Kylie Rancor
The old adage that you should “never meet your heroes” has stuck around for so long for a reason. But the rise of tabloids and social media has made the suggestion all but impossible; even if you don’t meet your heroes, you’re likely to find out enough about them to make you wish you’d never cared at all.
With that in mind, Redditors are sharing stories of celebrities they used to admire but no longer do, whether through personal interactions, widespread stories of inexcusable behavior, or their own negative social media presence outshining any good work they did in their actual careers.
1. Andy Dick
I used to like Andy Dick and his style of quirky comedy. Then I found out that he was, in fact, a dick.
Sockcucker69
2. Lea Michele
I used to think all the diva stuff was just nasty rumours.
BebeBarber
3. Danny Masterson
Hyde was my favorite character on That ’70s Show, but now Danny Masterson is a rapist Scientologist, so f—k that noise.
DogStilts
4. Joss Whedon
Loved his shows, his writing style, and the surface stuff like his stance on feminism were worth admiring, too. Turns out, he’s at best, a complete prick.
Zeelthor
5. Tom Cruise
Dude went bonkers into Scientology. The shit he did to his ex’s is, to me, akin to what Britney Spears is going through.
drunkenWINO
6. Dr. Phil
I wasn’t the biggest fan but I did admire him. It’s been a few weeks since I learned how he treats those vulnerable people in his [ranches].”
buggerrrnaut
7. OJ Simpson
Surprised nobody mentioned OJ Simpson. Superstar celebrity athlete and actor. Nobody could run through an airport like OJ. Loved him in the Conspiracy movie Capricorn one.
fighting4good
8. Mark Salling
Mark Salling (Puck from Glee). Admired him a lot for his talent when the show was popular. He pleaded guilty to [child pornography] charges, could never support or look at him the same way again.
burnafterwritingx
9. Butch Hartman
Butch “I made your childhood, took your money, cured your autism, traced your art, converted you to Christianity, and sneered at your criticisms” Hartman.
paperbackartifact
10. Bill Cosby
I grew up in an era where Bill Cosby was THE wholesome, upright family comedian. I listened to his stand up on cassette tapes for gosh sake. Finding out that he was a scumbag and had been for a long time was sad.
AmazingMrSaturn
11. Kevin Spacey
It’s a confusing one. I despise him for what he’s done but I still watch his movies and house of cards and am absolutely amazed at his performances. Makes me uncomfortable that I’m still enjoying the acting.
cigarettejesus
12. Mario Batali
Loved him as a chef. Seemed like a good guy, funny, jovial, decent. And don’t get me wrong he comes from a generation of dick chefs so I expected him to have some skeletons in his closet. But sexual assault is a bridge too far.
Thereisaphone
13. Jenny McCarthy
I was about 14 when she became a public figure and her being in playboy all the time was great. So there was that. Plus she was super fun on “Singled Out.” She seemed cool. But the anti-vax bullshit and the damage she has wrought is inexcusable and I have no respect for her.
wtfreddititsme
14. Conor McGregor
Because of alot of incidents including sucker-punching an old man at a bar and mocking his rival’s recently deceased father and a bunch more things. Just being an all around bitter nasty guy nowadays.
johnnyb1917
15. Marilyn Manson
He always seemed like a really chill dude behind the cameras, his concerts were fun to attend and everybody talked about what a nice guy he was. Turns out he’d been abusing his girlfriends for years.
Igothisway
16. Lance Armstrong
Read his book Its Not About the Bike, which inspired me to go into oncology as a new nurse. A few years later he divorced his wife, started dating Sheryl Crow, and was stripped of his Tour de France titles for steroid use. Just lost a lot of respect, and it made me sad.
Katero1980
17. James Corden
I used to think his self deprecating style and his ingenuity with comedy and the carpool karaoke idea were great. Then I saw story after story from fan encounters where he is a complete and utter douche. Now that I know he’s a fake, his schtick is unwatchable.
Schlag96
18. Amitabh Bachchan
He was the coolest person for me when I was young. Loved his action movies and the fighting scenes in them. But one day I found out he prompted killing of Sikhs after the Indian prime minister was Assassinated. He said blood for blood over the radio. It hurt because I’m a Sikh person.
Sandman_potato_man
19. Jared Leto
Used to be a huge 30 Seconds to Mars fan (still love the first 3 albums), and he seemed like a solid guy from the interviews I had seen back in the day. Over time though I started to realize how pretentious he is. Like he has some Bono-complex, he sees himself like some profound artist who is changing the world.
gh0stmanX
20. Jeffree Star
I used to think he was really cool (he was super nice when I met him) for being self made, “not tolerating the haters”, and his whole message about being yourself was so appealing to me. Then I found out about all the stuff he’s allegedly done….combined with how he doesn’t take ANY accountability and shifts the blame around ruined him for me.
ado_adonis
21. Ellen DeGeneres
I thought she was really wholesome, and watching her show used to make me feel warm and fuzzy but then I started getting really soul-leeching sort of vibes from her and now it just feels like she’s using people. I’m sure it’s always been like that…I mean, she’s there to be paid to entertain people, after all.
UhnonMonster
22. Jennifer Lopez
My dad was a pilot and flew with a guy that used to fly private charters. He said she was the worst celebrity they ever had. Got on the plane and started throwing all the bottled water off the beverage cart on to the ramp because it wasn’t the brand she liked.
Which means the ground is full of FOD (foreign object debris) and you can’t start up the engines. She then started to complain that the plane wasn’t moving. To which the captain had to say “Ma’am, we have to wait for someone to come and pick up the water.”
greaper007
23. Ryan Haywood
Kinda not much of a celebrity but this guy Ryan Haywood from the youtube channel achievement hunter was like my favorite member growing up. He was funny put on a villain persona a lot and seemed like a good father. Turns out he was a pedophile who used his fame to convince young fans to sleep with him. Bastard even used his money from his twitch channel to pay for flights for them and hotel rooms when he told everyone all the money from his twitch was going to his kids’ college funds.
KMacaroniandcheese
24. Mario Lopez
I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and there is a move called “knee on belly” which is exactly what it sounds like. Typically when you’re training, you don’t go full force because its an asshole move especially when you’re training. Well, Mario was at my gym one day and he decided to go full force on me and I heard some snap crackle and pop sounds coming from my ribs which led to my rolling around on the floor for a bit.
He never checked on me or apologized for doing that. It takes a special kind of human to lack that much empathy to completely ignore someone writhing in pain that you clearly inflicted.
Green-Ad939