14 Times Celebs Criticized Another Famous Person In The Media And Got Called Out

Most of the time, celebs use interviews to talk about themselves and their projects. Sometimes, however, they bring up their personal drama. If they say something negative about someone else — especially another celeb — in such a public forum, then they might just receive a very public reply.

Here are 14 celebs who caught another celeb talking crap about them in the press and called them out:

1.THE CONTEXT: After giving birth to her first child in 2003, Brooke Shields experienced postpartum depression. Her doctor prescribed her an antidepressant. She shared her journey in the 2005 book Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. She went on her book press tour the same time Tom Cruise, who's a Scientologist and therefore opposed to prescription drugs and therapy, was promoting his movie War of the Worlds.

THE COMMENT: Tom criticized her for taking her prescription drug and called her "dangerous." He told Access Hollywood, "When someone says [medication] has helped them, it is to cope, it didn't cure anything. There is no science. There is nothing that can cure them whatsoever. ... I care about Brooke Shields because I think she is an incredibly talented women, [but] look at where her career has gone."

THE COMEBACK: In a New York Times op-ed titled "What Tom Cruise Doesn’t Know About Estrogen," Brooke wrote, "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression. ... If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let’s hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease."

Revisiting his comments in her upcoming documentary, Brooke said, "Tom Cruise should stick to fighting aliens."

2.THE CONTEXT: In 2004, Martha Stewart spent five months in prison for insider trading and fraud. Before being sent to a facility in West Virginia, she was almost sent to the Connecticut prison that Orange Is the New Black memoirist Piper Kerman was in. This inspired Jenji Kohan, the Netflix adaptation writer, to add a character inspired by Martha to the show.

THE COMMENT: On Chelsea, Martha told Chelsea Handler that she'd never watched the show. She said, "I experienced the real thing. When you live through something like Orange Is the New Black, the real characters are better."

THE COMEBACK: In a Vanity Fair interview, the main OITNB cast called her out, citing the fact that the show tackled important issues, raised LGBTQ+ voices, and represented women realistically. Lead actor Taylor Schilling summed it up with this statement: "I'm so proud what the show stands for, and she should watch and find out."

3.THE CONTEXT: Martha Stewart is a longtime fixture in the lifestyle business. In 2008, actor Gwyneth Paltrow started her own lifestyle brand, Goop. Martha has long been critical of Gwyneth's company.

THE COMMENT: In 2014, Martha told Porter magazine, "She just needs to be quiet. She's a movie star. If she were confident in her acting, she wouldn't be trying to be Martha Stewart."

THE COMEBACK: At Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit, Gwyneth joked, "No one has ever said anything bad about me before, so I'm shocked and devastated. I'll try to recover." Then, she said, "If I'm really honest, I'm so psyched that she sees us as competition. I really am."

4.THE CONTEXT: T.I. mentored Iggy Azalea early in her rap career. He signed her to his label, featured her on his songs, executive produced her breakout album The New Classic, and supported her in general. However, in 2015, he cut ties with her.

THE COMMENT: In 2019, T.I. told the Root, "I'm still actively looking for another female rapper who can undo the blunder of Iggy Azalea. That is the tarnish of my legacy as far as [being] a [music] executive is concerned. To me, this is like when Michael Jordan went to play baseball."

THE COMEBACK: In since-deleted tweets, Iggy said, "Imagine thinking I was his biggest blunder lmao...Tip. Sweetie. We have a whole list for you...The tea I could spill on what bullshit this is, but at the end of the day, I think people can see it's clear he's salty. He's a huge misogynist and has never been able to have a conversation with any woman in which he doesn't speak like a fortune cookie."

Soon after, T.I. brought up his feelings on Iggy again. He told The Breakfast Club, "I feel like she was meant to be great. As far as I'm concerned, I feel like when she found out white people liked her and she didn't really need Black people to like her anymore, she switched up, started acting different, made moves that I wasn't proud of, that kind of placed my reputation in the line of fire. And she was very arrogant about it. ... The raps were dope at first, you know what I mean? Of course, she had...help [from writers]."

On Twitter, Iggy said, "When will this guy shut up? ... Please move on and speak about [another] artist you are (hopefully) actually helping, and stop trying to bring me up for relevance. I don't bring your ass up. NO ONE is asking about you. I'm tryna be nice because I genuinely have better and more interesting things happening."

5.THE CONTEXT: In 2005, actor and 30 Odd Foot of Grunts frontman Russell Crowe criticized some of his famous, high-earning peers for making money by doing commercials as well as movies. As a result, George Clooney held a grudge against him for years.

THE COMMENT: According to the Guardian, Russell said, "I don't do ads for suits in Spain like George Clooney or cigarettes in Japan like Harrison [Ford]. I mean, Robert De Niro advertising American Express. Gee whiz, it's not the first time he's disappointed me."

THE COMEBACK: In 2013, George told Esquire, "He put out this thing saying, 'George Clooney, Harrison Ford, and Robert De Niro are sellouts.' And I put out a statement saying, 'He's probably right. And I'm glad he told us, 'cause Bob [De Niro] and Harrison and I were also thinking about starting a band, which would also fall under the heading of bad use of celebrity.'"

He also said, "The truth is that [Russell] did send me a book of poems to apologize for insulting the shit out of me, which he did. He picked a fight with me. He started it for no reason at all."

However, seven years later, George told GQ, "Just out of the blue, [Russell] is like, 'I'm not some sellout like Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford and George Clooney.' ... I'm like, 'Where the fuck did that come from?'"

6.THE CONTEXT: Jennifer Lawrence has spoken about her love for reality TV quite frequently. One of the shows she watches is Vanderpump Rules, which features Lala Kent.

THE COMMENT: During her 2018 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Jennifer said that she thinks Lala is fake for turning her enemies into friends. She also called her the c-word.

THE COMEBACK: Initially, Lala called her out on Twitter then deleted her posts at her manager's request. However, on the radio show Reality Checked, she said, "The thing is, no one wants to be called the c-word, especially by an A-list celebrity on national television. I was such a huge fan of hers, and it bummed me out. I thought that she had a little more class than that. You know, let's leave the trash to people like me who do reality TV. Don't try to steal my thunder, girlfriend!"

However, Jennifer later apologized to Lala in an "sweet email" where she "said right after she said it that she wanted to punch herself right in the face."

7.THE CONTEXT: Taylor Swift and John Mayer reportedly briefly dated after recording the duet "Half of My Heart" in 2009. At the time, she was 19, and he was 32 — a 13-year age difference. The following year, she released "Dear John," which is widely believed to be about their relationship. The song came out shortly after John embarked on a hiatus as a result of backlash to misogynistic comments he made in interviews with Rolling Stone and Playboy.

THE COMMENT: In 2012, John told Rolling Stone, "I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I'd already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you’ve ever been, someone kicked you even lower? ... I will say as a songwriter that I think it's kind of cheap songwriting. I know she's the biggest thing in the world, and I'm not trying to sink anybody's ship, but I think it's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait till he gets a load of this!' That’s bullshit." Then, he wrote the song "Paper Doll," which is allegedly about their relationship.

THE COMEBACK: When Glamour told Taylor that John alleged "Dear John" was about him, she said, "How presumptuous! I never disclose who my songs are about." Then, stopping the magazine from reading his comments to her, she said, "I know it wasn't good, so I don't want to know. I put a high priority on staying happy, and I know what I can't handle."

She continued, "It's not that I'm this egomaniac, and I don't want to hear anything negative, because I do keep myself in check. But I've never developed that thick a skin. So, I just kind of live a life, and I let all the gossip live somewhere else. If you go too far down the rabbit hole of what people think about you, it can change everything about who you are."

In 2022, she released the song "Would've, Could've, Should've," which is rumored to be about her relationship with John. Telling lyrics include: "I damn sure never would've danced with the devil at 19" and "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first."

8.THE CONTEXT: Taylor Swift famously writes all of her own songs, and she's credited as the sole writer on more than 50 of them.

THE COMMENT: In 2022, Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn told the LA Times, "[Taylor Swift] doesn't write her own songs. ... [Co-writing] doesn't count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. ... A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother. I'm more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It's just darker — less endlessly upbeat."

THE COMEBACK: Tagging him on Twitter, Taylor wrote, "I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don't have to like my songs, but it's really fucked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW."

In a follow-up tweet, she added, "PS I wrote this tweet all by myself, in case you were wondering."

Damon replied, "I totally agree with you. I had a conversation about songwriting, and sadly it was reduced to clickbait. I apologize unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand."

9.THE CONTEXT: In 2016, Ashley Graham became the first plus-size model on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

THE COMMENT: Cheryl Tiegs, a supermodel who's been on the cover of SI many times, told E! News, "I don't like that we're talking about full-figured women because it's glamorizing them because your waist should be smaller than 35 [inches]. That's what Dr. Oz said, and I'm sticking to it. No, I don't think it's healthy. Her face is beautiful. Beautiful. But I don't think it's healthy in the long run."

THE COMEBACK: Though she didn't name Cheryl directly, Ashley seeming referenced her comments on No Filter with Naomi. She said, "There was another model who was so upset that I had gotten the cover. She said I was very large, and that women my size should not be on the cover."

Though Naomi Campbell asked her to clarify who she was talking about, Ashley replied, "Uh, you can go look it up. It was before your generation. ... It starts with a C."

10.THE CONTEXT: In 2003, Britney Spears was reportedly in a relationship with Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst. She continuously denied these claims and said she barely knew him, but he asserted they were true. His band also released the song "Just Drop Dead," which he said was partly inspired by Britney.

THE COMMENT: On The Howard Stern Show, Fred said, "I swear on my son Dallas's baby blue eyes I was telling the truth. ... It wouldn't have been kiss and tell if I hadn't been responding to my fans. ... What I say in my music is very real." Then, quoting a song he was working on, he added, "Ain't it funny, scared to admit it / Very first night made the Limp dog hit it." Additionally, he gave graphic descriptions of his alleged relationship with Britney and her body.

THE COMEBACK: Britney told Rolling Stone, "We had two days of working together. We went out one night somewhere. And I'm dating the guy now. It was news to me. ... I'm really embarrassed...for associating myself with him. Honestly, I believe everyone at their core has a good heart. But something must be going on for someone to be that desperate to go on a show and talk about a girl, about someone you don't really know that well. That is, like, morally…I'm really surprised at people. Like, holy shit, man."

11.THE CONTEXT: In 2018, Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande had a whirlwind five-month relationship, quick engagement, and a headline-making breakup. Then, she name-dropped him (along with several other exes) in her smash hit "Thank U, Next."

THE COMMENT: In 2019, Ariana told Vogue, "My friends were like, 'Come [to NYC]! We're gonna have a fun summer.' And then, I met Pete, and it was an amazing distraction. It was frivolous and fun and insane and highly unrealistic, and I loved him, and I didn't know him."

THE COMEBACK: Referencing that interview in his Netflix standup special, Alive from New York, Pete said, "Can you imagine if I did that? My career would be over tomorrow. If I spray-painted myself brown and hopped on the cover of Vogue magazine and just started shitting on my ex. ... That song came out, and my friends were like, 'Bro, I love you. I love you, right? Shit is catchy. Shit is very catchy. You're gonna have a rough eight months.'"

12.THE CONTEXT: In 2006, Evanescence released "Call Me When You're Sober" the same day that singer Amy Lee's ex-boyfriend, Seether singer/guitarist Shaun Morgan, checked into rehab.

THE COMMENT: Amy told VH1, "It's very obvious who it's about. I know that people would read between the lines and think it's about my ex-boyfriend, Shaun Morgan, but I wanted to be completely clear. I needed so bad to say exactly what I was feeling for so long. Music is therapy for me. It's my outlet for every negative thing I've ever been through. It lets me turn something bad into something beautiful."

THE COMEBACK: After a year of being "followed" and "haunted" by the song, Shaun told MTV, "I was bummed out. I was really upset that she would say and do those things. In any relationship, I don't think it's right to say and do those things when people break up, and she obviously felt the need to go out there and make me sound like a complete asshole. What can I do? I just refuse to lower myself to that level. But it was a painful thing, and it got me down — people coming up to me on the street and referring to that song. But I didn't feel the need to write back and be mean."

13.THE CONTEXT: In the early '00s, No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani went solo shortly after Hole singer Courtney Love did.

THE COMMENT: In 2004, Courtney told Seventeen, "Being famous is just like being in high school. But I'm not interested in being the cheerleader. I'm not interested in being Gwen Stefani. She's the cheerleader, and I'm out in the smoker shed. And plenty of you are out there in the smoker shed, too. When it comes to rock 'n' roll, it's just like high school."

THE COMEBACK: Gwen's 2005 single "Hollaback Girl," which went #1, is reportedly a response to Courtney's "cheerleader" insult. In 2019, she told Billboard, "I was being bullied by someone and was being called a cheerleader, which was a bad thing! Growing up, that was not cool. I thought I was the opposite of that. I told Pharrell we should write a song about that."

14.And finally, THE CONTEXT: Ahead of the 2015 VMAs, Nicki Minaj expressed disappointment that her hit song "Anaconda" wasn't nominated for Best Choreography or Video of the Year. On Twitter, she said, "If I was a different 'kind' of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well." She also tweeted, "If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year." It sparked a feud with Taylor Swift, who thought Nicki was singling her out for "Bad Blood," but they quickly resolved their differences.

THE COMMENT: When the New York Times asked Miley Cyrus, who was hosting that year's VMAs, about it, she said, "If you want to make it about race, there's a way you could do that. But don't make it just about yourself. Say: 'This is the reason why I think it's important to be nominated. There's girls everywhere with this body type.' ... What I read sounded very Nicki Minaj, which, if you know Nicki Minaj is not too kind. It's not very polite. I think there's a way you speak to people with openness and love. You don't have to start this pop star against pop star war. It became Nicki Minaj and Taylor in a fight, so now, the story isn't even on what you wanted it to be about."

THE COMEBACK: After accepting her award for Best Hip-Hop Video onstage, Nicki ended her speech with this now-iconic line: "And now, back to this bitch who had a lot to say about me the other day in the press. Miley, what's good?"

Miley replied, "Hey, we're all in this industry. We all do interviews, and we all know how they manipulate shit. Nicki, congratu-fucking-lations."