The common perception is that
celebrities and famous personalities have everything in life. After all, the grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? The truth is that there are as many downsides and risks of being a celebrity as there are a number of benefits.
Celebrities don’t get to live private lives like the rest of us, and unfortunately, that leaves them vulnerable to stalkers, burglaries, and all types of unusual crimes. Thieves follow the money, and Hollywood has a lot of it. They have to deal with stalking all the time, and the bigger the star, the more obsessed fans they're likely to have. In the past few years alone, singers like Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, and Lady Gaga all had to deal with stalkers, and these were far from the only crimes committed against celebrities. Here are 15 famous people who were in a dangerous situation involving weapons, knives, and kidnapping but still managed to survive. Keep reading for more details!
#1 Duggar Sisters
Source: janamduggar/Instagram
Josh Duggar, the former 19 Kids and Counting celebrity who was recently sentenced to 12 years in jail for possessing child pornography, is also reportedly a sexual predator whose victims included four of his own sisters. Sisters Jessa and Jill have boldly come forward to allege he abused them, despite the fact that he was never punished for his previous offenses.
#2 Benedict Cumberbatch
Source: Splash News/Splash News/Corbis
In 2004, Benedict Cumberbatch was the victim of a terrifying carjacking in South Africa. The Sherlock star and a few other actors were traveling on a lonely section of the N2, the country's national highway that spans from Cape Town to Ermelo, when they encountered a flat tire. Six armed guys rushed on them while they were changing a tire on the side of the road, demanding cash and drugs. The guys stole the car and cash, but Benedict and his colleagues escaped.
#3 50 Cent
Source: Splash
In a 2000 incident, rapper and actor
50 Cent was shot nine times, leaving him hospitalized and recuperating for over six months. The person who shot him in the hand, arms, legs, chest, and face was never recognized, and hence the perpetrator was never arrested.
#4 Rick Moranis
Source: Ron Galella, Ltd./Contributor/Getty Images
67-year-old Rick Moranis was beaten on Manhattan's Upper West Side. According to the officials, it was an unprovoked attack. The actor allegedly suffered significant injuries to his head, back, and hip and had to be taken to the nearest hospital. Despite the fact that he was released from the hospital quickly, he has been ordered to rest.
#5 Lady Gaga
Source: Splash News
Lady Gaga is a longtime advocate for victims of sexual abuse and, in 2014, revealed she had been sexually assaulted at the age of 19. The incident left her pregnant and, as she subsequently claimed in the documentary The Me You Can't See, suffering from PTSD and a "complete psychotic break" once she began to absorb the experience in later years.
#6 Halle Berry
Source: Splash News
The X-Men actor has been a victim of domestic abuse in a prior relationship with an unknown partner, and she has also witnessed her mother's abuse as a child. She is now an advocate for survivors of domestic abuse and has advised other victims to escape, adding, "If a man, or anyone, lays their hands on you one time, they will do it again. You have to go, you have to love yourself enough and your kids enough to go."
#7 Rihanna
Source: Instagram/badgalriri
When images of Rihanna's damaged face following an attack by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown were leaked in 2009, the world was startled to find that she had been a victim of domestic abuse. Both
Rihanna and Chris would subsequently reveal that the 2009 incident was not the first time their relationship had featured physical aggression, and Chris has since been accused of multiple additional violent contacts with women, including threatening someone with a gun.
#8 Kim Kardashian
Source: Backgrid/The Grosby Group
Kim Kardashian was a victim of a gun robbery in Paris. It was reported that five burglars broke into the reality star’s private luxury apartment disguised as policemen and hauled her out of bed at gunpoint. Fortunately, her children were not there at the time, but the event rocked the queen of Instagram to her core - filming for Keeping Up with the Kardashians was even halted.
#9 Gabrielle Union
Source: gabunion/Instagram
Gabrielle Union, then 19, was working at a shoe store when a guy came in at closing time armed with a pistol and raped her. In her outstanding debut novel, We're Going To Need More Wine, she recalls the traumatic occurrence and its aftermath, and she has campaigned openly to help other victims of sexual abuse in the years after the attack.
#10 Tyler Perry
Source: Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In his 41 years,
Tyler Perry has worn several hats, including actor, director, producer, and writer. Now he's speaking out about another: childhood abuse survivor. Perry stated on the Oprah Winfrey show that his father subjected him to terrible mental and physical abuse. He was also sexually molested by four other adults. "It was a living hell," he said of his childhood.
#11 Justin Bieber
Source: MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Many celebrities have suffered with stalkers, but few have had stalkers as terrifying as Justin Bieber. An uncle and nephew combination were arrested in 2012 after trying to castrate and murder the Peaches singer with garden shears, according to a murderer and serial sexual assaulter called Dana Martin. Thankfully, the scheme was prevented, but Justin still has to deal with harassment and individuals attempting to break into his house and hotel rooms.
#12 Megan Thee Stallion
Source: theestallion
Megan Thee Stallion attends Variety's Hitmakers Brunch in West Hollywood on December 7, 2019. In an emotional YouTube video, the artist claims she was shot in both feet and reveals fresh details of what she calls "the worst experience of my life." Tory Lanez, who was with
Megan Thee Stallion on the morning of the incident, was detained on suspicion of having a hidden firearm, according to police.
#13 Dorit Kemsley
Source: doritkemsley
According to several law enforcement sources, the 45-year-old reality TV personality was robbed by three male suspects during a home invasion in Encino, California. Dorit described the event as "terrifying," but said, "More than anything, I'm feeling blessed that my kids and family are safe."
#14 Harry Styles
Source: harrystyles
On Valentine's Day 2020, Harry Styles was robbed at knifepoint on a street near his London home by a group of thugs - talk about the least romantic Valentine's Day ever. The muggers took his money and demanded his phone, but Harry was able to run when a car came down the road and distracted them.
#15 Duffy
Source: duffy
After the release of her second album in 2015, nothing was known about the Welsh singer's dwindling fame. In a recent Instagram post, she disclosed that she had taken "several days" off to recoup after being abducted, drugged, and abused. She informed us that she is "OK and safe now," and promised to expound on her experience in future articles. We can only wish her well in her recovery and applaud her bravery in coming up.