As much as they may try to "prove" they're "just like us," many celebrities are unaware of the experiences and struggles of people who live below their level of wealth and privilege.
Here are 14 painfully out-of-touch celeb quotes:
1. In the 2023 documentary Beckham, Victoria Beckham claimed to come from a working class background — only for her husband David to call her out.
Here's the full clip:
2. During a 2023 concert, Miranda Lambert stopped mid-song to call out some fans. She said, "These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song, and it is pissing me off..."
Adela Calin, one of the fans whom Miranda scolded, told Good Morning America, "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."
Watch the full clip below:
3. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, actor AnnaLynne McCord shared a poem she wrote, which began, "Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin, I'm so sorry I was not your mother."
Here's her full video:
Following criticism, she told BuzzFeed News, "I know how I could easily have moved in the direction of becoming a dictator myself. If certain circumstances of my life were different, were I a little less bent toward healing and more toward vindication, I could have been a darkly powerful person."
4. In 2022, Gigi Hadid told Vogue, "I think [pregnancy] just made me think about how much more settled I would feel to have an office space job. I can take my daughter there with me."
She also said, "You can't model forever. I was creative, and [my cashmere line] is where I saw my life going."
5. When Meghan Trainor appeared on the Workin' On It podcast in 2023, she discussed why she chose to homeschool her kids. Host Trisha Paytas said, "Also, kids can be mean, teachers —" Meghan added, "Fuck teachers, dude."
Following backlash, she apologized on TikTok, saying, "Teachers of TikTok and teachers of the world, I recently said, 'F teachers' on a podcast, and that's not how I feel. I was fired up because I was talking about how sending your school here in America is so horrific. What all of us have to go through — especially teachers — is not normal and not OK... In that moment, I got angry and said, 'F teachers. F those specific human beings [who bullied me] back in the day.' I did not mean all teachers. I love teachers, I fight for teachers. I think they have the hardest job, and they are the most underpaid. They are the most unappreciated — when they literally raise all of us. I don’t want to make excuses — I am just so sorry."
6. In 2012, Mark Wahlberg — whose decision to fly out a week early prevented him from being on one of the planes that crashed in 9/11 — told Men's Journal, "If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.'"
He later released this apology statement: "To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible. I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive, it was certainly not my intention."
7. About a month after 9/11, Blue member Lee Ryan — who was in New York with his band on the day of the attacks — told the Sun, "Who gives a fuck about New York when elephants are being killed? ... They are ignoring animals that are more important. Animals need saving, and that's more important. This New York thing is being blown out of all proportion."
The same day the comments were printed, he released an apology statement on Blue's official website. He said, "By now you might have heard about the stupid comments I made the other day to the Sun newspaper. I just wanted to say to you all how sorry I am. I can't believe I said it. I didn't even mean it like that, and the second I said it, I was like, 'Oh My God, that isn't what I meant.' All I can say is that since we got back from New York, we have all been asked again and again about our experiences there and, to be honest, what we saw in New York was so bad that I've always tried to avoid talking about it. New York was awful, and I hate myself that people might think I don't care. I cried my eyes out when I watched the towers collapse, but I just don't want to go on about it as if I've got something important to say about this tragedy...and so in my stupid, aggressive way, I tried to steer the conversation on to other topics. I'm not good with words, and I get mixed up, but I know what I'm saying when I say I'm sorry."
8. As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast in 2012, Lindsay Lohan tweeted, "WHY is everyone in SUCH a panic about hurricane (i'm calling it Sally)..? Stop projecting negativity! Think positive and pray for peace. [sic]"
She later deleted the post.
9. During the 2008 financial recession, Natalie Portman told Interview magazine, "As far as the more general state of things right now, I think it's kind of an exciting time. I mean, everyone is cutting back. It's happening in every industry —including our own. But I think that's going to translate into a situation where people aren't motivated by money as much as they have been in the recent past. A lot of my friends from college went into fields like banking for financial reasons —obviously, people have school loans and things to pay off. And now, all of a sudden, they're doing jobs that they hate, and they're not making as much money as they thought they would, or they've lost their jobs entirely. So I've started to see people looking more toward their own passions and what really excites them."
She continued, "Obviously, it's much easier to say that you're going to follow your passions when you're financially secure, but at least we can take solace in the fact that we now have the time to pursue the things that we really want to pursue because now the option of doing things just for the money isn't necessarily there."
10. Discussing his dissatisfaction with how his income tax money was being spent in 2009, Craig T. Nelson told Glenn Beck, "I've been on food stamps and welfare. Anybody help me out? No."
Beforehand, he said, "I'm really thinking about [not personally paying income tax anymore], Glenn, because as a fiscally responsible grandfather, there are programs that they're asking me to fund that I refuse to fund."
11. Following COVID lockdowns and the cancelation of events like Coachella in March 2020, Vanessa Hudgens went live on Instagram and said, "But, like, it's a virus. I get it, I respect it. But at the same time, like, even if everyone gets it, like yeah, people are gonna die, which is terrible, but like, inevitable?"
Though she initially tried to defend herself from backlash by saying her words were "taken out of context," she later apologized.
In a Twitter statement, she said, "I'm so sorry for the way I have offended anyone and everyone who has seen the clip from my Instagram Live yesterday. I realize my words were insensitive and not at all appropriate for the situation our world and country are in right now."
Watch the full clip below:
View this video on YouTube
12. In 2015, Kate Winslet told Net-A-Porter, "I tried therapy once and thought, 'Oh God, I could outsmart you, goodbye.' So I won't bother with that again."
She also said, "The best way to be is to have absolutely no ego... Just go for it."
13. On a 2015 episode of Loose Women, singer/actor Jamelia said, "I don't believe stores should stock clothes below or above a certain weight. They should be made to feel uncomfortable when they go in and can't find a size. I do not think it's right to facilitate people living an unhealthy lifestyle."
Following criticism, she told Good Morning, "Knowing I offended people really upset me, but I do stand by what I said. I am a real women with real opinions... I get paid to voice my opinion. Occasionally, you offend people."
14. In 2007, Kim Kardashian told Inside Edition, "I just think that it's actually probably harder we did grow up with this privileged life, but knowing that at a certain age we're gonna be cut off and we can't ask our parents for anything. Already having that lifestyle growing up, we wanna maintain that. So it's probably even harder for us, because a lot of people are doing nothing."
She continued, "And we were taught at a very young age that we're gonna have to work, and we're gonna have to fend for ourselves — and whatever lifestyle we want, we have to make that on our own."