Top 10 Celebrities Attacked on Stage

Dealing with hecklers is a part of any standup comic’s job, but this usually just involves having a witty comeback, not ducking and covering. In 2007, Australian-born comic, writer, actor and talk show host Jim Jefferies was still relatively unknown on the international comedy scene. That would change when he performed at the Comedy Store in Manchester, England and an audience member jumped up on stage and started punching the comic. The seemingly inebriated man, Jefferies would later tell, was angered by a putdown of another audience member five minutes before the attack. Club security eventually subdued the man and Jefferies returned triumphantly to the stage.

Pop star Demi Lovato just wanted to get a bit closer to her fans - unfortunately, one audience member at her 2012 show in Paraguay got a little too close for comfort. During the concert, Lovato apologized for feeling a little under the weather and, to make up for it, offered attendees a chance to get a little closer to the stage. One fan took advantage of the relaxed security, jumped on stage and proceeded to give Lovato an unrequested bear hug - that is until security pulled her off and took Lovato out of harm’s way. After Lovato’s kind gesture clearly backfired, she went on with the show.

Pitbull is one performer who doesn’t miss a beat, even during a beating. During a 2009 concert, one rowdy audience member started throwing money on stage. When he wouldn’t stop, Pitbull invited him on stage by yanking him up from the crowd. The fan proceeded to throw money in the rapper’s face and Pitbull responded by punching the man until security dealt with him. The most amazing part of the story is that Pit did all this while continuing to perform the song Bojangles and even gave a justification for his actions between verses.

By all accounts, Dubai is a very memorable place to visit, even for celebrities. It’s unlikely Justin Bieber will forget his 2013 tour stops in the city, though not for good reasons. Near the end of one of his concerts, someone found their way to the stage and went after the Biebs as he was playing piano. Security was quick to respond, tackling not only assailant but the piano as well, knocking it over. Bieber however took the whole thing in stride, not only finishing the show but also acting like nothing had ever happened, later tweeting that “nothing stops the show” like a true Belieber.

While it may be a foregone conclusion for most that you don’t mess with Queen Bey, one shirtless fan in Brazil didn’t get the memo. Dude not only messed with Beyoncé, he also tried to drag her into the crowd as she performed in the island-style stage in 2013, only to be stopped by security. For her part, Sasha Fierce just continued performing, hardly missing a beat in the song. When it was over, she shook the fan’s hand before going into the next song, proving that there were no hard feelings and that she truly is the class act everyone thinks she is.

Attacks on stage can be particularly painful and have a long lasting effect on the celebrity victim, as was the case with Noel Gallagher. During a 2008 Oasis performance at Toronto’s Virgin Music Festival, a man got on stage and threw the guitarist into some of the on-stage monitors before being tackled by security. While Gallagher was able to finish the concert, he suffered three fractured ribs and the band had to cancel several upcoming shows. In a victim impact statement, he said that it felt like “getting hit by a bus” though he later admitted to MTV2 that it could have been much worse.

Some celebrities carry on like nothing happened when fans jump on stage unexpectedly. Others are visibly shaken, if only for a moment, like Britney Spears was in 2009 at a concert in Connecticut. While Spears was performing “Womanizer”, a fan joined the otherwise choreographed melee. When Britney noticed he wasn’t part of her planned performance, the starlet visibly shakes. Security and her dancers – who were, ironically, dressed as sexy cops – dealt with the fan so he couldn’t touch the star. In 2017, another fan jumped on stage during a Britney concert, but this time security was much quicker on the draw.

While this may be another case of a random audience member attacking a celebrity on stage, some speculate that the 2017 attack on XXXTentacion, which left the controversial rapper unconscious, may have had something to do with one of the star’s many beefs. Since he was rushed from the side at a show in San Diego, which happens to be the hometown of Rob Stone, some local fans were quick to lay the blame on the rival rapper. Whatever the reason, the attacker received what looks like quite a beating at the hands of security as XXXTentacion was carried offstage.

It’s not always the crowd you have to worry about. During an early performance of “Love Buzz,” Kurt Cobain jumped into the crowd to body-surf - that is, until one of the bouncers aggressively tries to pull him back. As Cobain pushed him off, his Fender Jaguar connects with the bouncer's skull, resulting in the bouncer retaliating on the grunge pioneer. Reeling Cobain back to the stage, the bouncer went full thug on him, punching the guitarist to the ground and kicking at him while he's got him there, until he himself is dealt with by the audience … and all 6'7'' of Krist Novoselic.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions:



Avril Lavigne

Brazil (2011)


Slash

Italy (2010)


Ally Brooke

Mexico (2016)

Leave it to Michael Jackson to care more about his fans, even the ones who rush the stage, than himself. During a performance of Earth Song at a 1996 concert in Seoul, South Korea, a fan jumped up from the crowd not just to the stage but also to the crane that was lifting Jackson high above the crowd. Out of concern for the fan’s safety, Jackson held on to him to make sure he didn’t fall, but didn’t stop singing or performing the whole ride. It was a truly memorable experience - for that rule-breaking fan, for Jackson and for everyone in attendance.