Having a career in the public eye doesn't mean that members of the public are entitled to your time, attention, etc. IRL or online. Many celebs set firm boundaries for fan encounters, but sometimes, they're actually the ones crossing a line.
Here are 17 times celebs were called out for being rude to their own fans:
1. When a fan on Threads asked Doja Cat to say she loves her fans, she reportedly replied, "i don't though cuz i don't even know yall." Then, when another fan chimed in that the fans had supported [her] "through thick and thin," she reportedly responded, "nobody forced you idk why you're talking to me like you're my mother bitch you sound like a crazy person."
She also reportedly criticized her fans for naming themselves "kittens," writing, "my fans don't name themselves shit. if you call yourself a 'kitten' or fucking 'kittenz' that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house."
All of this followed Doja allegedly blocking and arguing with fans who called her out for her rumored relationship with J. Cyrus, who's had allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming made against him.
2. During a recent concert in Las Vegas, Miranda Lambert spotted some fans taking pictures near the stage. Stopping in the middle of her song to call them out, she said, "These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song, and it is pissing me off."
Other members of the audience booed her. Online, more fans called her out for the way she treated the group.
Adela Calin, one of the fans Miranda scolded, told Good Morning America, "She said these girls are more interested in taking selfies and then she said sit down. I thought, I feel like I'm being back in school and me and my friends did something that annoyed the teacher, and she scolded us so she told us to sit down. Everybody was having such a great time. We would stand up at times and dance. It was great energy. But after that happened it was just, um, it was not the same."
Here's the New York Post's viral TikTok of the incident:
3. In 2014, Rihanna joined in with other Twitter users who cyberbullied one of her own fans, Alexis Carter, over her prom outfit, which was a re-creation of the singer's Alexandre Vauthier jumpsuit from the 2010 Echo Awards. As "#PromBat" trended making fun of the 16-year-old, Rihanna shared several memes.
Alexis told her local Fox affiliate, "I was very offended. Why throw shade on it when you had on the exact same thing? The poses was different, but the outfit wasn't. ... She don't love her fans like she says she does."
4. In his book Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, Harrison Cheung, Christian Bale's former publicist, alleged that, when asked for autographs, the actor "would lecture little girls about being rude and intrusive until tears streamed down their faces and their parents tugged them away from [his] table."
Harrison reportedly said, "Pity the fan who recognized Christian at a restaurant."
5. During a 2016 concert, Justin Bieber stopped mid-speech to scold a fan who tossed a gift on stage. He said, "If we could take this moment to listen and try not to give me a hat or whatever you're trying to throw onto the stage right now, because I probably don't want that shit."
However, the singer added, "Sorry, that was mean."
Here's footage of the incident, which starts at the 00:28 mark:
View this video on YouTube
6. When then-13-year-old Glee fan Hailee Steinfeld auditioned for True Grit on the Paramount lot, a run-in with Lea Michele left her in tears. She told J-14, "I was wearing clothes from the 1800s that were big and uncomfortable. ... I saw Lea Michele just walking to her trailer and I was like, 'That's the girl from Glee. I've got to go ask for her autograph!' So I walked up to her and asked for her autograph, but she walked by and a guy came and said, 'Sorry, now's not a good time!' So I had to walk all the way back to the car wearing what I was wearing."
"I was practically crying on the way home. I was so sad! But she's beautiful and has an amazing voice," Hailee said.
7. Early in Rob Huebel's acting career, his "idol" Chevy Chase guest-performed with his improv group. Describing their introduction, Rob told Late Night with Seth Myers, "I went up to him, and I was like, 'Chevy, I just want to say I'm a big fan.' And Chevy just hauled off and slapped me across the face — so hard — I mean, it was like I saw red."
He continued, "He just kinda made a joke, like, 'Can't you see I'm talking to somebody, kid?'"
You can listen to Rob reveal his reaction to being slapped in this video, starting at the 00:54 mark:
View this video on YouTube
8. In 2013, Autograph Magazine declared Will Ferrell one of the "worst signers" in Hollywood because "he mocks people, taunts and embarrasses them when they ask for autographs."
9. In a viral video from early 2023, Bad Bunny smiled at a fan who approached him with her cellphone camera, then grabbed her phone and threw it in the water.
In response to backlash, he tweeted [translated from Spanish to English via the LA Times], "The person who comes up to me to greet me, tell me something or just meet me will always receive my attention and respect. Those who come to put a damn phone in my face, I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect and treat it as such."
10. Similarly, in 2013, Sean Penn reportedly caught a fan sneaking a picture of him in San Francisco and yelled, "Do we look like fucking zoo animals?" then snatched the phone and threw it on the ground.
In a TMZ video, he said, "I'll make you eat the phone...get the fuck out of here!"
11. Robert Pattinson, who's notoriously critical of the Twilight franchise, told Interview Germany, "What's really weird about Twilight fans is that they're not really teenagers. Most of them are older. ... Sometimes I ask myself what these masses of people do the whole day. They sit in front of their computers and comment on anything having even remotely to do with Twilight."
He also declared his hatred for the nickname "R-Patz," saying, "I'd like to strangle the guy who came up with it!"
12. In 2022, a fan tweeted a picture of fan art they made for David Crosby. Retweeting it, David added, "That is the weirdest painting of me. I have ever seen…..don't quit your day job……"
13. On a 2020 episode of the Out in the Wild podcast, Margaret Josephs called out her fellow Real Housewives reality star Ramona Singer, saying, "She goes hot and cold with me. It's not that she's not nice to me. I feel she's not good to the fans. She says she doesn't like to take pictures."
Margaret continued, "I think you have to have a certain humility being on a TV show. I think we would not be on TV if it wasn’t for fans...[Ramona's] behavior is embarrassing."
14. After their 2015 Rolling Stone interview, 5 Seconds of Summer faced backlash for comments they made about their female fans. Drummer Ashton Irwin said, "We don't want to just be, like, for girls. We want to be for everyone." Additionally, singer Luke Hemmings said, "When you put four young dudes on a tour bus, playing theaters, then arenas, you're going to have sex with a lot of girls. ... The possibility [of sleeping with multiple women in one night or at one time] is high."
Seemingly responding to the criticism that followed, guitarist Michael Clifford tweeted, "i hate when people include everything in an article EXCEPT the reason we're a band; the fans."
15. While giving an impromptu performance of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison" on Ireland's The Late Late Show, Russell Crowe stopped mid-song to scold the audience. He said, "If you're going to clap, clap in time. If you can't clap in time, just shut up."
Here's a clip from the interview, with this moment happening at the 1:36 mark:
View this video on YouTube
16. When Valeri Bertinelli was married to Eddie Van Halen, she had a poor experience with Christina Aguilera. She told Watch What Happens Live, "I was a fan at that time, a long time ago, and I went up to her because she was at a Van Halen concert, and I said, 'Oh my God, I think you're a beautiful singer, blah blah blah,' and she just went like, 'Yah, whatever.'"
"She gave me the cold shoulder, and I thought, 'Bitch, I'm a fan! You can't be nice to me?' You know?" she said.
17. And finally, Jennifer Lawrence admitted to being rude to fans as a defense mechanism, telling Adam Sandler during their Actors on Actors Variety interview, "I just, generally, once I enter a public place, I become incredibly rude. That's kind of like my only way of defending myself."
She continued, "I'll see someone walking toward my table and just go, ['No!']. 'Can I have a selfie?' I'm like, 'No!'"
You can watch Jennifer and Adam's full discussion on being rude to fans in public in the video below, starting at the 1:00 mark:
