Being famous sounds pretty appealing, right? You get to enjoy an extravagant and luxury lifestyle full of million dollar homes, massive paychecks, adoring fans and non-stop travel to anywhere your heart desires. But there’s a downside to fame that many people don’t realize exists. Being famous definitely isn’t for everyone. Even some celebrities would love to keep their careers intact if only they could do away with the fame and constant attention they receive from the media and the public.
Imagine the pressures of having to look and act perfect 24/7. Many celebrities crack from all of the stress that the industry throws on their shoulders. And then there’s the constant threat of their career spiraling out of control due to numerous bad mistakes.
There are two types of celebrities: those who understand fame is a part of their job, so they suck it up and continue to put on a front even though on the inside they feel like their lives so empty and lonely, and then there are the celebrities who act out with bizarre behavior once the pressures of the industry become too much.
Keep reading to see our list of 15 celebs who currently cannot handle fame.
15 Rob Kardashian
Rob Kardashian was never really the star of his family’s hit reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians. He was basically on the same level of Caitlyn Jenner: they were regulated to supporting cast members who were told what to do and how to act by the overbearing females in their lives. It didn’t take long for Kardashian to finally crack under all of the pressure, and he literally took a hiatus from the spotlight to get away from all of the negative attention.
Kardashian spent years holed up in his home, hiding from paparazzi cameras and his fans. When he would make a rare appearance out in public, people were alarmed by how much weight he had gained. It appeared that he had physically changed overnight, from his physical appearance to his overall personality. It is rumored that he suffers from depression, and he was also battling diabetes and wound up in the hospital after a health scare.
After meeting Blac Chyna, getting engaged, and having a baby together, many assumed this was Kardashian’s way of making his debut back into the real world. But when the couple’s reality TV show premiered, it was pretty clear that Kardashian still had a long way to go before he would revert back to his happy place. For now, he’s one of the few Kardashians who just can’t handle fame.
14 Shia LaBeouf
Shia LeBeouf has a lot of potential in the entertainment industry, but it seems like whenever he takes two steps forward, he gets pushed back into bad habits. Many assume his behavior has a lot to do with his upbringing. His parents were divorced, and LeBeouf didn’t grow up with a lot of money. His success in the industry was the equivalent of “started from the bottom,” but various mistakes have caused him to repeatedly get into trouble.
He has been charged with assault and threatening his neighbor with a knife. He has failed to appear in court on a unlawful smoking charge, and he caused a major accident while driving drunk in Los Angles. Now that he is officially a married man, we hope he finds some peace and stops with all the crazy antics, but it’s obvious the pressures of the industry have definitely gotten to him.
13 Kristen Stewart
You would think Kristen Stewart would be feeling intense gratitude for her successful career in the entertainment industry. She became a household name after appearing in the “Twilight” movies, and she was even able to crossover into the modeling industry by becoming the face of many of Chanel’s accessory campaigns. But in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Kristen told the truth about how she feels about fame.
The actress told the publication, "Fame is the worst thing in the world. Especially if it’s pointless. When people say, 'I want to be famous' – why? You don’t do anything?" She also told the magazine that having too much “human energy” thrusted in her direction is very “disarming.” She finds it difficult to be critiqued for every little thing she does, which is why she tried desperately to keep her private life away from the public eye. It was her way of holding on to something private and personal that the press and media couldn’t control.
12 George Clooney
George Clooney may be one of the most well-known and well-recognized male actors, and you would assume that after so many years in the industry, he would be much more comfortable with being famous, but that just isn’t the case.
Clooney broke down fame and how it may look appealing on the outside, but to those who live with it, it’s nothing to be desired. In an interview with Esquire, he told the magazine people probably think the guy “in the big house” has nothing to complain about, “But the truth is, the big house on a hill is isolating. There’s no other way to say it. There are restrictions to this kind of fame. I haven’t walked in Central Park for 15 years. I’d like to, you know?”
Clooney said that he realizes that his freedom and the ability to walk around like a regular person is the price he has to pay for being a well-known actor. But even though he has attained the career that most upcoming actors only dream of, he now realizes how restricting his life has become because of his fame.
11 Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has been criticized in the media for her interactions with the press and what many have called her “snobby” attitude. Could it be that she’s just experiencing the downside of what it means to be famous? We think so.
In an interview with Glamour magazine, Lawrence discussed what it was like to see her career blowup overnight. The actress isn’t necessarily a fan of being famous, but she tries not to complain about it too much. She thinks just like any other job, celebrities should be able to take time off from being famous, but that’s simply not possible. Everywhere they go, they’re bound to run into a fan or two who will be dying to take a picture and begging them for their autograph.
Lawrence told the magazine she wishes she could tell fans and the paparazzi, ”Oh, it’s my three months off. You can’t photograph me. I would love to be able to control being photographed. Then I wouldn’t have a new headline out today that I wore the same jeans three days in a row.”
10 Robert Pattinson
Just like his former girlfriend and “Twilight” co-star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson is also a celebrity who just can’t handle fame. The actor became a heartthrob and one of the most sought after actors after appearing in “Twilight,” and it seems like he just wasn’t ready for everything that being famous would add to his life.
In an interview, Pattinson said, "It's strange, you don't have a normal life anymore. You spend much time trying to fight it, but in the end you find another way to live." Pattinson is definitely one of the celebs who isn’t going to act out in rebellion, but having to find another way to live seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?
But it gets even worse. Pattinson also talked about just how isolating and lonely the industry can be. He said,"People don't realize how lonely you are. In any case, I feel fortunate because success didn't reach me very young, at least, I had the opportunity to have a life before.”
9 Chris Brown
Unlike a few of the other celebrities on our list, Chris Brown isn’t someone who’s going to accept any and everything the industry throws at him. The singer is constantly lashing out, getting involved in drama, battling legal issues, and beefing with other artists. It seems like fame is something that really makes him go off the rails, but being famous is a part of his job, and if he learned how to manage it better, he would probably be much better off.
Brown’s issues really became apparent after the 2009 domestic assault against his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Many people in the industry turned their backs on him, and many of his fans even bid him adieu. Although he expressed his regrets, and Rihanna accepted his apology and even briefly rekindled their romance; fame has caused Brown to violate his probation, throw a chair at a glass window after an appearance on Good Morning America, assault a fan, and get kicked out of various rehab facilities. Brown is definitely one celebrity who could really take some time away from the spotlight.
8 Miley Cyrus
Do you remember when Miley Cyrus played the lovable Hannah Montana on the Disney channel? She was fun, cute, spunky, and she won the hearts of millions of fans across the world. When the show came to an end, Cyrus was left wondering which direction she would take next. She was so used to playing the Hannah Montana character that she didn’t even know who she was as a person. We think this identity crisis was the beginning of Cyrus being such a rebel in the industry today.
She completely reinvented herself and became a tongue wagging twerker with a love for freeing her nipple and smoking marijuana. It’s like her whole personality did a complete 180 on us, and we wonder if it has to do with the pressures of the industry.
She’s definitely acting out for attention, and it seems like this is the only way she can keep her name in the headlines. But fame isn’t for everyone, and perhaps it’s just too much for Cyrus, too.
7 Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber is definitely one celebrity who can’t handle fame. It’s pretty obvious that’s he’s completely over the industry, and we think it won’t be long before he finally throws in the towel completely.
Bieber’s career really took off in 2009 when he was barely a teenager. Being in the industry through the time where most of us go through puberty and mature behind closed doors is something Bieber had to battle with in front of the public eye. He has gone through tumultuous relationships, including an on-again off-again romance with Selena Gomez, he has gotten into fights with fans, vandalized walls in Brazil, and he has even gotten into altercations with the paparazzi. His neighbors can barely stand him, and it seems like he’s acting out as a way to rebel against being famous so early in his life. It seems that with each passing day, there’s another headline about Bieber behaving badly. We doubt it will end until he finally takes a break from the fame.
6 Kylie Jenner
We really can’t blame Kylie Jenner for struggling with fame. Can you imagine being the younger sister of beautiful family members (inclding a supermodel) who get constant attention from the press simply for their good looks? It would add a lot of pressure to someone who’s so young and trying to forge their own identity in the world, and we think this is the reason why Jenner continues to struggle with her newfound fame.
Sure, she may not be famous for anything in particular, but Jenner still gets constant attention from the media and the paparazzi for her fashion sense, her rocky relationship with rapper Tyga, and her ever-changing appearance. It seems like overnight, Jenner morphed from the girl next door into a glam celebrity.
Jenner may be attempting to model herself after her older sisters, down to her clothing choices, her makeup and her plastic surgery procedures. Although she has only copped to lip fillers, plastic surgeons believe she has had much more done than that. In a candid interview on her Snapchat, Jenner even admitted that she doesn’t speak much on the social media app because she has self-esteem issues. Feeling insecure and unsure of yourself is definitely a bad combination for someone who has to deal with fame on a daily basis.
5 Selena Gomez
The stress Selena Gomez felt from being in the entertainment industry had a lot to do with a health crisis she was suffering through. In August 2016, she revealed she would be taking a break from the industry to deal with depression and anxiety stemming from her long battle with lupus. She finally made her debut back into the spotlight at this year's AMAs, and she gave a touching speech about how much fame had destroyed her.
The singer said she had everything she wanted in life, but she still felt “absolutely broken inside.” She tried her hardest to keep herself together, but eventually, she began to crack. She thanked her fans for being so loyal, and she encouraged her fans who were also feeling broken inside that they should get help because they shouldn't have to feel that way forever.
We definitely commend Gomez for taking a break from the industry to work on herself. One can only hoping that her time away has taught her how to cope with the industry and the fame.
4 Kim Kardashian
You probably never thought you would see Kim Kardashian on a list like this. The social media queen can’t deal with fame? No way! Well, everyone deals with fame in their own way, and we really think this time Kardashian has realized that being in front of the spotlight 24/7 has done her life more harm than good.
It all started with her robbery in Paris. The reality TV star was held at gunpoint, and armed robbers made off with millions of dollars worth of jewelry and property. When she returned back to the U.S.A., Kardashian wen’t completely low-key on all of us. She took a break from her social media accounts, and she was said to be really shaken up by the whole ordeal. Rumors leaked that she was going to tone down her appearance and not be so flashy with her money and pricey jewelry. On the few times she ventured outside after the robbery, she looked tired, sad and stressed. It was definitely not the Kardashian we were used to seeing.
Kardashian was finally ready to make her debut back into the public eye at a charity gala honoring her late father on November 21, 2016 in New York. But her plans were cut short once she received word that her husband, Kanye West, was sent to the hospital after having a mental breakdown. When it rains it pours, and Kardashian is definitely in the middle of torrential downpour caused by the pressures of fame.
3 Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes had so much promise in the entertainment industry, but currently, she’s just one celebrity who cannot handle fame at all. The former Nickelodeon star disappeared from the acting world, but she didn’t disappear from news headlines. The child actress’s life went into a downward spiral thanks to drugs and an apparent mental illness. She was arrested for DUI and marijuana charges, she lit a fire in a neighbor’s driveway, and she threw a bong from the window of her NYC apartment.
Bynes has even lashed out at other celebrities on Twitter, but her family finally stepped in when she tweeted false claims about her father sexually abusing her. She was placed under various psychiatric holds, and due to her inability to take care of herself, her mother was granted conservatorship over her. We may never know what caused Bynes to break, but we have a feeling it definitely had something to do with being famous at such an early age.
2 Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s career was on the path of success after she starred in the cult classic film “Mean Girls.” Sadly, fame, money, drugs and booze became more important to Lohan than her acting career. She became a constant figure on the Hollywood party scene, and she would spend many nights partying alongside fellow party girls Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.
Lohan quickly realized that being famous has it downfalls, and no amount of fame can get you out of legal trouble. She has been arrested more times than we can remember, she has been in and out of rehab, has battled alcoholism and drugs, and has crashed her vehicles various times. She later escaped to Europe and remained quiet for a few years until she entered a volatile relationship with her much younger boyfriend, Egor Tarabasov. Videos were leaked of the two fighting on the beach, and Lohan even claimed that he strangled her at her London apartment.
Lohan’s life has always been surrounded by a bunch of hot mess, and even when she puts fame on the back burner, she still can’t escape the drama.
1 Kanye West
There was once a time when Kanye West was living a more quiet life as a rapper and producer. He would crank out hits that played in every nightclub around the world, but he didn’t let the fame get to him. It seems that in recent years, things have changed for the rapper, and many believe fame has become way too much for him.
After the passing of his mother, Donda West, West’s erratic behavior seemed to take precedence of her career. It was no longer about his music. It was more about what crazy thing he was going to tweet, or how wacky he would act on stage at his concerts. Oh, and let’s not forget his Yeezy clothing label that had many fashion critics scratching their heads and questioning the rapper’s sanity.
Everything came to a head on November 20, 2016. While performing on his Saint Pablo tour, West performed two songs for his crowd of adoring fans before going on a rant about Beyoncé, Jay Z and other artists in the industry. He left the stage early, and the remainder of his tour was cancelled. The very next day, West was admitted to the hospital for “dehydration,” but it has been rumored that he’s suffering from a mental breakdown. It’s pretty clear that the fame and the industry is definitely getting to the rapper.
