People Online Reveal Why They No Longer Admire These 78 Celebrities
Tom Cruise.
Dude went bonkers into Scientology. The s**t he did to his ex’s is, to me, akin to what Britney Spears is going through.
Jennifer Lopez.
Many years ago, a friend of mine in Houston waited on her and her entourage at a very nice restaurant. She demanded that the place’s very starstruck manager go to the store and get the kind of bottled water she liked, because she wasn’t doing that tap bull***t and they didn’t carry the kind she liked. She and her people needled the hell out of my friend until the manager got back from the store with it, and then complained when it wasn’t served cold, even though he of course brought glasses of ice with it.
She ran my friend ragged, and laughed the whole time. B**ched and called him names at every opportunity. We were both servers at that point, and I’d gone to his restaurant and asked for him at times (hey, if you’re gonna tip someone, might as well keep it in the family), so I know he was damned good at what he did. I saw how he treated all his tables. He loved his job and did his best at all times.
She and her friends stiffed him. Zero tip. After camping out at that table, in that private room that was given just to her and nobody else, for 3 hours. Just because she could.
I never liked her after that. « I’m just Jenny from the block » my *a*s*.
To learn more about our fascination with celebrity culture and our eagerness to learn more about their day-to-day lives, we reached out to Kelli S. Burns, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of South Florida and author of Celeb 2.0: How Social Media Foster Our Fascination with Popular Culture. « Celebrities possess the qualities that many regular people desire, specifically money, fame, success, and physical beauty, » she told Bored Panda.
« While celebrities lead glamorous lives enjoying beautiful homes, luxurious vacations, expensive restaurants, and designer clothes, fans are also fascinated with celebrities when their lives are seemingly relatable to regular people. » The professor added that this is the reason why content like Us Weekly’s feature Stars—They’re Just Like Us! is so popular. Moreover, « Paparazzi photos of celebrities grocery shopping, walking dogs, and dropping children off at school remind us that celebrities aren’t perfect. »
Dr. Phil. I wasn’t the biggest fan but I did admire him. It’s been a few weeks since I learned how he treats those vulnerable people in his asylums(Ranches??)
Amber Heard cause I loved her work in Aquaman, everyone knows why we hate her now.
It’s easy for us to show admiration to our favorite superstars and hope that one day we might become just like them. However, Burns explained that sometimes we get slightly too invested in our heroes’ lives. « Some fans can experience a condition called celebrity worship, which is an extreme feeling of attachment to a celebrity, » she noted.
« Celebrity worship often starts with parasocial relationships, which are one-sided relationships that fans feel when they experience celebrities via the media. Social media can intensify feelings of attachment because fans have increased access to a celebrity through the photos and videos shared not only by the celebrity, but also by other fans, » she noted. It turns out that this unlimited access to celebrity lifestyles can increase desires among fans for what the people in the public eye possess.
Beyonce, how all her songs were about woman empowerment and irl she’s paying Sri Lankan children pennies to make clothes and turning them into millions back home.
Could never look at her in a different light after knowing this.
Might get dragged for this but Kanye West. His contribution to hip-hop music is undeniable, especially his first six solo albums and his work as a producer in the late 90s/early 00s. His public persona was always a bit annoying, but ultimately harmless.
2020 changed that. His presidential run was a bridge too far for me, especially since it was funded/managed by right-wing operatives who probably wanted to use him as a spoiler candidate. And the quality of his music has also diminished. Not a lot of redeeming qualities left to hold on to.
Bill Murray.
He beat his ex wife up and threatened to have her killed. He’s no different than Chris Brown.
« While parasocial relationships are considered normal, celebrity worship can have detrimental consequences for both the celebrity and the fan when taken to the extreme, » she noted that unhealthy levels of celebrity obsession often come with a cost. « A celebrity may become the victim of an obsessed fan who becomes a stalker. Fans who worship celebrities often suffer from poor mental health, although it’s not clear whether the obsession caused the mental health issues or the mental health issues caused the obsession. »
Gwyneth Paltrow. Her b******t pseudo health/anti-vax information she spreads is terribly incorrect and cringe worthy. It’s sad how many people are actually influenced by it as well.
Jared Leto. Used to be a huge 30 Seconds to Mars fan (still love the first 3 albums), and he seemed like a solid guy from the interviews I had seen back in the day.
Over time though I started to realize how pretentious he is. Like he has some Bono-complex, he sees himself like some profound artist who is changing the world.
Bill Cosby.
I’m not sure if those asking for « why » are being serious, but I’ll go ahead and add it. Because I grew up with his comedy and The Cosby Show and absolutely loved him. When the accusations against him started to come out I gave him the benefit of the doubt for as long as I could. There was just too much evidence against him. Broke my heart.
When asked why people stop respecting their beloved celebrities, the professor mentioned it’s important to remember that they are regular people who also make mistakes. However, their slip-ups are more likely to trend on Twitter and be discussed in entertainment news and by everyone online. « Fans often stop admiring celebrities when they realize their values are not in line with those of the celebrity, » Burns added. « For example, the celebrity might make a racist comment, cheat on a spouse, … or resort to physical violence. »
« Fans idolize celebrities and put them on a pedestal where they are seemingly immune to mistakes. When celebrities are involved in a scandal, fans can feel hurt because their perception is now out of line with reality. Being disappointed in someone you admired and respected is a natural reaction when they make a mistake. »
Eminem.
I once waited for him with my little brother after a show for four hours in the blistering cold, and he just said no. That was pretty sh**ty but I ain’t that mad tho, I just don’t like being lied to.
I met him once in Denver and he told me if I wrote him, he’d wrote me back. I know he got my last two letters, I wrote the addresses on them perfect.
James Corden. I used to think his self deprecating style and his ingenuity with comedy and the carpool karaoke idea were great. Then I saw story after story from fan encounters where he is a complete and utter douche. Now that I know he’s a fake, his schtick is unwatchable.
Edit: as one responder pointed out, I forgot about the time he played the question game with Jimmy Kimmel and couldn’t name two of his own cameramen.
Ellen DeGeneres.
I thought she was really wholesome, and watching her show used to make me feel warm and fuzzy but then I started getting really soul-leeching sort of vibes from her and now it just feels like she’s using people. I’m sure it’s always been like that…I mean, she’s there to be paid to entertain people, after all.
I’m sorry I don’t have concrete examples but I get real psychic vampire vibes from her (á la Colin Robinson from What We Do In The Shadows).
According to Burns, those who follow the lives of famous people should consider whether their admiration and interest is a healthy or unhealthy practice. « For some fans, a celebrity may inspire them to follow their dreams of becoming a musical artist, Broadway actor, or film director. Many celebrities also support causes that fans might benefit from knowing more about, such as mental health. »
« At the same time, fascination with a celebrity can cross the line into an unhealthy obsession where fans spend an inordinate amount of time trying to interact with celebrities online or feel depressed about their own lives when comparing themselves to celebrities, » the professor concluded.
I was an Elon Musk fan.
Mass Effect is one of my favourite franchises, and I saw Elon and SpaceX as a way of achieving something like the future in Mass Effect.
Later I learned that he basically just takes all of the fame from the engineers, pumps and dumps crypto, is an idiot, and exploits the f**k out of his workers. He’s a garbage human being that should shut up, and leave the companies he has as they have potential beyond his smug face.
I still like SpaceX and I think they will probably lead to our future in space exploration, but Elon is on top of my s**t list, just like most if not all billionaires and millionaires. Especially the ones that are garbage to the people that made their company what they are today.
I used to love Marlon Brando until I heard of that infamous « butter scene » and what really happened in it.
I’m gonna add Oprah.
I used to think she was just a regular daytime TV host who built up an empire and did a lot of good things.
Then I started noticing all the absolute bulls**t she shills and the damage it does (Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil being prime examples). She’s blindly supported and promoted so many quacks and snakeoil salesmen that I can’t even imagine how many people have been f**ked by her endorsements.
But everyone loves her because she occasionally throws some money around.
Sia, because of her movie Music.
She basically completed the entire checklist for how not to make a movie about autism.
1. Cast a neurotypical person.
2. Use Autism Speaks as a consultant
3. Have a very cliched and unrealistic depiction of autism, and show dangerous and inappropriate means of controlling autism as if it were normal.
4. Throw a tantrum when people criticise you for the above.
5. Backtrack and offer a half-hearted apology when you realise they have a point.
Joss Whedon. Loved his shows, his writing style, and the surface stuff like his stance on feminism were worth admiring, too. Turns out, he’s at best, a complete prick.
I was watching The Naked Gun, where OJ Simpson plays a loveable goofball, and it honestly makes his scenes surreal. This is the fault of no one involved in the film (except OJ of course) but I can’t suspend my disbelief enough to buy that he’s a harmless adorable dork, considering what I know about him in real life. But that’s how everyone saw him at the time.
Jeffree Star. I used to think he was really cool (he was super nice when I met him) for being self made, “not tolerating the haters”, and his whole message about being yourself was so appealing to me. Then I found out about all the stuff he’s allegedly done….combined with how he doesn’t take ANY accountability and shifts the blame around ruined him for me.
James Charles. any grooming situation honestly makes me sick, the fact that they were a part of it made me so angry.
Drake. Guy puts out the same generic music year in, year out…. And his advances on Millie Bobby Brown have me wondering if he’s deliberately obtuse to the optics of the situation.
Marilyn Manson .
He always seemed like a really chill dude behind the cameras, his concerts were fun to attend and everybody talked about what a nice guy he was. Turns out he’d been abusing his girlfriends for years.
Demi Lovato. They act like everyone is responsible for their triggers. Taylor Swift isn’t fatphobic for drinking diet coke. A Fro-Yo shop isnt fat shaming people for offering diabetic-friendly options.
The worst part is that Demi has also supported using detox/skinny teas but then says that these people are promoting eating disorders.
Quentin Tarantino.
I just heard his interview on the Howard Stern Show, and he was defending Roman Pulanski in the worst ways, saying she wanted it, she bragged about it, etc.
The girl never wanted it or asked for it, and Pulanski was 43 while she was 13. As disgusting as Howard & his crew can be at times, they were clearly in horror cause they gave him chance after chance to realize how f****d up his line of thinking was, but he wasn’t having it.
I looked up to Sharon Osbourne for being an unflappable business woman, manager extraordinaire who wasn’t afraid to call out Tommy Lee for being abusive to women. Now I read about her behavior and opinions and they can be horrendous.
Mario Lopez.
I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and there is a move called “knee on belly” which is exactly what it sounds like. Typically when you’re training, you don’t go full force because its an a*****e move especially when you’re training. Well, Mario was at my gym one day and he decided to go full force on me and I heard some snap crackle and pop sounds coming from my ribs which led to my rolling around on the floor for a bit. He never checked on me or apologized for doing that.
It takes a special kind of human to lack that much empathy to completely ignore someone writhing in pain that you clearly inflicted.
Ever since then I can physically feel my blood pressure rise whenever I see Extra or Access Hollywood or whatever cr**py show he hosts.
Kat von D. I thought she was so pretty and a talented tattoo artist. She’s just a racist anti-vaxxer nutjob.
Roman Polanski.
I saw The Pianist when I was very young and it was one of the first movies I saw that taught me just how powerful movies could be. It kicked off my love of film.
Then I read about what he did to that child… sick f**k belongs in prison.
Conor McGregor. Because of alot of incidents including sucker-punching an old man at a bar and mocking his rival’s recently deceased father and a bunch more things. Just being an all around bitter nasty guy nowadays.
Steve jobs. I admired him for being the best in technology and always looking forward.
When I realised he left his wife behind because she had cancer…
Eric Clapton for his music, until I found out he was a racist, anti-vaxx idiot.
Jackie Chan was my hero as a kid – loved his cartoon and movies. Turns out he’s a Chinese loyalist in the worst ways who treats his children like dirt. Still respect the hell out of him as a performer and martial artist, but I have a hard time watching anything with him anymore.
I used to respect Chrissy Tiegen for being « real » as a celebrity, but I found out about the cruel DMs she had been sending to Courtney Stodden (the child whose parents basically sold them to an older man who paid for a bunch of cosmetic surgery and kept Courtney drugged up). Chrissy verbally harassed Courtney, telling them to kill themself repeatedly, while Courtney was being sexually traumatized by their 51 year old « husband ».
Jennifer Lawrence.
I was absolutely stoked to have a wholesome and positive body image female in Hollywood who was quirky and endearing and who seemed to genuinely not be absolutely full of herself. I thought « what an amazing role model for young women in today’s absurdly toxic body shame environment! »
I have some family that works in the biz, and on the set of Passengers, Jlaw was apparently just a snobby, pretentious whiner. Constantly worried about how she would look. Sad.
Meanwhile I was cautiously dubious about Chris Pratt for being an outspoken Republican, and have continued to hear absolutely nothing but amazing things about him and how much of a good human being he is.
Goes to show you that actions are really what we should judge people on. Not words.
Ultimate Warrior, dude is a freaking nut job and Dog the bounty hunter, dude is a racist and literally doesn’t talk to one of his daughter because she supports the BLM. Even if you and your child have different views on things doesn’t mean you abandon them.
I am so late to this post that no one will probably see this but Gwen Stefani. I used to pretty much be a stan, we called ourselves “lambies.” Gwen always used to be extremely involved with all her projects, even to the point of hand sewing sequins on to garments in her fashion show. She always really stuck to not wanting to be the “shampoo girl” and wouldn’t do endorsements or just put her name on anything unless it was really something she worked on directly.
Right around the time she started to rep L’Oréal is when she became a complete sellout for me. Did she really think anyone would believe she’s using that box dye on her perpetually bleached head? Her hair would be falling out. There may have been some things before that but after that it seems she would put her name on anything for a check, and signed on to do things like The Voice, and became a daily tabloid celebrity with her relationship with Blake Shelton. She also basically just left the rest of No Doubt in the dust after the Push and Shove album. Save for a couple of musicians she kept along for her solo and Vegas stuff. I don’t even remember seeing anything from her supporting the Dreamcar project the band did after she pretty much moved on.
She really just seemed to give up on everything that made me respect her so much before, even though she was a big name and millionaire artist she really stayed true to her original values until the L’Oréal thing. The only song she’s released on her newer stuff that’s been any good has been “Used to Love You,” and that’s probably because it was written by Justin Tranter. In her past career she wrote nearly everything she sang. It’s kind of a bummer because I had made a lot of friends through that fandom and we shared a lot of awesome experiences, but she just isn’t the same anymore and I’ve lost a lot of respect.
Anthony Kiedis, the main vocalist for Red Hot Chili Peppers. He wrote the song Scar Tissue about a 14 year old girl he was involved with…
John Cena.
When I was a kid he was my all time favorite celebrity. My idea of an “American hero”
But when he apologized to China for calling Taiwan a country, I realized he’s a weak, greedy coward.
It really is a shame.
My brother was right. Batista was better.
Kevin Spacey. I used admire the s**t out of his acting skills and still do, but then the allegations came out about his inappropriate relationships with youngish boys. His excuse in the « apology? »
« Oh, I’m gay. »
Sorry dude, that’s not gonna fly. I don’t care about the gay part, but implicitly trying to use that as a reason to forgive the other? Just, no.
I’m surprised to not see them mentioned yet but Caitlyn Jenner. The support for her when she came out and she was honestly brave enough to do it. And then 2016 happens and she’s spewing about taking away LGBT rights and continuing to do so in her wanna be political career. To me she came across as someone who was willing to bite the hand that fed her.
Jimmy Fallon.
Loved him on Late Night, which would air after The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He had a lot of funny stuff back then. He made fun of everyone, had a lot of good skits, etc.
When he took over The Tonight Show though, it didn’t take long for his own personality and jokes to get clouded by how the media felt he needed to act or behave, which he gave in to. After him messing up Trump’s hair and people making a huge deal about that, that’s when I think he changed to be the media’s pawn. He only makes more socially acceptable jokes now and is way less genuine. You can just tell by watching him it’s not who he is – that he’s trying to cater to who he thinks he needs to be. The fake laugh is the cherry on top. It’s a shame too because he could’ve been up there with the greats.
Hyde was my favorite character on That ’70s Show, but now Danny Masterson is a r**ist Scientologist, so f**k that noise.
Kinda not much of a celebrity but this guy Ryan Haywood from the youtube channel achievement hunter was like my favorite member growing up. He was funny put on a villain persona a lot and seemed like a good father. Turns out he was a pedophile who used his fame to convince young fans to sleep with him. Bastard even used his money from his twitch channel to pay for flights for them and hotel rooms when he told everyone all the money from his twitch was going to his kids’ college funds.
Oof, here’s a recent one, I just lost my respect for a celebrity the past few weeks: Kris Wu
As someone who really admired his English and Mandarin music, plus the acting roles he’s been is, I always saw him as a strong and brave person for the stuff he went through. He used to be in a Kpop group, for instance, and from what we know, not only was he discriminated against and paid less for being Chinese, but it was once leaked that he was suffering myocarditis(?), basically implying he could have a heart attack anytime. The company didn’t care and he left, which I thought was good for his health despite the hate he got.
Now, recently (TW//) it’s been revealed that he’s been drugging and r**ing many underage girls, including one at the age of 13. China has deleted many of his public accounts and he is now in custody. He is such a vile disgusting person and I am so ashamed to have looked up to him. I hope the victims get the care and peace they need, and I hope justice is served.
Mario Batalli
Loved him as a chef. Seemed like a good guy, funny, jovial, decent.
And don’t get me wrong he comes from a generation of d**k chefs so I expected him to have some skeletons in his closet. But sexual assault is a bridge too far.
I used to watch Craig Thompson on YouTube alot but then he distanced himself from a group of creators he worked with. Then it was revealed that he was a manipulative s**t who did text some inappropriate stuff to underage fans. He didn’t properly apologise and he was even given a second chance but he didn’t change. He lost everything.
Mark Salling (Puck from Glee). Admired him a lot for his talent when the show was popular. He pleaded guilty to CP charges, could never support or look at him the same way again.
The mountain from GoT. Was in Iceland recently and the tour guide said locals have a very low opinion of him on account of him being a wife beater and all…
Edit: I’m referring to Bjornsson, forgot there was more than one actor for the character
Alexa Vega, the girl from Spy Kids.
She shills essential oils as part of an MLM and I don’t support that type of stuff at all, especially from influencing people.
Honestly Lea Michele. I used to think all the diva stuff was just nasty rumours.
I’m not big on ‘real celebs’ but I’ve seen some people say internet celebrities so for me it was Ryan Haywood from Achievement Hunter. I thought he was a really funny guy and was just the do it all dad guy who had a morbid sense of humor and drank Diet Coke.
Finding out he was taking advantage of his fans, some underage, and using money donated to him on stream meant for his kids college fund to meet up with some of those girls and cheat on his wife was just terrible. I feel so bad for his victims and the people who thought they knew him.
Jesse Lacey from Brand New.
They were my favorite band and he used to frequent my exes bagel deli. She got me a personalized autograph when he came in once and it made my day. But then it came out he was soliciting underage girls and he used the old “sex addiction” excuse. Huge bummer.
Morrissey. I related to his music in a pretty big way as he seemed to embrace being the weird outsider who didn’t relate so much to traditional roles and behavior. He was funny, bookish, and seemed custom made for outcasts & underdogs.
BUT-
He grew into a bitter old racist xenophobe who can’t stop talking horrible s**t that goes completely against my values, and what I’m willing to tolerate in another human being.
So Morrissey can eat the poo-poo.
Shia Laboeuf. I thought it was great that he went from a silly show like Even Stevens to making and starring in some tremendous indie flicks.
But when you do something so gross that Olivia Wilde (a great director) has to fire you from her upcoming movie, I’m forced to see you differently.
Joe Rogan, he has recently been giving more and more really horrible takes on topics he doesn’t know anything about, and has also seemed to have left the “I don’t know anything” mindset
Lebron James. His attitude towards the Hong Kong protests and holier than thou/megalomaniacal use of his platform are sickening.
Will Ferrell. Met him irl. He’s kinda a d**k. Treated me like i was scum for asking for an autograph.
Adam Carolla.
I used to listen to him on the radio a lot. Like, 4 hours a day or more. The things he said made a lot of sense to me back then. He’s a « COVID19 is a scam » kind of guy these days, and even though I enjoyed his comedic stylings for many years (until about the *30th time* I’d heard the same stories being repeated) I’m just really disappointed in what he’s become.
Ben Stiller for getting in an argument arguing there isn’t nepotism in Hollywood. He literally is the son of two famous comedic actors.
Pewdiepie.
He used to be entertaining and making unique content. I began noticing changes in his style around 2019,i’d say. Now, every video of his is the same: 0 effort, 0 creativity, aggressively promoting merch for 2 minutes straight in a 14 minutes video, mocking people for their looks or financial status, relying on other channels videos to create content for his own, and having CinnamonToastKen as a constant guest because he knows people really like him.
Then he b**ches and moans about people’s complains on how he’s changed and how 2015/2016/2017 Pewdiepie was better, which is the undeniable truth.
Tyra Banks. I thought she was a progressive “girl boss”. The older I get the more I realize that she’s kind of a bully and bitter.
Chris Pratt. He was really funny in Parks and Rec and I was even supportive when he got his big break with GotG. But after learning more, he seems to be a quite conservative guy who pretends to be liberal so that he can keep being Starlord. Like he wants to be as liked and beloved as The Rock, so he knows the things he should say and talk about to stay well liked by the public, it just seems more and more fake. I think that’s my beef, behind closed doors he is anti-LGBTQ+ and probably other narrow minded ideals.
Butch “I made your childhood, took your money, cured your autism, traced your art, converted you to Christianity, and sneered at your criticisms” Hartman.
Rolf Harris…….
Australian-born British children’s entertainer; he turned out to be a nonce.
I used to LOVE Parker Posey. Then she was in town filming a movie and was out shopping at an antique store and let her dog take a s**t on the floor and left without cleaning it up. Not such a fan now.
There was this YouTuber Mini Ladd. I watched Vanoss and his friends a lot in Highschool. Then Mini Ladd decided to sexually harass minors and treat his friends like c**p.
Bam Margera.
He was the coolest dude on planet earth when I was growing up. It’s not that I’ve lost admiration for him due to alcohol problems, I think anyone who overcomes alcoholism is badass. He just seems different. I really do feel sorry for him and hope he finds physical and mental health and happiness in the future.
I guess that’s what losing a best friend does. RIP Ryan Dunn.
Miniladd
First he left his friends and talk s**t to them then his whole channel started to go downhill
Amitabh Bachchan and Indian actor.
He was the coolest person for me when I was young. Loved his action movies and the fighting scenes in them. But one day I found out he prompted killing of Sikhs after the Indian prime minister was Assassinated. He said blood for blood over the radio. It hurt because I’m a Sikh person. You can google 1984 Sikh Genocide or read this.
If the sexual assault allegations against him come out to be true (dude was about to get extradited to the States to face trial because that was where it reportedly happened back in 2018), Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be a hard one to face the music about because of how long I’ve liked him since I was a kid.
Neil deGrasse Tyson. At first I thought of him as very entertaining, but now I just think he seems so arrogant, like he’s the most intelligent, wittiest person in the world and also constantly interrupts others(Joe Rogan) to prove how smart he is over and over again.
And honestly, I’d really like to talk him. But the only stuff I’d ask him is pure physics like « what is the Hamilton-Jacobi equation » or « derive Kepler’s laws in detail. » I might be sounding salty at this point but I really genuinely wonder how much he actually knows about physics since there’s not a single video of him talking about advanced physics or doing math and he doesn’t even know what the Twin Paradox is.
Alton Brown. Loved Good Eats and have always admired his cooking. Spoke to multiple friends that work in the restaurant biz and they all said he’s a huge prick.
I used to like Logan and Jake Paul before the whole sucide forest thing and looked upto them (I was in 6th grade and was dumb. ) I lost all my respect for them for 2 years. Logan has made improvements to himself so I like him a little now, while I hate jake still.
Kevin Sorbo. Back in the day i used to watch hurcules everyday but him being a conservative anti vaxxer kinda ruined it for me.