You know what they say: Never meet your heroes. Or in modern days, never meet your favorite celebrities.
The most popular
celebrities are often the nicest; or marketed as so, to better relate to their fans. With social media posts about everything happening in their life or personal quotes from interviews, many celebrities look like angels to their fans.
That is until fans see them in their real personalities. Which is way less flattering in person than the image these celebrities build for themselves.
From being rude and dismissive to their fans to being a diva and feuding with co-stars on set, some celebrities are just not very nice. And because of the image they have built, fans call them out for faking their “nice personality.”
So, which celebrities have been exposed as being fake in Hollywood? We have here a list of 20 celebrities whose nice images are so different from their real personality, it causes whiplash just by comparing the two.
#1 Will Ferrell
Source: Jackie Brown/Splash News
Many people adore comedian Will Ferrell, so it was heartbreaking to learn that he is notorious for being rude to his fans. In his defense, the comedian uses a sarcastic and dry style that many people perceive as meanness. When admirers approach him for an autograph, he is known to mock them for even asking.
#2 Ellen DeGeneres
Source: Reuters
Before the explosive Twitter thread that canceled her career, Ellen is thought to be one of the biggest proponents of kindness. However, a tweet by comedian Kevin T. Porter in 2020 generated rumors that talk show presenter Ellen DeGeneres is actually rather unpleasant. The accusations persisted and eventually led to a full-scale inquiry into the charges made against her by her own staff.
#3 Mike Myers
Source: Splash News
A household figure, with Saturday Night Live, the Austin Powers trilogy, and Shrek in his resume, Mike Myers has gradually faded from view, allegedly due to his rudeness on set. While he is known for his on-screen comedy, he is (allegedly) a huge diva off-screen, by keeping everyone waiting and even having someone a personal on-set “chocolate guy.”
#4 Adam Levine
Source: Ouzounova/Splash News
Adam Levine, a former The Voice coach, made headlines after making off-handed remarks about costar Blake Shelton. Adam went so far as to state he "hates" his fellow judge on one show. While others felt he was being sarcastic, the uneasy stillness in the room told the whole story. Adam is known for his snarky style of humor, but it appears that fans are sick of it.
#5 Rachael Ray
Source: Rick Davis/Splash News
World-famous chef and TV personality Rachael Ray may not be as cheerful as she appears. fellow foodies Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, the late Anthony Bourdain, and many other celebrities have spoken negatively of the celebrity chef. Dog lovers all across the world turned on Rachael after it was discovered that her dog food brand is not organic, despite her earlier assertions that it was all-natural.
#6 Christian Bale
Source: @ParisaMichelle/Splash News
On the set of Terminator Salvation, the actor allegedly made an emotional outburst that surprised several of his employees. Shane Hurlbut, the film's director of photography, stepped into Christian's eyeline during a day of shooting, and the actor completely freaked out. Christian later apologized, but his reputation suffered as a result.
#7 Katherine Heigl
Source: Felipe Ramales/Splash News
One of the first cases of a celebrity being canceled was Grey's Anatomy Izzie Stevens. From slamming her own film Knocked Up, to pulling her name from contention for an Emmy, Katherine Heigl is known for burning bridges. This cheesed off both people from the industry and fans as well.
#8 Jerry Seinfeld
Source: Felipe Ramales/Splash News
Jerry Seinfeld, the veteran comedian, has a reputation for super being rude to fans, interviewers, and talk show hosts. He declined Kesha’s request for a hug on the red carpet in the most uncomfortable and cringy way possible. Even talk show hosts can’t escape his wraith, with Seth Meyers and the late Larry King bearing the brunt on their shows.
#9 Jason Segel
Source: Splash News
Jason Segel is recognized for playing characters that are like the nice guy next door. He is well-known for his roles in romantic comedies and as the lead of the long-running television series How I Met Your Mother. Unfortunately, he isn't renowned for being particularly kind to fans. In one incident, he allegedly slammed a car door in the face of a fan who sought to take a photo with him.
#10 Cameron Diaz
Source: NOBLE/DRAPER/Splash News
Cameron Diaz is best recognized as the it girl of rom-com. However, she isn't known for being the friendliest celebrity. Cameron allegedly once told a fan who requested a signature that if she did it for one person, she'd have to do it for everyone.
#11 Jamie Foxx
Source: Splash News
In his biography, comedian Tommy Davidson told a few dubious allegations about
Jamie Foxx. Jamie and Tommy met on the set of In Living Color, when Jamie allegedly got a few chuckles at Tommy's expense. Tommy stated that Jamie took off his underpants in an attempt to garner a cheap laugh in a comedy, leaving him nude on set, which insulted him.
#12 Jesse Eisenberg
Source: People
Jesse Eisenberg made news after he was rude to journalist Romina Puga during an interview. Jesse is already uneasy in interviews, but this time he was just unpleasant. Romina later said that his scathing remarks and insults had affected her. The actor said he was taken aback and that she found his dry sense of humor entertaining.
#13 Amy Schumer
Source: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Splash News
Amy Schumer was chastised in 2018 for disrupting a young comedian's stand-up show in New York City. Amy was in the crowd at a play and asked if she could come up on stage to rehearse her SNL monologue. The on-stage comic was put in the position, so he said sure. He afterward understood how impolite it was for her to take over his first headline slot.
#14 Jennifer Lawrence
Source: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Splash News
Jennifer Lawrence is recognized for her relatable demeanor and sense of humor, but she is not known for being very friendly to her fans. She's even said that she may be really harsh in order to avoid fan encounters. In an interview with Variety, she said that celebrity and public attention made her uneasy.
#15 Madonna
Source: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Splash News
Madonna received a lot of backlash after appearing on The Graham Norton Show, as many viewers believed she was unkind to Sir Ian McKellen. The Queen of Pop made a few snide remarks to the seasoned actor and had forgotten they met at a charity function.
#16 Tobey Maguire
Source: Splash News
Tobey Maguire reportedly had a ravenous gambling problem and was a member of the famed poker ring with Molly Bloom. Molly hosted several celebrity games in the early 2000s, but Tobey was one of her most regular guests. Tobey was described as "the worst tipper, the finest player, and the very worst loser" in her memoir Molly's Game, which was adapted into a film.
#17 Lea Michele
Source: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
For years, there have been accusations that Lea Michele is harsh and difficult to work with, even from some of her Glee co-stars, so it's no surprise that her replacement of Beanie Feldstein in
funny Girl on Broadway made a lot of news. As Lea's turn on stage begins, we may hear even more stories about her conduct.
#18 Pierce Brosnan
Source: Splash News
Talk show presenter James Corden revealed that Pierce Brosnan was the rudest star he'd ever encountered. Pierce allegedly shoved him during a U2 event and did not even recognize him. In a round of "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts," James revealed that Pierce was not at all kind.
#19 Jon Hamm
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Kathy Griffin, a comedian, has been open about her contact with nasty celebrities and isn't afraid to call them out. Kathy Griffin wrote in her book Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index that the handsome Jon Hamm is one of the rudest persons she's ever encountered.
#20 Megan Fox
Source: Splash News
Megan Fox was notably fired after the second Transformers film, allegedly due to her inability to work along with others on-site. Megan, on the other hand, has defended herself, claiming that director Michael Bay was the tough one and a "nightmare to work with." Crew members who were loyal to Michael came forward anonymously against Megan.