Quick Links
While one might think how wonderful it would be to be a celebrity, there are also downsides to being so famous. You have absolutely no privacy, there are cameras pretty much everywhere you go, and sometimes it’s difficult just to make a simple trip to the grocery store without being stalked by the paparazzi. Some famous people are tracked more than others, and some of those who are constantly hounded are downright sick and tired of being followed around without a bit of solitude. Then there are the occasions where it appears a celeb has simply snapped and done something that they probably would never do, if they weren't so much in the public eye.
10. Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber moved to Calabasas, California in 2012, after he became widely famous throughout the world at a formidable young age. He hadn't even moved into his home yet, and the paparazzi was already following him around, trying to snap pictures of him and his then-girlfriend, Selena Gomez. There was one particular incident where he was being tracked in a parking lot of a movie theater, and the man who was trying to take multiple pictures of Justin called an ambulance after accusing Justin of getting violent. There were pictures of Justin getting out of his car and confronting the man, but there was no indication of violence towards the photographer. Charges were filed against the pop star, but the judge ruled in Justin’s favor, since there was no evidence to prove that he had assaulted the man.
Apparently Justin has become extremely aggravated with paparazzi being “all up in his business” since he has become famous. After one particular concert, he was rushing to get to his SUV, when there were people everywhere trying to take his picture, and he used very vulgar language to show his disapproval. When told that he “should just go back to America,” Justin became enraged and started dropping “F” bombs to show his disgust towards the rude photographers, most likely since he is from Canada; not the United States. His bodyguard was arrested as well, for taking a camera from a member of the “pap” after chasing the man down to get the pictures back that were taken of Justin after he had left an arcade.
9. Prince William
Prince William, who lives in Kensington Palace along with his wife, Kate and son, George, is fed up with photographers following his family. He now believes that the paparazzi are stalking his one-year old son; by trying to get pictures of him while they are having “family time” in the park, and has even caught a few of them on his property at the palace. On October 2nd of this year, the prince filed a lawsuit against two of the paparazzi that are allegedly following the royal family. William is afraid that his wife and son will be harassed, similarly to what happened to his late mother, who died in 1997 from someone chasing her down to get pictures. Princess Diana was the most photographed woman in the world at the time, and photographers were being paid a great deal of money to obtain splendid pictures of her. When speaking of the prince, reports indicate “he just wants his son to live a normal childhood,” just as any other father would.
8. Lily Allen
Singer Lily Allen has been in the public eye since 2005, when she started posting her videos on Myspace, and a record company caught wind and decided that she should acquire a recording contract. Her first single was called Smile, and went on to become number one in the United Kingdom in 2006, and her first album had sold millions around the globe. Lily became highly recognized in England, and the paparazzi started following her around everywhere. One day in 2007, her car was rear-ended by a photographer trying to get a few good pictures, when Lily became understandably upset, and allegedly threw a few punches at the shutterbug. She was held back by a bodyguard, but it is said that she punched, kicked and threw water bottles at the man who was following her. Lily ended up filing an injunction to keep the paparazzi from harassing her so much.
7. Alec Baldwin
Actor Alec Baldwin has had the reputation of being “hot-headed” when it comes to people trying to get too close to him and his family just for pictures. He was caught yelling obscenities to a member of the paparazzi in front of his apartment, and even threatened another one on the same day. A video shows Alec coming out of his home and being followed by several photographers; one of which was using a cell phone to record the actor. Alec is shown lightly shoving the man back when he gets too close, and at one point, knocks the device out of his hands. The man picks up the phone and keeps following Alec, saying, “You assaulted me. You just assaulted me.” Alec makes a light laugh when he hears this, and repeats back, “Assaulted. Ha.” Police were called to the scene, but it is unclear as to whether charges were filed during the incident.
6. Sean Penn
Back in the 1980s, Sean Penn was one of Hollywood’s “bad boys” in the acting world. He was known for fighting off photographers; especially when defending his then girlfriend, Madonna. The first run-in he had was when she was out jogging, when apparently two reporters had attempted to snap some quick pictures of her. Sean had said to these photographers that he would “break their backs with this rock,” if they took his picture. Before they could do anything, he let the rock fly and had to pay $100 for “two counts of assault and battery,” according to reports.
According to rumors, Sean was filming Shanghai Surprise in China, and discovered that there was someone hiding in his hotel room. It turned out to be paparazzi and Sean allegedly dangled the man from the balcony, then fled the country before he could be charged with anything. That story may or may not be true; but there is a more recent video where Sean is shown kicking and punching a “photog,” and he did spend a month in jail in 1987, for kicking someone for getting too close for pictures.
5. Hugh Grant
For years, Hugh Grant has been seen in movies such as Bridget Jones’ Diary, Two Weeks Notice and more recently, The Rewrite; with Marisa Tomei. It is hard to tell whether Hugh does not like all of the attention he is receiving, he is just plain tired of it, or if the allegations have been thrown completely out of proportion. He has been known to lose his temper with the paparazzi, including a time where he is coming out of a restaurant, is being somewhat polite and signing autographs, then there is a photographer who is standing really close to his car. This person is taking pictures and probably not really watching Hugh’s SUV or where it is going, and Hugh runs into him with his car as he pulls away. It is very hard to tell from the video if this was a purposeful hit or an accidental one, but it seems as if the paparazzo should have been paying more attention to where he was standing, rather than staring through his camera lens.
There are also quite a few videos on the internet that show Hugh getting upset with the paparazzi, including one where he is leaving a movie theater with Elizabeth Hurley, and there are photographers surrounding him. It is hard to make out exactly what is said, but it shows Hugh entering the vehicle and closing the door, and then opening the same door, grabbing the camera right out of the photographer’s hand and driving away.
4. Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson has always been known as a laid-back, nice guy, who seems to not get too angry when it comes to fame and fortune. Yet, in 2009, there was a video circulating with Woody at an airport, where he takes away a photographer’s camera and allegedly assaults him. Apparently Woody was still “in character” after filming Zombieland, and thought that the TMZ reporter was a zombie. In 2006, there was another incident involving Woody and another TMZ worker that occurred near a Hollywood nightclub. There were no charges, but some tend to believe that he may just have anger issues.
3. Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf has been in his fair share of trouble, and is getting pretty fed up with the paparazzi constantly following him around. Ever since he starred in the original Transformers movie, the star has become highly famous and photographed constantly. In one video, he is shown at a coffee shop, when he is being photographed and notices the paparazzo taking the pictures walking across the street. Shia nonchalantly picks up his coffee, swings his bag over his shoulder, tosses his coffee at the photog stalking him, and runs the other way. He has been followed while at LAX, where the photographer just will not leave him alone, even following him to the parking garage and to his vehicle, consistently putting the camera in Shia’s face.
One particular paparazzo was in front of Shia’s house, snapping picture after picture, when Shia got upset and snagged the camera right out of his hands, and needed the police to show up, in order for him to give the camera back to the photographer. Additionally, Shia’s bodyguards "took down" a man taking pictures of Shia and Megan fox while they were having dinner at a restaurant - all he did was run-in and take pics and they reportedly wrestled the guy to the sidewalk, trying to get his camera away from him. This was also caught on video.
2. Kanye West
There are several videos which show proof that rapper, Kanye West is completely exasperated with the paparazzi. He is continually followed, and has allegedly gotten pretty rough with some of the photographers that are constantly hounding him. He had actually taken the time to talk with one specific paparazzo, telling the photographer that he just wants to be treated with respect and that he is only human. In another video, Kanye is seen at the airport and instructs the people surrounding him just to leave him alone and to “not even talk to him.” In the same video, he approaches the man attempting to catch Kanye on video. It appears that Kanye attacks the photographer; but the only thing seen on the tape is Kanye reaching towards it, then the man laying on the ground several minutes later. It is uncertain whether the man was attacked by Kanye; as it was not essentially shown what happened on the filming, but the paparazzo did end up pressing charges.
There is also footage of Kanye in front of his house, entering his car at four in the morning. The photographer had vainly tried to get into Kanye’s garage, while the singer was opening the door and Kanye got quite upset about it. It appeared that Kanye did not show any violence towards the man, simply that he was upset at the fact that someone was watching him so early in the morning. When asked about his feelings towards the paparazzi, he has let others know that his own father was a paparazzo at one point, so he knows why they do what they do.
1. Britney Spears
Although Britney Spears isn't quite as popular as she was in her teen years, there was a time when Britney was the most sought-after celebrity in Hollywood. In 2007, Britney seemed like she had completely went off the deep end, after constantly being stalked and harassed by the tabloids. Britney chopped off all of her hair to the point of her being bald, and begged the paparazzi to just leave her alone. When they did not comply, the pop star went ballistic by taking an umbrella and smashing the windows in the car of a paparazzo. She was going through a divorce at the time, and fighting for the custody of her children, and it appeared as though this event had basically just put her over the edge.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmnrCgmru0tdWeZKWhlprAtcXLnmZqaF2Ysq2xwaxksKCfYq6zsYytpq2ZnKHGbrLEnWSuqF2strW0jK2fnmWglr2ivsCzsaJn