Top 10 Idiot Musicians
#10: Fred Durst
Limp Bizkit doesn’t have the greatest of legacies, and neither does its frontman, Fred Durst. Durst has done a few questionable things over the years, like calling Vladimir Putin “a great guy with clear moral principles” and referring to Slipknot fans as “fat, ugly kids.” Many people called out Durst’s juvenile personality and found his fake tough guy persona as being annoying, while others have blamed Durst and Limp Bizkit for encouraging crowd violence. While he hasn’t been much of a target lately due to his irrelevancy, he was nonetheless quite the controversial figure in the 2000s.
#9: Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher is undoubtedly one of the most volatile personalities in all of music. Liam seems to hate his brother Noel with every fiber of his being. They came to blows in 2009 after Liam allegedly swung a guitar at Noel’s head, an act that effectively disbanded Oasis. And he doesn’t just target Noel either. Liam has been infamous for his abrasive personality for many years, and in the past has allegedly headbutted a backpacker, abused passengers on an airplane, and set off a fire extinguisher in football player Paul Gascoigne’s face, among many, many other instances.
#8: Kid Rock
10 Musicians Everyone Lost Respect For
With a name like “Kid Rock,” you can just tell that this guy is a character. This musician is a veritable smorgasbord of controversies, and there are so many that we don’t even know where to begin. There was that time he assaulted a DJ inside of a strip club. Or the time he posed with a dead cougar while out hunting with Ted Nugent. Or what about his past history of displaying Confederate flags, going on drunken rants, and spouting homophobic remarks? The controversy even continues into 2023, as Kid Rock helped instigate the Bud Light boycott after they partnered with transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney. He calls himself an “American Bad Ass.” We don’t know about the “bad” part.
#7: Robin Thicke
At the height of his “Blurred Lines” fame, Robin Thicke was divorced from his partner of 21 years, with many people citing rumors of cheating. Thicke was later investigated by the Department of Child and Family Services for child abuse. He was also accused of plagiarizing Marvin Gaye but vehemently denied the accusations. However, the court didn’t see his point of view, and Thicke was found liable for copyright infringement. While he appealed the decision, the verdict was upheld in March 2018 and Thicke was ordered to pay half of his “Blurred Lines” royalties to the Gaye family.
#6: Azealia Banks
Top 10 Azealia Banks Feuds
Banks is well-known for her rather troublesome personality – more so than her music – and she has been involved in numerous altercations and disputes throughout the years. She is very outspoken on social media and certainly isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Offline, Azealia allegedly punched and spat in a man’s face on an airplane, uttered homophobic slurs at flight staff, and made disturbing comments toward Sarah Palin during her heyday. In the end, it was a series of racist and homophobic tweets aimed at Zayn Malik that resulted in her being blocked from Twitter.
#5: Gene Simmons
The Beatles Get Back Documentary | Gene Simmons Sells Multi-Million $ Home | Kevin Ross Interview
Gene Simmons is one of those rock stars who ruins it for everyone else. Simmons has made countless controversial remarks in the past that have perfectly exemplified this . In February 2002, he told NPR’s Terry Gross “if you want to welcome me with open arms, you’re also going to have to welcome me with open legs” and later refused NPR permission to publish the interview . He has also called Islam a “vile culture,” was sued by his former girlfriend for calling her an “unchaste woman,” has faced sexual battery charges, and has expressed less than friendly advice to those with depression and mental health issues
#4: Morrissey
Top 10 Worst Things Morrissey Has Said And Done
Despite Morrissey living a very private and personal life, he has made headlines on numerous occasions for his rather outspoken and belligerent political beliefs. Academic Julian Stringer has stated that Morrissey is “a nice man who says the nastiest things about other people,” such as when he made racist and derogatory comments about Chinese people. He has also been in trouble for stating that the fast food industry is worse than terrorism, and made even more alarming comments likening eating meat with predatory behavior towards minors.
#3: Ted Nugent
20 Moments That Changed Musicians' Reputations Forever
Nugent is constantly finding himself in trouble for the way in which he discusses his controversial political beliefs. In the past, he has stated that Jews are responsible for gun control, made racist comments about South Africa, and that gun control advocates are “mushy brained children.” He also finds humor in animal rights, and has stated his belief that animal rights activists should be shot with arrows. If that wasn’t all, he’s blatantly homophobic and has directed tons of hate towards politicians he disagrees with.
#2: Axl Rose
Top 10 Musicians Who Are Most Difficult To Work With
It's doubtful that anyone in the music industry has a worse reputation than Axl Rose. Rose is infamous for his decades’ worth of childish temper tantrums both on stage and off, which are well documented and easy to find. He has also been the subject of numerous lawsuits and is allegedly very hard to get along with, leading to the departure of many Guns N’ Roses members. Whether he’s storming offstage like a whiny child, jumping into the crowd to literally fight audience members, or calling Slash “a cancer,” Axl Rose is always making enemies and furthering his reputation for being a huge jerk!
#1: Kanye West
The Fall of Kanye West? | Part 3 | First Watch Reaction
It’s an understatement to say that Kanye West has been causing controversy from day one. At first, he irritated people with his egotistical, holier-than-thou attitude. Then, he rubbed other celebrities the wrong way by interrupting their acceptance speeches and storming out of buildings like a petulant child. However, all of that pales in comparison to his racist behavior, like when he insinuated that slavery was a choice during a TMZ interview. If that wasn’t enough, in 2022 he launched into an anti-semitic tirade that included an Instagram post stating his intention to go ‘death con 3 on Jewish people’. He quickly lost brand and management deals from Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap and more, and basically sent his reputation and career directly into the gutter.
