he wanted to wait until they were done eating but that waiter had mentioned they asked about him. He just wanted to stop by and say hi and tell them he appreciated them respectfully asking about him and he was happy to meet them. Talked for 10 min signed autographs and took a Pic. He then left and the waiter told them he paid for their meal.
We sat there just in awe of what a sweet, thoughtful guy he was.
#3
Worked at a high end hotel for a few years 10+ years ago. Met a ton of famous people from different industries.
Most of them are surprisingly nice. Sterling K. Brown, Hilary Duff, Steve Carell, Eva Longoria, Matt LeBlanc and Michael Peña stood out as being super cool and kind.
The absolute worst, Tiger Woods. The guy might be the most condescending p***k I’ve ever met in my life. I’m not even a golf fan but that drunk**s can eat my f**k.
Edit: I’m adding this since people are asking for details.
It was over 10 years ago so I don’t remember everything, but when he stayed with us it was a nightmare. We had dealt with a few celebrities that were demanding and difficult (Jennifer Lopez, Father John Misty, and Ric Flair are examples) but weren’t outright te*******s.
The first thing I remember is that he stiffed the valet and made a huge scene about having to check in because he didn’t want people to look at him or talk to him. He apparently had very specific demands about his room like the temperature, the bathroom lighting, and some other random s**t that was kind of funny like the bed had to be exactly this many feet away from one of the windows. I was a bartender at the adjacent restaurant and he wanted a specific vodka poured a specific way. He apparently threw a fit about how much the drinks were and asked that we comp his drinks, but thankfully the GM of the hotel wasn’t having it and neither was the bar manager.
One of my buddies was on the maintenance crew and asked him how his day was and he flat out said “don’t talk to me you piece of s**t” without even looking at him. Someone from Tiger’s group then got in the guy’s face and said he should know better and that he was going to have him fired and threatened to call the cops on him. For just asking him how his day was going. The guy quit a week later.
The biggest thing though was how he treated the staff when he had dinner at the hotel one night. He made it very clear that he didn’t want anyone approaching him or his group and nobody on the staff was allowed to ask him personal questions or say anything about golf. He made one of the waitresses break down after his group left. She literally went into the kitchen, slumped against the wall, and just started crying. We all felt like we had just survived an attack when his group finally got out of their seats and stumbled back to their rooms with their escorts. I’ve never seen someone so up their own a*s, so entitled, so nasty, so f*****g vile. His group spent thousands of dollars(I think one of his friends paid, not him) and they didn’t tip. He’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a real life Homelander, except without any powers and a taste for vodka and hookers instead of breast milk. I’ll never forget how I felt that night, the amount of restraint it took for me not to rip this dude a new one was insane.
The stories today come from people who’ve met celebrities out in the wild. Some of these moments come from hotel workers, Hollywood industry professionals, or even university events, like the one person who met Bill Cosby. Apparently, even before all the scandals, the comedian already had a bit of a reputation, being described as “cranky” and “unpleasant.” Yikes.
While we’re not trying to play devil’s advocate, it’s hard to ignore the fact that celebrities are still human. In fact, psychologists have conducted studies showing that fame and constant time in the spotlight can, and often does, affect people’s mental health. Constant scrutiny, loss of privacy, and even identity issues can leave celebrities more withdrawn and more prone to depression and anxiety.
#4
Drake. Childrens hospital setting and was a d**k to everyone including the kids.
#5
Nasty is not the right word but J-Lo was incredibly unpleasant as you’d expect. Came in our shop no hellos or how are you’s and just started asking for s**t. Walked around in her diamond crusted Timbos behind our register tables like she owned the joint. B****y af. Guillermo Del Toro came in the next day and he is genuinely the coolest and nicest dude. Remembered my name from last time and talked to me about films for like 10mins before dropping mad cash on soundtrack records. Love him.
#6
Did tv commercials with James Cordon. He got paid an obscene amount for one days work which you would think would make him happy. But we spent 12 hours doing an 8 hour shoot because he kept stopping every 30 minutes or so to throw a fit and yell at everyone. Total a****t.
Of course, you could argue that being rude to staff or service workers shows who someone really is — and it’s hard to disagree with that. There’s nothing excusable about treating people as inferior or being unnecessarily rude. Still, it does make you wonder how any of us would react if we constantly had cameras in our faces or felt surrounded by entitled people.
After all, parasocial relationships are becoming a bigger issue as social media continues to grow. With most celebrities active on apps like Instagram, TikTok, or even X, research suggests that fans can start to feel entitled to their opinions, and to constant attention, because celebrities seem more accessible. This can easily lead to stressful situations, where expectations run high and disappointment follows.
#7
Brad Pitt. That f****r has the best PR team imaginable but he was one of the worst creatures I met with horrendous body odor. It was also a very open secret that he was a mean drunk. Plenty of people who worked with or had the misfortune of being near him have stories but his team makes sure they stay shut. There's a reason all his kids hate him.
#8
I bumped into John Mellencamp in a grocery store in Bloomington. He was being a total d**k to the cashier, so I yelled at him "hey Mellencamp... Your last album sucked." In the interest of transparency, I hadn't heard it but was just being mean.
#9
Seinfeld. He was at a car show in the 90's and stopped to check out my car. I was super stoked and asked to take a picture with him and my car. It wasn't the "no", it was the belittling way it was delivered. I was just a kid and felt 6" tall in that moment.
F**k you Jerry!
Needless to say, as unhealthy as it may sound, because it kind of is, celebrity worship is probably bigger than ever. And you don’t even have to be a musician or an actor anymore. Sometimes, all it takes is being a big name in the corporate world. Take Elon Musk, for example, who someone describes as explosive and rude. He’s not a traditional celebrity, but he’s built such a public persona that he’s treated like one.
This kind of fame can also feed what some might call an ego problem. Experts often talk about “digital narcissism,” where the constant attention from media and social platforms starts to change how people behave. That constant need for visibility, and the dopamine hit that can come with it, can push some people to act out just to stay relevant or keep people talking. Yes, this does happen.
#10
Back when I worked retail in Malibu, Shirley MacLaine was one of our regulars. She was such an absolute b***h to every retail employee who had the misfortune to help her in Malibu, that we were all delighted she believed in reincarnation since it meant she could d*e more than once.
#11
Used to park cars at a high end spot in Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. We had celebrities coming through all the time, and it wasn’t unusual for big names to throw parties at the property.
Katt Williams came through, we asked him for his key fob (back when remote start was novel and it was typical for people to walk off without handing it to us). It turned into a whole thing. He got in our valets faces, yelled about how dumb we are, grabbed passers by off the sidewalk and asked like “do you think they need the key? It sure looks like the car is running to me!”
Went on for about five minutes, long after we gave up. Next car was randomly Ron Livingston, not even there for the same reason but he watched it all happen.
He hands me his key immediately and just says “F*****g celebrities, man.” I’ll never not love that guy.
#12
I used to work for a company that made parts for Tesla.
We had a manufacturing issue that resulted in 2/3 of our parts being out of spec. We only shipped the good parts, but were behind on the rest. This was apparently a big enough deal for Elon to get involved personally. And he was even more of an a*****e than even I expected.
He got on the conference call and basically just yelled at us for twenty minutes before demanding that we ship the defective parts. When I pointed out that we couldn't do that because their defect affected safety systems and we would be absorbing liability, he got even more pissed and shouted me down, going as far as to call me a "d*****t," which was actually more amusing than threatening.
I still refused to attach my name to the shipment, but management went over my head and sent the parts anyway. I left the company not long after that.
Celebrity accountability is definitely shifting as well. Some celebrities on this list already have a bit of a reputation for being difficult to deal with. Whether it’s rudeness, toxic behavior, or over-the-top demands, they’re not always seen as the same kind of people they show themselves to be. And these days, people expect them to address it and apologize pretty quickly.
Audiences are also much less willing to separate talent from behavior, which makes these “rude encounter” stories feel more significant than they might have a decade ago. Some studies even suggest that separating the art from the artist can be a kind of “comfort” mechanism. But with social media pushing everything into more black-and-white thinking, that separation just isn’t as accepted anymore.
#13
My mom, sister, and I were biking north on the Strand one morning and we ended up passing Gary Busey. We were so surprised that we started giggling. He heard us and screamed back over his shoulder “shut up, b*****s!”
Which of course just made us laugh harder.
#14
Hulk Hogan and his crew. Tried to be seated at the restaurant where I was working 2 hours after his reservation time. Argued with the owner, who didn't back down.
#15
My aunt works catering and met (well, sorta met) John Legend. Apparently, his wife was fantastic but he was the worst. He demanded a different meal than everyone else, and had the workers STAND FACING THE WALL while he came through. Yikes.
Back in the golden age of cinema, big stars were mysterious, and no one really knew whether they were having a good or bad day. These days, that mystery is gone. Celebrities aren’t really allowed to have an off day anymore, which is something we, as regular people, tend to forget. Everyone has bad days, but the difference is that most of us aren’t constantly being judged by strangers.
One could argue that celebrities should be role models and at least try to come across as approachable, but the reality is that they can’t really switch off from their job, not even when they’re just out walking their dog, which can't be easy. So with that in mind, have you ever had a particularly bad celebrity encounter? Or, on a more positive note, a good celebrity meeting? Let us know below!
#16
I saw Weird Al once after one of his shows. I said "That was the best concert I've ever seen." he said "Thank you. I'm happy you liked it." which wasn't weird at all. Messed up man.
GenuineJen 59 minutes ago (edited)
I was ready to fight when I read the name. NGL they got me at first. Weird Al is the best!
#17
My husband (in his early 20s at the time) saw Aziz Ansari out at dinner in New York and interrupted his meal to ask for a picture. Aziz, in the nicest way possible, told him he was being rude, and still took the picture. My husband was rightfully mortified and I’ve always loved this story bc he respectfully told my dork husband he was in the wrong but still honored his request. Which I think takes a very level headed person to do, because it’s clearly an aggravating situation to be put in.
#18
Dr. Phil, went to one of his show tapings, he treated all the stage staff like s**t. Cursing at them and demanding things. I was shocked.
#19
Jessie J. Sorry she's just evil.
ETA : She's just an awful person and she surrounds herself with awful humans as her team. Rude, entitled, overall nasty. I had the displeasure to work with her. I don't know a single person who's worked with her who thinks anything positive about her. Backing vocalists, dancers, stylists. They all leave her team. Do you want to know why she had to go to China to do that talent show? Cause no one in the West wanted to work with her anymore. So much talent and so much entitlement.
#20
I worked high end retail for years and big celebrities coming through was the norm. I really hate to name people for one bad day or the result of stresses but .. one was notoriously rude on more than one occasion. Sarah McLachlan . The worst is when she was at the Tiffany’s boutique quite close to the boutique I was working at and the girls ran over after and told us all about how she was screaming at the lovely classy older lady that works there because she wanted to cut the line for a return with the whole “ Do you know who I am !!? “ thing.
Not part of the assignment but the nicest sweetest people I helped at different stores I worked at were: Goldie Han , Jennifer Connelly ( very shy but kind ) and an ABSOLUTE gem was Linda Hamilton.
#21
My guy is a stagehand. He used to work at a tour venue. He said the worst he encountered was Neil Diamond who demanded staff and crew not look at him at all.
#22
There's a lot, but the first one that came to mind was Ron Jeremy.
I worked in a bar and he came in. I was told he and a girl were "being inappropriate" on our patio. I walked out to check it out, and walked up to him full on fi*****ng her completely in public. Just blasting away with no attempt to hide it whatsoever.
When I told them they had to leave right away, he immediately pulled his hand out and tried to shake my hand as an "apology." Absolutely disgusting human being.
#23
In my old life, I worked with Keith Urban. That dude and his management team are toxic, delusional a******s.
#25
Bill Cosby. And this was in 2009 before we knew about the allegations.
I was on my university's Activities Council, specifically on the Concert Board, so anytime the school brought concerts, guest speakers, etc. to campus, we'd help with the promotion, set up, teardown, other day-of logistics, and in return we got free tickets to all of the events and usually got to meet the performers.
Bill Cosby was so genuinely unpleasant, cranky, and rude from the get-go. He had his rider that was given to staff ahead of time of what he wanted to have in his dressing room, but as soon as he arrived, he demanded that one of our crew drive over an hour to a different city to pick up food from a BBQ restaurant he liked (that hadn't been on his rider, otherwise we would've planned for it).
When she returned over 2 hours later (round trip), it was about the time when we had all gathered together backstage and got to meet him briefly. He condescendingly lectured us all about how our generation is entitled and whiny, and then asked about his BBQ- the girl who'd driven to go get it spoke up and said "I went and got it for you Mr. Cosby" and he goes "and...?" and she nervously goes "and....I hope you enjoy it?" and he goes "AND you put it in the oven so it doesn't get cold, RIGHT??"
She turned red and excused herself, I assume to go deal with the food situation. He did not say thank you at any point- and he never even ended up touching the food.
Given what we know about him now this seems pretty tame in comparison, but I hold the pleasure of saying I hated Bill Cosby before it was the norm lol.
#26
I worked on the Monty Python reunion shows in 2012/2013. John Cleese and Eric Idle were the total pits. Horrible to staff all the time, lots of swearing at people with much much less power than them. Idle called me a c**t at one point for doing my job. I worked on it for 9 months, then at the end of the two weeks of shows I cried because I was so happy it was over and I would never have to deal with them again.
#27
Danica Patrick came to my recoding studio to do voice over for a TV show about racing. She LOST HER S**T over the fact that it was like a 2 hour session and not 30 minutes, then spent 30 minutes yelling at people on the phone, and when she started was really obnoxious to the producers over the phone listening in.
Its typical for a VO talent to be asked to re-read a line a little faster or slower because they're are designed to match scenes, and when they did she would yell at them how they are wasting her time, which took longer than just reading the part again.
She probably got paid $100,000 or more for her work, it was like 10 episodes.
This was about 10 years ago, and its not surprising she is gone from the spot light, since no one wanted to work with her.
#28
Jim Belushi.
Worked on the Underdog movie in 2008.
He was hated by the entire crew.
Arrogant a*****e.
Worst example was he was in and out of a police van during a shot.
Waiting inside a few times.
He urinated into a water bottle and just left it for the crew to find.
Didn’t say anything.
He was one of the stars.
He could have paused shooting to use a bathroom.
Or just given someone a heads up or carried it out discreetly.
None of the above.
#30
John Elway. He used to come into the casino I worked at and just treat everyone like trash. Then he would s**t on his fans to their face and laugh about it with his buddies. Just everything I dislike in a man.
#31
I used to work in television production in LA. Worked at MTV and in videos and commercials. So, I met a lot. This was 2002-2007. I’d say the worst on set was J Lo. Just a f*****g nightmare when we shot a commercial for her gross perfume.
#32
I think a lot about a quote that I heard was from David Letterman. He allegedly said the worst part of being a celebrity is that you’re never allowed to be having a bad day. Maybe you stubbed your toe, or you have a migraine, or you’re just in a bad mood, and you’re a little rude to the cashier at the grocery store. Now everyone there will go around the rest of their lives telling everyone they know about how you’re a big a*****e.
#33
Gene Simmons
Friends introduced us, they were talking about doing a signature bass with him. Rude arrogant narcissist doesn’t even begin to describe him. Its not a character he plays, its who he is.
#35
I hate to call him a celebrity but Jeffree Star. I literally ran in to him back stage at a My Chemical Romance concert & I barely bumped him in passing when he said "uh..look where you're going! You hit me! Don't you know who I am?" I replied "No. No I don't " and i walked a bit further when my friend said who it was. I love that I got to tell his smug a*s that no, in fact not everyone knows who you are, and don't crowd hallways sir...
#36
My naughty list: Pete Wentz. I worked at an oddities shop in NYC about 9 years ago. His children tore the shop up & acted like that kid in The Simpsons that wanted Bonestorm while his vacant-eyed wife asked me about crystals. Lauryn Hill shopped at an art supply store I worked at. We had to close the place down for her so she could buy markers & were told not to look her in the eye as if she were a bird that interpreted eye contact as a threat.
The nice list: Jon Bon Jovi was friendly & talkative & his kids were well-behaved. Nick Cave is kind & has a wicked sense of humor & just dresses like that every day. He stopped to take a pic with a customer who recognized him. Lauren Hutton is a hoot. James Cameron is surprisingly nice. Guillermo Del Toro is also incredibly chill. Susan Sarandon is friendly & talkative. I spent 30 minutes talking with Tom Savini at the oddities store I worked at & he gave me the coolest business card I’ve ever seen. John Turturo is a doll.
#39
Andy D**k. What a sloppy piece of s**t that guy is. He was drunk as f**k at one of the bars at an airport in Texas. He was complaining to me that everybody called him gay, then he pointed to some teenage girls and said he should f**k one of them just to prove that he's not. I don't know how the f**k this guy ever got work. He should be in prison.
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