At one point, it seemed like Jennifer Lawrence could do no wrong. She was everyone’s favorite star and she wowed us with her compelling portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in the beloved Hunger Games franchise and her blockbuster roles that showed us what a talented actress she really is. When she first started making red carpet appearances, everyone fell in love with her clumsy, quirky ways and for a while, she convinced us all that she was just a kooky girl from Kentucky who was just like the rest of us.
However, there came a point when her goofy, offbeat humour and her outspokenness started to turn people off, and her constant need to convince people that she's “normal” started to wear on the public’s nerves. Over the past few years, JLaw has shown herself to be pretty misguided and many of her attempts to be funny have just come off as offensive, insulting, and rude. Jen is no longer the endearing starlet we once thought her to be, and has instead shown that she is the shadiest star in Hollywood. Here are some of the actress’ most side-eye-worthy moments, which include transphobia, cultural disrespect, faking an empowered feminist statement, and many, many more.
15 She’s Insensitive Towards The Trans-Community
Back in 2012, Jennifer Lawrence ruffled a lot of feathers when she showed herself to be insensitive towards the trans-community. The incident happened when she appeared on the Ellen show and talked about her new cat, whom she named Chaz Bono. She revealed to the TV host that it took her a while to realize that her cat was actually a girl, so when she found out, she changed the kitty’s name from Oliver to Chaz Bono. Ellen was obviously uncomfortable, especially when Lawrence made the shocking generalisation that she thought it was normal to think of all dogs as boys and cats as girls. Her insensitive naming of the cat and the way she went about her story on the chat show was highly inappropriate, and made it seem like JLaw had no self-awareness when it came to showing compassion and sensitivity towards the trans-community.
14 She Desecrated A Sacred Site Even Though She Was Warned About it
JLaw showed herself to be completely oblivious when it comes to respecting other people’s cultures and histories when she revealed on The Graham Norton Show that she had knowingly desecrated a sacred Hawaiian site while she was filming there. Even though she had been warned to be respectful of the site, she told the British TV host: “Oh my God, they were so good for butt-itches! One rock that I was butt-scratching on ended up coming loose. It was a giant boulder and it rolled down this mountain and it almost killed our sound guy. His whole station got destroyed…and it was a huge dramatic deal, And all the Hawaiians were like, 'Oh my God, it's the curse!' and I was like, 'I'm your curse. I wedged it loose with my a**." She giggled her whole way through the telling of the story, and clearly still didn’t have any regrets for the disrespect she had shown.
13 ...And Her Apology Was Less Than Legit
After the backlash that ensued over her disrespectful behaviour towards Hawaiian culture and heritage, Jennifer issued an apology that was, frankly, pretty lacklustre and more than just a little flippant. Taking to Facebook, Jen wrote: “From Jen, to the internet:I meant absolutely no disrespect to the Hawaiian people. I really thought that I was being self deprecating about the fact that I was "the curse", but I understand the way it was perceived was not funny and I apologize if I offended anyone.” But where is the actual apology for rubbing her butt all over the sacred site? Where does she actually sound remorseful for her actions? It really does seem like she’s being salty about people not finding her “joke” funny and is frosty about getting heat for her actions. Learn to take responsibility JLaw!
12 She Dragged Lindsay Lohan For No Reason
Let’s be honest, Lindsay Lohan is a pretty easy target for a cheap joke or a quick diss, but that doesn’t give anybody the right to slag her off just to get a laugh. That’s why when JLaw decided to drag LiLo just to get an easy chortle from the audience on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in 2015, people failed to see the funny in her lame attempt to get a laugh at Lohan’s expense. She told Colbert, "I get like, Lindsay Lohan-grade exhaustion, but without any drugs or alcohol." There was no reason for JLaw to trash talk Lindsay, so it’s pretty shady that she decided to reference her peer’s name and drag it in the dirt like she did. This is further proof that Lawrence doesn’t respect her fellow female co-stars, and won’t hesitate to do someone dirty if the end result will benefit her in some way, even for a half-hearted audience laugh.
11 Her Wage Gap Argument Was Hypocritical
Lawrence penned an essay for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter newsletter focusing on how female stars are paid less than their male counterparts. It addressed the issue of the gender pay gap that occurred on the film American Hustle and was celebrated as an overdue call to end the wage gap. However, within the essay, Lawrence admitted that at no time did she ever try to negotiate her salary. Seems pretty hypocritical to write a call to arms over such a serious issue when she herself didn’t do anything to help the situation, right? It just goes to show that JLaw is all talk and no action, and it’s pretty despicable that someone with such a huge global platform for influence isn’t taking proactive steps to help her fellow ladies out in this highly problematic area of the industry.
10 She Keeps Allowing Herself To Be Miscast
Jennifer Lawrence was very vocal about her supposed support to end the gender pay gap and about her support of gender equality in Hollywood, but one thing that has been missing from her rallying cries is any consideration for the intersectional issues her peers face, particularly for those who aren’t 25-year-old white ingenues. She’s been known to play a lot of roles that don’t suit her age, including her part in Silver Linings Playbook where she’s meant to be a widow in her 30s, and Joy where her character ages up to age 40. If JLaw cared so much about gender inequality, then maybe she should take a stand against taking away parts from actresses who are actually of age to do them. Ageism is a serious problem in Hollywood, and Lawrence could be doing a lot more to help tackle it. Sadly though, she’s willing to shut up and just collect her paycheck.
9 She Talks Badly About Fellow Celebs Behind Their Backs
Jennifer Lawrence appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and revealed that she and her best friend Laura Simpson talk a lot of trash about her co-stars behind their backs. JLaw’s BFF dished that they have several nicknames for the celebrities they don’t like: “There's the Lady, there's Pickle," Simpson revealed. Lawrence added, "Well, the Lady has different variations…the Raging Lady, the Lady in Red, the Lady in Waiting." Not only is this truly shady to admit to having code names for fellow celebrities, but it also sounds like JLaw has a real problem with other female stars. For someone who claims to be pro-feminism and pro-gender equality, Lawrence isn’t exactly proving herself to be a role model for supporting the sisterhood.
8 She’s More Than Happy to Work With An Alleged Abuser
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence admitted that she loved working with David O. Russell so much, that she “tears up” whenever she talks about him. This is a highly controversial statement, as O. Russell is known for his abusive behaviour towards his cast members. In fact, his abuse towards Amy Adams was so bad while filming American Hustle that co-star Christian Bale had to step in to put a stop to it. Similarly, George Clooney admitted to punching the director after he was abusive to members of the cast and crew on Three Kings. To make things worse, David O. Russell was under investigation in 2012 for allegedly groping his transgender niece, according to TMZ. Looks like JLaw needs to reassess whom she decides to gush her feelings over, and maybe take others’ stories and feelings into consideration.
7 She Lies...A LOT
It seems like Jlaw will do anything to make herself seem relatable to the public, and she’s known to go to extreme lengths to get people to see her as “just like any girl.” Sometimes though, her over-the-top need to get people to like her and see her as “normal” means she bends the truth quite a bit in the process. When on the Late Night with Seth Meyers, Lawrence told a story about how she got so drunk at Madonna’s 2014 Oscars party, that apparently Miley Cyrus told her to “get it together.” That would have been a great story, had it been true. However, Miley later tweeted that the incident never actually happened. There have been a few other instances where JLaw’s stories don't check out, which really doesn’t leave her with much credibility at all. Maybe if Jennifer stopped trying to be so relatable, she might actually have some real, true, good stories to tell us.
6 She Thinks She’s Edgy For Drinking, And Sets A Bad Example
There’s hardly an interview or an appearance that goes by without Jennifer Lawrence telling us how much she loves to drink, because you know, she’s like totally relatable and just like the rest of us, right guys? How edgy! How cool! Please. She told USA Today that her favorite drink is Budweiser, she asked for a Corona during a Vanity Fair interview, and she announced at the 2013 Oscars that she did a shot before stepping out in front of the press. She also made sure everyone knew she drank a couple of shots on the red carpet at the The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 premiere. We get it JLaw, you like your booze. But maybe you should think about setting a better example for your younger fans, ok? Drinking doesn't make anyone cool or edgy; maybe someone should tell Jen that too.
5 She’s Racially Insensitive
In case you weren’t aware, Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer are best buds and have been in the process of making a movie together in which they play dysfunctional sisters. The movie has been in the works for quite some time now, but from what they’ve revealed, it honestly sounds less than promising. Talking to Entertainment Weekly about the project, Lawrence said “It's really hilarious, and it's incredibly offensive. I've already come up with the tagline for the movie that can go on posters: 'Minorities will be offended, and so will all white people’”. Maybe someone should tell JLaw that it’s possible to be funny without being offensive and without causing tasteless jokes involving race, gender, and sexuality. Knowing Lawrence’s love of crudeness and Schumer’s penchant for shock-value, it’s safe to assume that the Oscar-winning actress wasn’t exaggerating the movie’s awful-sounding description.
4 She Always Has To Be The Center of Attention
There’s nothing Jennifer Lawrence seems to love more than convincing us all that she “just like any other girl” and that she’s just so normal for loving pizza and wanting to snack on french fries on the red carpet. But, hello? JLaw isn’t like the rest of us. She’s a million-dollar earning, Oscar-winning actress. So maybe she should act that way. J Law famously tripped on the Oscars red carpet not once, but twice, swiftly turning what could have been an endearing clumsy moment into something suspiciously fake. Even Jared Leto told Access Hollywood that he wondered if it was all just an act. But it’s not just with falls that JLaw seems to try and get noticed with, it’s also attention-grabbing stunts like when she shoved Emma Watson’s face or when she had red-carpet freak-outs over meeting fellow actors. It’s definitely time JLaw quit faking her fame, and started to develop some class and decorum.
3 She Disrespected Mental Health
We’ve seen that Jennifer Lawrence seems to lack any kind of filter and often comes out with some very problematic statements and behaviour, but one of the worst instances of this was back in 2011 when she showed a complete lack of consciousness when it comes to mental health. During an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she told Jesse Eisenberg: “You’re the most interesting person. I want weird quirks”, after Eisenberg was opening up about his OCD, which is a real, serious mental health issue. Belittling his mental health problem like it’s some kind of cute, enviable quirk is a terrible and insulting thing to do, and is no way to act when someone is being real about their debilitating condition. JLaw should know better than to trivialize someone’s mental health battle.
2 She Admitted To Being Rude To Her Fans
During an interview with Adam Sandler as part of Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she’s consciously rude to her fans. She told the comedic actor that she uses meanness to try and defend herself against people wanting to meet her, and admitted that she’s a “huge a**hole” to her followers in public. Jennifer proceeded to demonstrate her finger wag and her icy glare she deploys when she sees someone try and approach her and said that when someone tries to come up to her for a selfie, she scoffs back a cold “No.” It appears that JLaw isn’t just shady when it comes to her fellow Hollywood crowd, but also super shady when it comes to her adoring fans. The way she’s going, it looks like JLaw could use all the fanbase she can still get!
1 She Compared Harvey Weinstein To A Father Figure
There’s no way that you haven’t heard about the recent Harvey Weinstein scandal that rocked Hollywood this November, and it’s safe to say you’re probably under the correct assumption that Weinstein is a pretty nasty guy. He has been accused of countless assault and harassment charges, and the incidents have sparked a huge outcry from women in Hollywood calling out for better treatment of women in the industry. Amidst the controversy surrounding Weinstein however, Lawrence has come out and said that she never had a problem with Harvey Weinstein and saw him as a father figure. Speaking to Oprah for the Hollywood Reporter, Lawrence said: “He was paternal to me.” Although Lawrence went on to admit that clearly what Weinstein had done was awful, the fact that she still admitted that she had once seen him in a fatherly light almost makes it feel like she’s covering up his monstrous behaviour in a way.
SOURCES: BusinessInsider.com, TheSun.co.uk, DailyMail.co.uk, Vogue.com, ABCNews.go.com, ETOnline.com, HollywoodReporter.com, EW.com, Mirror.co.uk, Variety.com, AccessHollywood.com
