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33 Times People Met Their Idols In Real Life, Only To Regret It Deeply, As Shared Online
You've likely heard the saying that goes along the lines of "never meet your heroes" or "meet your heroes and end up disappointed." None of the variations are that subtle about their meaning; they're basically warning you to be wary about meeting the people you place on a pedestal.
So, today, let's take a look at real-life examples of this saying. You've got examples of people meeting someone they thought highly of, only to learn that there's nothing that good about them, at least in certain regards. Let's jump in, shall we?
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Keanu Reeves, An Actor Best Known For Movies Like "John Wick" And "The Matrix"
A friend of mine ran into Keanu Reeves while he was taking a break just outside a movie set. Said he was happy to talk to them, was super down to Earth and was genuinely interested in talking with them, not just at them.
I know this isnt the question, but in a thread like this, I just love Keanu for what a great contrast he is to all these jerks, lol.
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
Upvote for Keanu! I would be heartbroken to hear a bad story about him.
RELATED:
#2
Ian Rankin, A Scottish Crime Writer And Philanthropist
Ian Rankin was always a grumpy jerk when I served him his morning coffee, my favourite author and it ruined his books for me for a while...
The afternoon worker told him how much I loved his work and when my birthday was, for my 30th I was given an entire set of hardbacks of each of his rebus books signed with an apology letter, completely unexpected, turns out he just isn't a morning person.
#3
Brent Jay Spiner Is An American Actor Best Known For His Role In "Star Trek"
Brent Spiner broke my heart and John de Lancie. Star Trek: TNG was our favourite show to watch together; Data was my fav character and Q was hers.
I lost my mom suddenly; that same year I got the opportunity to meet them both at a convention, paid for a photo op and autograph each with them. Just teared up waiting in line, from grief and wishing I could be having this moment with my mom. Not squealing fab-girl crying; I was composed I just couldn’t stop the tears.
I was wiping my tears when I stepped up to Mr. Spiner and they just wouldn’t stop falling. I apologized to him and told him I wished my mom was here to meet him too. He sighed, rolled his eyes and asked if I “pull myself together” to take the picture.
Now. I know he doesn’t owe me anything but that stung. It felt like he didn’t see me as a person. So I got my picture and moved on to Mr. de Lancie, still trying to get the tears under control.
Mr. de Lancie greeted me with a hug, asked if I was ok. I explained mom was gone and he was her fav character on the show and I wished like heck she was here to meet him. He asked if I had a picture of her on my iPhone and said pull up my favourite one of her so she could be in the picture with us. The autograph he wrote was ‘Remember, mom is waiting for you in the stars’. He took maybe 2 more minutes than Brent to treat me like a person.
Rick Murray 1 day ago (edited)
Were they close to each other (edit for clarification: close as in proximity)? If I was John de Lancie, I'd have made an extra special effort after hearing Brent Spiner being such a jerk.
As people, we have a tendency to idolize those who impress us. Perhaps we see each of them as an epitome of perfection, simply having qualities that we wish to have or doing things we dream about. From person to person, each of us can get star-struck by entertainers, activists, politicians, or anyone else.
Well, when we hear about a person idolizing someone, most often it’s some kind of celebrity. It's usually a musician, actor, comedian, or anything of that sort. There are good reasons behind selecting a celebrity, and one of them is that since these people are well-known, so we consider them important and powerful.
#4
Jake Gyllenhaal, An American Actor, Best Known For Movies Like "Brokeback Mountain", "Donnie Darko" And Many Others
My husband had a very high profile job that allowed us to interact with celebrities on the regular. The rudest, ungrateful, and most bored were: Jake Gyllenhall, Joan Collins, Jennifer Lopez. The nicest, most gracious, kind were: Octavia Spencer, Melissa McCarthy, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Bob Newhart, Renee Zellweger, and Bette Davis.
#5
Roger Waters, An English Musician And Singer-Songwriter, Best Known For His Work In A Band Pink Floyd
I met Roger Waters…in a business setting…and *whew boy*…… I understood and appreciated Dave Gilmore, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright even more after that.
#6
David Lee Roth, An American Rock Singer, Lead Vocalist Of Band Van Halen
Secondhand story but my BIL won a contest to hang out with David Lee Roth and be his “assistant” for a day, around the time he had left Van Halen and put out his first solo album. He was pretty excited about it. He said Roth talked nonstop about the stupidest things and by the end of the day he couldn’t wait to get away from him.
Their appearances in the media allow us to peek into their lives, which can seem different and more interesting than ours. And so, we go the route of worshiping them, which sometimes comes from our subconscious. Essentially, our brains are wired to idolize anything that seems glamorous, fascinating, or powerful.
It can also be due to the fact that some people simply have a conscious desire to be famous and popular, thus they adore those who have already achieved it. Or maybe they just want a better life than the one they currently have. There can be a lot of reasons why we latch onto worshipping someone, and as long as this idolizing doesn’t go too far, there’s nothing wrong with it.
#7
John Byrne, A British-Born American Comic Book Writer And Artist Of Superhero Comics, Who Has Worked On Works Like Marvel Comics's X-Men And Fantastic Four
I’m a decades-long con rat. I have STORIES.
But this one stands out as amongst the absolute worst, and I was just a bystander.
Setting: AggieCon (the Texas A&M campus geek-fest) circa 1995.
John Byrne was the lead celeb. Had a booth.
I was standing at an adjacent table talking to a guy.
Dad and his little kid approached Byrne. Kid had some drawings of his own to show off and some X-Men comics to get signed.
Kid was nervous as hell, but dad encouraged him and was gentle and sweet.
Byrne takes one look at the drawings, and loudly—so the entire conference room could hear—proclaimed how much the drawings sucked. And then he complained that he was sick of X-Men, and did big, scrawling signatures across the kid’s comics and essentially ruined them.
Kid was terrified and shrank. Dad was pissed and snatched the kid away in silent fury.
Byrne leaned back, put his hands behind his head, and smirked like Alfred E Neumann just swallowed a canary.
The ENTIRE ROOM stared daggers.
I called him a jerk and he laughed.
Never read another book with him attached again.
#8
Hilary Swank, An American Actress And Film Producer, Best Known For Movies Like "Boys Don't Cry" And "Million Dollar Baby"
Met Hilary Swank. I was her uber driver. We were driving for about an hour and a half through deep LA traffic on their way to see a Bruce Springsteen show who happens to be their friend(they explained). She and her significant other were a bit intoxicated and in good spirits.
It was funny because my breaks were making a loud scratching noise (ready to be replaced) so I asked what they wanted to listen to in order to hide the noise. Obviously she picked Springsteen. She was a fun drunk. Every other Springsteen song she would go “ugh, this one’s my favorite”.
#9
Bob Dylan, Is An American Singer-Songwriter, Described As One Of The Greatest Songwriters Of All Time
Bob Dylan came out of a thrift shop in Kalamazoo, MI as I was walking down the sidewalk. This was late 90's. He was playing a show downtown that night, which I knew about but couldn't attend, or I probably wouldn't have realized who it was. Just said, "love ya, Bob" as we were about to pass each other. He stopped and looked at me and said, "do you know me?" I stammered something like, "no but I love your songs." He nodded and said, "I thought you thought I was someone else," and then kept walking. It was kind of perfect, in contrast to the theme of this post and comment section.
WalterWhiteSavannah 10 hours ago
Surprised he wasn't gonna be more of a jerk tbh. I've known several people who attended bob Dylan concerts (different ones not the same concert) and they all told me he was nearly incoherently drunk, standoffish with the crowd, and wrapped his set early.
In fact, it can even have a positive effect on one’s life. When a person idolizes someone who sets a good example, they might be more motivated to reach their own goals, to make gains in their own life, and improve their mental health.
So, if it doesn’t turn into celebrity worship syndrome – an obsessive level of interest in a public figure going beyond social norms and impacting one’s functioning - celebrity worship is a rather good thing.
#10
Rosie O’Donnell, An American Talk Show Host, Comedian, And Actress
Not me but my mom loved Rosie O’Donnell growing up and won tickets to fly out, get a free hotel, see her show, and quickly meet her. She came back saying she was a nasty jerk and never watched her show again. Heh.
Rebecca Joan 1 day ago
Heard this about her when she had her talk show in NYC. She was apparently super nice to kids but an absolute c**t to adults.
#11
George Romero, An American-Canadian Filmmaker, Writer, Editor And Actor, Regarded As The "Father Of The Zombie Film
Tom Savini, I had a Day of the Dead poster I had George Romero autographed, and brought it to get him to sign.
As a big fan of old school practical effects, I tried to compliment him on his works as he signed it and he just seemed pissed off that I was even attempting to talk to him.
But George Romero was awesome, super friendly and happy to talk to you, shook my hand and was all smiles to hear Day of the Dead was one of my favorite zombie movie.
#12
Lee Trevino, A Retired Professional Golfer, Regarded As One Of The Greatest Players In Golf History
Several years ago, I saw golfer Lee Trevino before a tournament in Texas. I said, “Have a great round, Mr. Trevino.” He took my lanyard ticket in his hand and said, “See this? It’s a ticket to watch me play, not talk to me.” I hope he was just having a bad day. I was so disappointed.
Michael Largey 1 day ago (edited)
"Thanks for the info, Mr. Trevino. Tell me, does this lanyard also ward off vampires, or just ingrates?"
Yet, idolizing someone from afar and meeting them are two different things. You see, when you do that from a distance, it’s rather easy not to notice negative things, as celebrities tend to hide them. You may even find yourself projecting certain ideas onto them. But when you meet them, this bubble can burst very easily.
Today’s list proves just that – in it, you will find a whole plethora of stories about people meeting someone they idolized and realizing that they were no one worthy of worship.
#13
Bill Nye, A Science Educator In Pop Culture, Best Known As The Host Of The Science Education Television Show "Bill Nye The Science Guy"
Bill Nye very crudely hitting on my mom when I was 12 and very much a fan. I was maybe 80% weirded out and 20% wondering what it would be like to have Bill Nye as a stepdad.
#14
Kevin Costner, An American Actor And Filmmaker, Best Know For "Dances With Wolves", "Bull Durham" And Many Others
Used to work for Kevin Costner at a restaurant he once owned back in the 90's. Really high class place and had high class guests, really weird for where it was located. Anyway, he seems approachable and like a nice dude, but he's just a really really good actor, he got all the acting skills and his brother, Dan, got all the people skills.
#15
Keith Hernandez, An American Former Professional Baseball First Baseman, Who Played In Major League Baseball For 17 Seasons
Keith Hernandez. Met him when I was 18. He signed some things for me. Was very nice- talked baseball with me.
Great Experience.
Met him again at age 47 a year ago. This time it was a paid experience. I paid for an autograph and inscription. He didn’t want to sign the card or write the inscription. He was a jerk (he did it bc his handlers reminded him that’s how he gets paid).
It’s like he was a totally different person.
For some of these folks, the interaction was simply underwhelming, while for others it was so disappointing or nearly insulting that their whole world came crashing down. Well, apparently, when they say “don’t meet your heroes”, they might be onto something.
Do you have any similar stories like that to share? If yes, please do so in the comments.
#16
John Cleese, An English Actor, Comedian, Screenwriter, Producer, And Presenter, Best Know For "Monty Python"
I met John Cleese in an airport lounge. He was friendly and encouraged me to sit and chat. After a few minutes conversation turned to him living in the British Virgin Islands. He said it was paradise and there weren’t any Muslims there.
#17
John Wayne, An American Actor, Who Starred In Western And War Movies Produced During Hollywood's Golden Age
Not me but my Grandpa. He took all my aunts and uncles, when they were little kids, to go see John Wayne give a speech at the Golden Spike National Historic site back in the 70's.
The Duke was drunk as a skunk and rambled incoherently.
I heard a similar story about Hunter Thomspon from a college professor when Thompson was invited to come do a Q&A at the school back in the 80's.
My grandpa also met Steve Martin when they were staying at the same Detroit hotel waaaay back in the 60's. He had the room next door and could hear Martin working on his standup routine through the wall.
They were neighbors for about a week and it got to the point that they started greeting one another in the hall and even shared a table at breakfast. Martin was polite and courteous to everyone according to Grandpa.
Tomas O Flatharta 19 hours ago
John Wayne was also incredilbly racist baseed on a playboy interview he did. He also had to be restrained from attacking Sacheen Littlefeather due to the speech she made.
#18
Lou Ferrigno, An American Actor And Retired Professional Bodybuilder
Lou Ferrigno was a jerk in person. Wish I never met the guy.
Waited in line to have him sign something of mine for $80.
He literally scooped the item up, and then threw it back down all while making comments like "another one of these?" And seemed very annoyed but me paying for an autograph.
I will never understand that situation. If you didn't want to sign stuff, why show up at the convention. I also paid $80 you could have at least been nice.
Didn't even give me the time of day. Immediately regretted it.
#19
Kevin James, An American Comedian And Actor
Grew up watching king of queens because my parents loved it, would always do my homework while my dad watched it after school or would sit and watch it with my mom at night if they were playing it. Fast forward to 17-18 I was valeting one day Kevin James pulls up cuts the line of I wanna say atleast 30 cars maybe more my manager went up to him said you can’t do that go to the back of the line, he throws the biggest hissy fit “do you know who I’m” “I promise I will get you fired and ruin this company” my manager stood his ground he cursed my manager out peeled out kicking dirt up to wait at the end of the line I watched the whole thing from my spot where I was waiting for cars so I could park them. I will give it to him that when he did leave he tipped us $150 bucks and apologized but I mean he showed his true colors there broke my inner child’s heart lmao.
#20
John Elway, An American Former Professional Football Quarterback Who Spent His 16-Year Career With The Denver Broncos Of The National Football League
I had the (mis)fortune of knowing a fair amount about retired NFL "legend" John Elway through multiple means. He is a total piece of garbage. He beat his ex wife just about every loss, he would get drunk and was a mean drunk at that. The Broncos would lose a game and we'd say 'his wife better stay in a hotel after that one."
His son, Jack, pushed his ex girlfriend out of a moving car as well, and we all know that behavior was learned from his father. He hired a prominent criminal defense lawyer in Denver who is the guy you hire when you get in some deep mess.
And people loved him because he threw a ball well in the NFL
#21
Tina Louise, An American Actress, Best Known For Her Work In TV Television Sitcom "Gilligan's Island"
In the early aughts I used to work in the Special Events department of a New England-based independent bookstore that’s known for hosting authors (some of whom were also pop culture figures such as celebrities, athletes, radio personalities, etc). One time Tina Louise, who was arguably best known for playing Ginger in the ‘60s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island”, did a meet and greet at the store because she had written a children’s book. In my capacity as the author “wrangler” for the event, I was standing close by when an elderly gentleman approached the table where Tina - presumably in her 70s at the time - was sitting. The man claimed that Tina had been his date at a high school prom and brought photos of the two of them in their prom finery. Not only did Tina refuse to look at the photos - or the gentleman himself - she then mumbled something about “not living in the past”. The poor guy looked utterly dejected. If Tina had been his heroine up to that point, I suspect she no longer was following that encounter.
#22
James Watson, An American Molecular Biologist, Geneticist, Who Co-Authored A Paper Proposing The Double Helix Structure Of The DNA Molecule
I studied genetics at university.
Two of the most famous men in the field were James Watson and Francis Crick, who were awarded a 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for elucidating the double helix structure of DNA. (And, yes, they heavily relied on the research of Rosalind Franklin who they did not credit.)
I was more than a bit excited as a freshman to attend a lecture by Watson. And that was enough for me to learn what was widely known in the field, James Watson was a right jerk.
He has a long history of making racist, sexist, and discriminatory comments and attempting to justify in as a genetic truth in his version of eugenics that features himself as a sort of exemplar of all that is good and right.
I am John 1 day ago (edited)
I've told this one before on BP. I once gave a lecture at Cold Spring Harbour. Halfway through James Watson, wearing a green tweed jacket, walked slowly in, right past me, muttered a bit to the audience, then sat in a special chair in the corner, underneath a huge portrait of James Watson wearing a green tweed jacket. He later photobombed a selfie.
#23
Burt Reynolds, An American Actor, Best Known For TV Series "Hawk" And "Dan August" And Movies Like "Navajo Joe" And "100 Rifles"
Burt Reynolds. I worked at a restaurant in Palm Beach in early 00’s and he was a friend of the owner. He sat in my section and I casually commented that Cannonball Run was one of my favorite movies, before I took his order. He rolled his eyes and said “great”, whatever the hell that meant. He was rude to not only me, but every employee that was even slightly near his table. Total doucebag, and even worse tipper.
#24
Jack White, An American Musician And Record Producer, The Guitarist And Lead Vocalist The White Stripes
My friend had one with Jack White. His band opened for him like ten or so years ago. When equipment was being loaded in for the show my friend stepped out for a cigarette by the loading dock and Jack White saw him standing around smoking and started yelling at him to get off his back and move equipment. When he said he was in the opening band Jack had kind of an “oh…” reaction and asked if he would give his crew a hand since he wasn’t busy. My friend was pretty disgusted that he would talk to his road crew like that.
StrangeOne 1 day ago
That could have been Chicano Batman that opened for Jack White in a 2015 tour.
#25
J. K. Rowling, A British Author, Best Known For "Harry Potter" Series
Meeting one of my favorite authors and realizing they were rude, dismissive, and… honestly kind of boring. All the magic I felt in their books completely vanished in real life. Made me appreciate their work even more, just separate from the person.
#26
Buzz Aldrin, The Second Person To Walk On The Moon After Neil Armstrong
I was there when SpaceX successfully recovered/landed the two Falcon Heavy boosters for the first time. It was an amazing experience, a huge event, tons of people, lots of cameras, space celebs, guest speakers, whole shebang. Extremely cool thing to witness.
So I’m loitering near some guy with a fancy camera on a tripod, as a lot of folks had. And suddenly he stands up straight, looking upset, and says, dumbfounded, “I…I have to tell someone what I just saw…I’m sorry…I just…Buzz Aldrin is, right now, clipping his fingernails on a balcony above the crowd.”
And I was like, I beg your finest pardon? And he shows me and a few other folks who heard him his footage, and sure enough, there’s Buzz Aldrin, clear as crystal, standing alone on a balcony above where people were eating food and generally mingling, leaning over the railing and…just clipping his fingernails. Directly over all those people.
So. I didn’t meet him, I suppose, and I knew my space history and that of all of them, Buzz could absolutely be a bit much. But man. Really, dude? Really?!
I’ve never gotten over it.
#27
Bill Nye, A Science Educator In Pop Culture, Best Known As The Host Of The Science Education Television Show "Bill Nye The Science Guy"
Bill Nye lectured at my university and somehow made an interesting scientific topic all about himself. Huge egotistical jerk.
#28
William Shatner, A Canadian Actor, Best Known For His Role In The "Star Trek" Franchise
Where is the person on Reddit who met William Shatner when they were a kid, asks for his autograph, and Shatner said “Let me go find a pen!” Then took off in his limo. 😆☠️.
#29
Brendon Urie, An American Singer, Songwriter, And Musician, Best Known As The Lead Vocalist And Frontman Of Panic! At The Disco
My sister, when she was a little tween, was super into P!ATD. Well who should she see while leaving hospital but Brendan Urie! They were playing close to the hospital and she couldn't get tickets since she was sick, but she caught a glimpse of him while waiting at the junction. A dream come true. She called out to him from the window, just wanting a wave. He pretended not to hear her, and the man he was with gestured to my sister, alerting him to the fact. He shook his head and still blanked her, and when he reached the corner he glanced back and caught sight of her crumpled and despondent face, and they both had a very good laugh at her.
I mean he's a horrible person anyway, but this was before that was common knowledge.
#30
Dianne Feinstein, A Former United States Senator
Met Dianne Feinstein and found she was way less than brilliant. Jerry Brown, on the other hand, wowed me. He knew his work and came prepared with informed questions and astute answers and follow-up questions.
#31
Mark Recchi, A Canadian Former Professional Ice Hockey Winger
Mark Recchi is a Hall of Fame hockey player from my hometown of Kamloops, BC. For those unfamiliar, he was a big star, put up tons of points, won multiple Stanley Cups, the whole bit. He is easily our favourite son and was named the top Kamloops athlete of the 20th century and has a street named after him. When I was a shy, hockey loving 13 year old he came home to sign autographs. He was extremely rude and dismissive and made fun of me for being nervous and fumbling with the notebook I brought to get his autograph. 25 years later and it still pisses me off.
#32
The San Diego Chicken, A Sports Mascot Played By Ted Giannoulas
When I was about 6 years old I met the Sandiego Chicken at a baseball game. I stopped him for a high five, not even to take a picture or anything. He says "get outta my way you little weiner ". Ruined the game for me, and gave me a strong distrust of chickens ):.
#33
George Brett, An American Former Professional Baseball Third Baseman, Designated Hitter, And First Baseman
My Grandma loved the Kansas City Royals in the 70s. So much so that she got a job at the stadium in the 80s when she didn't need to work. She just wanted to be there. One day, she was carrying a box down a hallway and George Brett was walking with a few of his teammates down the same hall in the other direction. He walked right up to her and stood in front of her to where she couldn't easily walk around and said "you're in my way." She moved over to the wall and they all kept walking down the hall and laughing. She quit shortly after that and didn't watch them again until like 30 years later.
What do you think ?
Cuppa tea? 14 hours ago
Seems like BP is milking the same content over and over again. 90% of those celebrities are someone I never heard of.
Cuppa tea? 14 hours ago
Seems like BP is milking the same content over and over again. 90% of those celebrities are someone I never heard of.
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