20 Celebrity Meltdowns
#20: Billie Joe Armstrong
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If, for one minute, you thought Billie Joe Armstrong was Justin Bieber, he certainly put you straight at the 2012 iHeartRadio Festival. There’s still quite some argument about what led to this rock star’s outburst. But the general gist is that Armstrong and his band Green Day had been allotted a 45-minute set at the event, only to have their time cut short because Usher took up too much.. If true, then it clearly didn’t go down well with him. Armstrong launched into an expletive-filled tirade that ended with him smashing his guitar onstage. The band later apologized for the incident, but we gotta say, it was very rock ‘n’ roll.
#19: Casey Kasem
When your radio career lasts as long as Casey Kasem’s did, chances are you’d be caught losing your cool at least once. Kasem’s radio shows were known for the ‘Long-Distance Dedication’ segments, in which listeners requested songs for their remote loved ones. In this particular incident, which was actually an outtake later posted online, Kasem received a request from someone wishing to dedicate a tune to his deceased canine. But as heartfelt as this sounds, Kasem didn’t appreciate having to make the clunky segway from an energetic track to the tragic topic. And he didn’t hesitate to voice out his displeasure. Note to self: just like oil and water, uptempo songs and dead dogs don’t mix.
#18: Andrew Dice Clay
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If you’re looking for a family-friendly comedian, Andrew Dice Clay certainly won’t be your first draft pick. Clay’s vulgar alter ego, the Diceman, seemed to rear his head in this unforgettable CNN interview. Clearly not everyone likes to be reminded that their career is no longer as great as it once used to be. And when this interviewer alluded to that and asked about the gym he was allegedly running, the Diceman completely flipped out. Curse words abound, before Clay decides he’s had enough and just walks right out of the studio. But out of sight is definitely not out of mind for the Diceman.
#17: Chris Brown
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It certainly wasn’t a good morning for R&B singer Chris Brown when he appeared on “Good Morning America” in 2011 to promote his album “F.A.M.E.”. During an interview with co-anchor Robin Roberts, Brown was asked about the 2009 altercation with his now-ex Rihanna and the subsequent restraining order placed on him. After the interview and a brief performance, Brown reportedly threw a fit backstage, angrily walking into his dressing room and breaking a window. He later apologized for his behavior on the program, claiming to have been thrown off by Roberts’ line of questioning. The show’s anchors extended another invitation out to him following the apology.
#16: Billy Joel
It might seem fun to tour and travel all over the world, but in reality it can also be completely exhausting. That exhaustion can wear a performer down, and for Billy Joel, being on the road for 11 months made him a powder keg waiting to explode. In 1987, Joel toured the Soviet Union, even spending over two million dollars of his own money to cover production costs. But when the film crew turned their lights on the audience instead of the singer/songwriter, he found his breaking point and completely lost it... although the show very much went on.
#15: Meat Loaf
He might do anything for love, but he draws the line at letting anyone get away with stealing his art supplies. In the realm of reality television, we expect plenty of drama, but this explosive confrontation still managed to catch everyone off guard. Maybe it’s because they’re celebrities, and we kinda expect them to try and keep their cool in front of (or near) the cameras... even if this entire list proves otherwise. Hey, it’s not everyday that you can say that you dropped so many f-bombs that you had to be held back by Mark McGrath and Lil Jon.
#14: Justin Bieber
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Puberty can be rough, but it’s even worse when the entire world is watching you. Since becoming a teen idol in the late 2000s, Bieber has been met with equal parts undying love from his fans and venomous vitriol from his critics, and it’s clearly taken a toll on the young Canadian. In addition to being arrested for alleged drunk driving, resisting arrest, and drug possession, the Biebs also refused to finish a concert in Norway in 2015 after some water was spilled on stage. His behavior was so bad that China banned him from performing in their country, as they feared he’d corrupt their youth.
#13: David Hasselhoff
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A cheeseburger. Alcohol. A concerned daughter and a video camera. These things all came together to form a recipe for pure WTF, so much so that even “The Hoff” has poked fun at himself about it. As you watch the former Baywatch star at his absolute worst, you can hear his daughter pleading with him to stop drinking as he clumsily eats a burger while sprawled out on the floor. Deeply undignified, the video was a form of tough love, as Hasselhoff was attempting to recover from alcohol use disorder but caught mid-relapse during what ended up being one hell of a meme-worthy wake up call.
#12: David O. Russell
We expect directors to push the cast to their absolute best... but some take things a bit too far. Case in point: David O. Russell. Nearly every movie he directs gives rise to a story about his terrible behavior toward the cast, but it was “I Heart Huckabees” that led to the mother of all meltdowns. Actress Lily Tomlin took Russell’s explosive blowup in stride... probably because Russell had pushed all of her buttons in an earlier car scene. In the end, both sides later claimed to have great respect and love for each other, saying the situation was similar to a familial fight.
#11: Bill O’Reilly
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Everybody knows Bill O’Reilly as the intellectual, yet pompous, host of “The O’Reilly Factor” on FOX News, and it’s not like he suddenly developed a temper out of nowhere. Back in 1989, he joined “Inside Edition” for a six-year run before leaving to study at Harvard, and during one particular taping, a teleprompter malfunction put O’Reilly into Beast Mode. Notice the stern conviction as he attempts to process the madness before taking command of the situation like a playground persecutor. Like a true pro, however, O’Reilly sported a grin and nailed the line, which didn’t necessarily require a teleprompter to begin with.
#10. Björk
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By 1996, the Icelandic singer known as Björk had released two acclaimed solo albums upon leaving The Sugarcubes, but as she strolled her son through Bangkok International Airport, she offered up yet another unforgettable hit by swiftly kicking the ass of a stunned reporter who said: “Welcome to Bangkok.” There’s really no excuse for such aggressive behavior, but in defense of Bjork, she later claimed the same paparazzo had been on her tail for days. This singer may be small in stature, but her agility proved to be cat-like given her MMA-style takedown.
#9: Christian Bale
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Kick back, close your eyes and listen to one of the most dedicated actors of modern times lose it. To be fair, maybe it should’ve seemed obvious to cinematographer Shane Hurlbut not to walk around while Christian Bale was in the ultimate actor’s zone, but that’s what happened, and John Connor dropped a flurry of f-bombs to convey his disapproval. When someone’s deep in character, you never know what kind of energy they possess. In this case, Bale maintained a certain sense of honor, but in a most obnoxious way. Once the clip went viral, it became a source for endless parodies – though Bale did eventually apologize.
#8: Alec Baldwin
As the daughter of a famous Hollywood couple, Ireland Baldwin surely has many stories to tell. While she’s a 6’2” fashion model today, papa Alec Baldwin referred to her as a “rude, thoughtless little pig” back in 2007. The meltdown transpired when 11-year-old Ireland failed to answer a scheduled phone call from her dad. Given the voicemail, it’s likely that Alec had a bit more on his mind than bad manners. Perhaps the most memorable part comes when he threatens to fly to LA for the day with the sole purpose of “straightening his daughter out.” Fortunately, the two were able to poke fun at the incident in 2015.
#7: Michael Richards
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If you're going to be a comedian, you're going to get some hecklers. Some comedians daydream about heckling the heckler at their job; others have a series of no-comeback slams locked and loaded. And then there's Michael Richards. Perhaps attempting to be ironic, perhaps attempting to take a re-heckle to the extreme, Richards instead ended up being unforgivably offensive. Spitting out a major racial slur, TV's Kramer also hurled a series of misguided jokes that probably didn't have the effect he was going for. Instead of shocking audiences into uneasy laughter or silence, he basically wrote off his career.
#6: Will Smith
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The 94th Academy Awards had all the drama: inappropriate jokes, an infamous slap, an expletive-laden rant, a tearful apology… oh, and some awards were handed out too, of course. Indeed, the most talked-about moment from the 2022 Oscars was when actor Will Smith strode across the stage and smacked presenter Chris Rock in the face. Rock had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head that wasn’t received well by her husband. Of course, in a very Hollywood turn of events, Smith would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor shortly after, setting the stage for a tearful apology to everyone but Rock. His actions earned him a 10-year ban from any Academy event.
#5: Tom Cruise
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It was a strange time in 2005: it was the year YouTube was first introduced and it was the year that a love-struck Tom Cruise went completely bananas on Oprah’s couch. After all, he was in the early stages of a relationship with actress Katie Holmes. Though Cruise never seems to age on screen, nobody expected him to behave like a teenager celebrating his first kiss when he was over 40. Who really knows what happened that day, or more importantly “why.” However, the moment ultimately became one of the first viral sensations. As we’ve seen over the years, Cruise hasn’t been shy about communicating his philosophies on the public stage, and the couch incident was the beginning of it all.
#4: Kanye West
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We know, we know, this one is pretty obvious. In fact, it’s kind of a staple whenever you talk about celebrity meltdowns. We could show a montage of uncomfortable interviews where Kanye goes completely off kilter, makes odd statements where you’re left scratching your head, rants through his own concerts for nearly twenty minutes, and makes political campaign promises for the year 2020. Honestly, it’s at the point where there are so many random Yeezy moments that it’s hard to figure out when he wants us to laugh at his antics or take him seriously.
#3: Shia LaBeouf
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Oh Louis Stevens, what happened to you? There are a plethora of stories about child stars who lose themselves in the craziness of Hollywood, but there’s something almost mystifying about Shia LaBeouf, who screams at us to just do it, wears paper bags, and streams video of himself watching his own movies. It’s generally harmless behavior... until you get into his numerous arrests and outrageous outbursts. Each time, he seems to learn his lesson… until he gets in trouble for the same disorderly conduct, going through the cycle of meltdown, apologize, and repeat once again. It certainly makes you hope that the worst is over for him.
#2: Mel Gibson
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From the craziness of a young sex symbol to the madness of “Mad Max,” Mel Gibson is a celebrated actor and director regardless of what you think of him. BUT…he’s said some cuckoo stuff, and unfortunately for him a lot of it has been caught on tape. Of course, there’s his reported anti-Semitic tirade after being pulled over by the Malibu 5-0 in 2006. Although he’s exhibited a long history of controversial statements, he still managed to shock us even more with a 2010 meltdown recorded by ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. As talented as Mel Gibson may be, the collection of meltdowns reveal a man unafraid to unleash his verbal venom.
#1: Charlie Sheen
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Consider this: mainstream media often criticizes young actresses for their epic meltdowns, but in the case of Charlie Sheen, everybody seemed rather content with - or at least tolerant of - the meltdown. Why? Because he seemed to be having so much fun. Sex workers. Illegal Substances. Winning, right? Apparently so, because Sheen’s bizarre 2011 rants actually led to a Comedy Central roast in which fellow celebrities snickered away at his death-defying antics. It’s no secret that Sheen loves him some women and nose candy, yet he was at his worst during his infamous interview with ABC News.
