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I’ve had friends and acquaintances tell me about their celebrity horror stories, and they aren’t pretty.
Sometimes, meeting someone you really admire doesn’t live up to your expectations, and then your image of that person is forever tarnished. What a bummer! Much better to live with your fantasies.
Just ask these AskReddit users whose encounters with their heroes didn’t quite go the way they’d imagined.
1. A hockey tale
“My sister’s favourite hockey team has always been the Colorado Avalanche. They came to Vancouver to play against the Canucks and my mom got tickets for them to go to the game. My sister’s favourite players were Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic. After the game my mom takes my sister to where the Avalanche board the bus to wait and ask for Joe and Patrick to sign her jersey.
As the players come out some of them sign her jersey as they board the bus, along comes Joe and flat out refuses to sign it, Patrick Roy comes out after and signs her jersey, my sister pleads with him to get Joe to sign her jersey and explained that they are both her heroes and the reason she started playing hockey.
Patrick grabs her jersey goes onto the bus with it and got a few more to sign it and the coaches as well. She had every signature EXCEPT Joe Sakic, he flat out refused and it was his jersey she wore to the game. My sister was about 10 or so and was completely crushed. I mean she still got to meet her idol Patrick Roy and she’s a goalie too so it was a big deal for her but my mom couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t sign her jersey, even Roy came out and kinda gave my mom a look like “yeah he’s an a**hole but I tried”.”
2. No time for photos…
“Hillary Clinton. I was working in Washington D.C. for a non-profit connected to AmeriCorps, which was created by President Clinton. We had an event at the Capitol and she was still a Senator at that time. We organized everything and she came to speak. After she was done and waiting for the elevator with her aides, I asked politely for a photo. She looked at me and said “I don’t have time for photos.” She was just standing and waiting.
On the other hand, I also got to meet President Clinton after he had left office, and he was the complete opposite. Took a photo with me and asked about my background.”
3. Say it ain’t so, Sly
“Sylvester Stallone… my dad is a huge Rambo and Rocky fan. My parents had court side seats at a Lakers game once and he was sitting a few seats over from them. At half time they walked up to just say hello, he proceeded to hit on my mom, dismiss any attempts at a photo (which they weren’t even asking for) and just be all around condescending. My dad was pretty bummed.”
4. No reservations
“Anthony Bourdain. His shtick that he popularized on TV, that sort of angry New Yorker with a heart of gold but wrapped up in layers of anger, cigarettes and traffic…..
… that was nothing compared to the real Bourdain. I met him at a gathering when I was an undergrad, probably 2 years after Kitchen Confidential. I think it was during his “Cooks Tour” days. The guy was supposed to be talking about the kitchen industry; instead, he talked about how everyone was going to fail, that he was a fraud, he took dozens of smoke breaks and berated one girl who had told him she was influenced by him. He was so rude and angry at such a well thought out and kind comment that no one dared say another thing. The event was supposed to be +2 hours long but it was done in well under an hour.
*Edit: I saw him speak at a university where none of the attendees were in the culinary arts, and he either had no clue, or had been told, but was too drunk to know/care.”
5. A-Rod
“Alex Rodriguez. My family and another friends family would stay at the hotel the Yankees would stay at when they would play the Rays in Tampa. The first year A-Rod was signed he was sh*t, and was the most humble dude. The hotels used to have signs about “famous guests are guests too” and have ropes, A-Rod saw my brother and I at the end waiting for a signature and he took us under his arms into the elevator and talked with us, super cool dude.
The next year he was absolutely tearing the cover off the ball and started hitting home runs again. He was the last guy to enter the hotel lobby and had a crew of security escorting him. We didn’t think anything of it. We were running around the hotel and just below the bar is a bathroom that my buddy had to use so I was sitting outside on a bench. And down the stairs comes A-Rod, I was stunned, I could talk to him. Except 2 seconds later the security crew came down and walked in the bathroom as A-Rod and 2 security guards stayed outside. The 2 that went it came out with my buddy behind them. Basically told him “hurry up someone has to use this.” And then A-Rod went into the bathroom.
He was so worried about people asking him for his autograph that he cleared out the bathroom. When he’d go in the pool he’d have 3-4 guards standing on the edge of the pool with him watching him.
Hideki Matsui ended up becoming my hero after this, he was throwing a football around in the pool with us even though he barely spoke English. We didn’t even ask him for a signature or picture because he’s in the pool and a guest. A-Rod was just so paranoid.”
6. C’mon, Chuck
“When I was a young lad in the US Air Force I met Chuck Yeager. As a child I was obsessed with the P-51 Mustang–the premier WWII fighter. Chuck Yeager earned his Ace designation in the P-51, shooting down five enemy aircraft in a single mission. Chuck Yeager was also instrumental in the development of jet aircraft; he was an early pioneer in faster-than-sound flight, with most aviation historians crediting him as the first human to exceed Mach 1. During my childhood, I read everything I could get my hands on about Chuck Yeager.
I served as a Boom Operator in the USAF, and was stationed at Beale, AFB in the 80s. Chuck Yeager lived in Grass Valley then, and sometimes shopped at the commissary on Beale. I once saw him in the commissary while I was grocery shopping. I was a SSgt (E-5) at the time. I had just gotten off duty and was still wearing my flight suit.
I walked up to him and introduced myself. I wanted to tell him how he had influenced my decision to join the USAF and pursue a career field where I could fly. While I was introducing myself, he looked at my name badge, looked me right in the eye with a look of disdain, then turned his back and walked away without saying a word.”
7. Not my favorite anymore
“When I was a kid (Around 6-7 years old, I think?), my parents took me to Universal Studios in Florida. At the time, my all-time favorite superhero was Wolverine. I was so PUMPED UP to meet him, and that’s all I could think about as we tried to track him down in the park (At least, the guy pretending to be wolverine.). At last, we spotted him, back turned to us. I nervously approached him, autograph book in hand, and said:
“Excuse me, Mr. Wolverine?”
Wolverine snapped around to face me, while practically growling “WHAT!?”
I know now that this was some actor doing his best to stay in character, responding to a voice from behind. I grew up big for my age, so I’m sure my voice sounded older than I was. But to kid-me, Wolverine had just snarled at me, and was now looming over me, angry. I started to cry as I meekly offered up my autograph book, and he quietly kneeled down to sign it before shuffling away from that whole situation.
I left Universal with Spiderman as my favorite hero, after that.
As an adult, I feel terrible for that poor actor who was just doing his best to embody the Wolverine that the comics and movies present. But I had grown up with a kid-friendly introduction to him, so I had no idea Wolverine was known for his rude dude attitude. I was expecting him to be as friendly as every other superhero in the park.”
8. Iron Mike
“Different twist on the whole thing.
I met Mike Tyson, by accident, in Vegas. He was in his way to an autograph signing, and his security detail and my group got stuck in a very narrow walkway. We had to lean up against the sides essentially to let them all pass. But, he stopped to shake all of our hands and say hello before he walked by, extremely friendly man, gave me one of those weird shake hug things.
But. His cologne. It was the most heavenly smell I have ever encountered. From that moment on, I could never look at the champ the same. He wasn’t the boxing god that I used to think of him as anymore.
He was now, and will always be, the greatest smelling man I have ever encountered in my life. Anytime I smell something similar, I believe he is near by. Mike Tyson has taken over my olfactory glands, and I’m okay with that.
Edit: just want you to know, as weird as this may be. It’s 100% true. Mike Tyson smells like an angel, and I hope on day you will have the chance to smell him.”
9. Opposite sides of the spectrum
“Jerry Lewis. Came to the Children’s Hospital where I was a nurse. He wouldn’t come up to our oncology unit. Wanted us to bring the immunocompromised kids to the lobby so the press would see him meeting the children. Sorry, Jerry I can’t do that. F**k Jerry Lewis.
Mr. T, however, was the best. No entourage or cameras. This was during his A-Team peak. He spent as much time as each kid wanted. He was kind and warm to everyone on the unit.”
10. Criss Angel
“Back in the early 2000’s when Criss Angel was huge I was his biggest fan. He was doing an episode of his show at my moms work cause she was a diver and it was a water stunt. I was 9 years old and I thought everything he did was the real thing.
She let me come to work with her and meet him. I waited 2 hours outside the green room for him. He finally came out and walked right into me knocking me over. I’ll never forget how he looked me dead in the eyes knowing he had just knocked me onto the ground and then just walked away. I cried.. Fuck Criss Angel.”
11. Captain Kirk
“Paid $75 to take a photo with William Shatner at comic-con. We had sometime because the photographer had some tech issues. I said “it’s nice to meet you”, he responded in the most uninterested whisper “…thank you…”. I thought he didn’t hear me so I tried again and it was like he was on autopilot. Then he yelled at the photographers for having their lights too low, apparently “they need to be much higher so the nerds don’t get in the way”.
Although I will say, I’ve met a fair few of the Star Trek: next generation cast and they we are all extremely nice, polite and genuine.”
12. Not cool
“Les Claypool. Was backstage at a Primus show. I don’t get starstruck, went for the quick and not wanting to be a bother “Hey Les big fan man!”, “Fuck off buddy”.
Edit: I just wanna add, I was saying this as he was passing, it wasn’t like i was getting in his way or expecting him to stop what he was doing to fondle my balls. But hey, he did call me buddy so there’s that. And yeah Primus sucks.”
13. Wow
“Okay he wasn’t exactly my hero, but I was 10, so the winner of American Idol was pretty fucking cool to me. Taylor Hicks did a tour with the Grease musical cast and I was fortunate enough to meet him afterwards and take a picture. That guy was such an asshole. Wouldn’t let me come near him, refused to acknowledge my existence, acted like this was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. I was star struck so I wasn’t even really asking questions or anything, I just wanted a photo. He then made my mom pay for it. Piece. Of. Shit.”
14. Ladies only
“I was with a friend and her boyfriend and we happened to run into Shaun White. They were both huge fans but I really didn’t care that much. My friend walked over and asked for a picture. Shaun threw his arm around her and, without taking off the bandana on his face or his goggles, took a picture with her.
Her boyfriend asked for a picture afterwards and Shaun responded with “I only take pictures with the ladies…” and walked off. My friend told us on the way home that Shaun had rested his hand on her breast while her boyfriend snapped the pic.”
15. So rude
“Ok I was never a huge fan, but Beyonce is an incredible bitch.
This according to my ex-wife who worked as a lawyer for her when she was buying some real estate.
She acted incredibly insulted when was told to initial each page in a 10 page contract.
When told to write the date next to her final sig, she didn’t know the know the date. And was incredibly insulted again when my ex had to tell her. She was like, can’t you just do that for me. My ex said she was one of the rudest persons she’s ever worked with. Most celebrity real estate deals like this were always pleasant. Except for Mark Zuckerberg she said.
Also, apparently Beyonce was very rude to her own staff, insulting them constantly and berating one for something, quite harshly.
She was just and overall unpleasant person.”
