21 Wild, Weird, And Seriously Uncomfortable Interactions Celebrities Have Had With Fans
After watching Dominique Fishback in Swarm — Prime Video's BeyHive-inspired original drama series about stan culture — I couldn't help but think about other celebrities who've had wild fan encounters.
Here are just a few stories that I can't get out of my head:
1.Meagan Good
"Yeah, I've seen some things," Meagan told BuzzFeed. "I've had people do crazy things from breaking into my hotel room and leaving me flowers on my bed to starting a mob and chasing me through a mall. But I think if you can inspire or encourage people in any way, then there's something to really be thankful for."
2.Zooey Deschanel
"Okay, so this woman came up to me," Zooey told BuzzFeed. "And she told me that I should tell my agents to dress me in different clothes because I looked 50 pounds heavier on TV. I was like, 'Okay...' It's just straight-up rude, and she kept going further and further. I was more shocked that someone would go up to a person and say that. I'm not that shocked when people comment on pages [on the internet] and are totally rude because that's just what goes along with being anonymous online. But this was like, they came up to me and started talking to me. And I'm like, 'You realize you're, like, talking to a person? Right?'"
BuzzFeed: How long ago did this happen?
"It was before New Girl. It was a miniseries called Tin Man. It was freezing [on set]. So we were really bundled up. We had, like, a lot of long underwear on. I was like, 'Maybe that's what you're thinking?' And she's like, 'No, no, you're so thin in person. You look so huge on television.'"
3.Jonathan Van Ness
"This one time," Jonathan told BuzzFeed, "this one lady came up sprinting behind me, prepandemic times, in Kansas City. And I thought that she was an attacker. So I turned around with my cellphone like a mallet; I was ready to strike. But really, she was throwing her arms around to hug me, but I thought she was trying to kill me. So there was one split second where I was ready to come for her.
"And she was like, 'Ah!' I was like, 'Argh!' And I was like, 'Oh my god, you're a fan! I'm so sorry. You can't run up behind people like that, lady!' And she was like, 'I'm sorry. I just freaked out when I saw you.' I was like, 'I'm sorry I tried to attack you. We’re friends, right? Do you wanna take a selfie?' And that was probably one of the weirder ones."
4.Dolly Parton
"There are all kinds of things that people ask me to do, but I tell this story, and it's a true story but freaky," Dolly told Windy City Times. "Years ago when I first started being a big star, I had fans that were fanatical. It was when 'Jolene' was a big hit. We came home one day, and there was a baby in a box at our gate with a note in it. The note said, 'My name is Jolene, my momma has left me here, and she wants you to have me.' Of course we all freaked out!
"We immediately called human services and took care of the baby until they got there. We never did know or hear anything about it. I knew nothing else. What do you do in a situation like that? There are some loony people in this world!
"Can you imagine yourself in that situation? It wasn't like it was a kitten or a puppy dog. It was a baby named Jolene!"
5.Tia Mowry
"I had a fan that was a twin, and he and his twin were obsessed with my sister and I," Tia told BuzzFeed. "We were going to church and these boys approached us, wanting to give us gifts. When we got back to our car, we opened the gifts and realized they were engagement rings — identical engagement rings! So there was one for me and one for Tamera — they were basically proposing to my sister and I. I'm sorry [laugh], but I'm sure you know the ending of this story: We kindly turned them down [laughs]. It was so weird."
6.Damson Idris
"Oh yeah, a million," Damson told BuzzFeed. "People who watch Snowfall think I sell crack for real. I was in LA, and this guy came up to me and he was like, 'You know, if you ever need any help, I got a spot where you could stash your stuff.' I was like, 'What? Man, it's a TV show [laughs]!' People are really invested in this show, so that's always a blessing."
7.Da'Vine Joy Randolph
"When we were on the press tour for Dolemite Is My Name," Da'Vine Joy told BuzzFeed, "there was one group of people that always seemed to be where I was, whether it was a restaurant, at a hotel, or even doing press at 30 Rock. They just always knew my comings and goings. I was like, 'Who's leaking this?' So that was a little like, 'Oh, I don't do well with stalkers.'"
8.Shantel VanSanten
"I mean," Shantel told BuzzFeed, "the proposals that happen that are very serious — like, I've been sent videos with proposals. One guy did it in person. I was in Paris at a convention for One Tree Hill, and the guy got down on one knee. I just thought it was for a photo, and I was like, 'Ha! Of course I'll marry you.' He was not kidding and had a ring. I was like, 'I...I have a boyfriend. So I'm so sorry that I said, 'Yes!' I was kidding.' Obviously, I'm thinking it's all just for a photo op, but it definitely wasn't. He was very, very serious. So that got awkward very quick."
9.Troye Sivan
"I believe we were in Denver," Troye told BuzzFeed. "We finished the show, we're all backstage, having a couple beers or whatever. [I'm] talking to my bandmate's friend, loving life, we're drinking, it's all good!
"And then I went up to my bandmate, and I was like, 'Wait, what's your friend's name again?' And he was like, 'I thought that was your friend.' No one knows who this person is — this was before we brought security on tour. My drummer went up and was like, 'Hey, who do you know here?' and he was like, 'Oh, no, I just thought I'd come back in and chill. I loved the show!' And honestly? He did stay and chill, and he was a really nice guy. So I kind of made a friend that day. But I probably also shouldn't condone that."
10.Selena Gomez
“A kid bursts into the room," Selena told DOSE.CA, "[and said,] ‘Selena, I’m coming to talk to you,’ and, like, runs up to me and tries to kiss me,” the “Come and Get It” singer recalled. “It was so cute because he was like, ‘Oh, well, I’m just a fan.’ And I go, ‘OK, but I’m not going to kiss you.'
"That was probably the weirdest [fan interaction]. It was sweet because he was only 11. But I was like, ‘Well, OK. You’re very sweet [but] forward for an 11-year-old.”
11.Ashley Benson
"So I was at a Korean spa," Ashley told BuzzFeed. "I've told this before, but, like, it's just so insane that this happened. But I was in a Korean spa, and I was in the shower. And obviously, like, everyone is completely naked. This girl, like, came into my stall and was asking me questions like, 'Who's A? Who's this?' Whatever. And I was like, 'Whoa, I'm literally naked.' She fully came into my shower stall and was having a conversation. I was just covering myself so embarrassed and being like, 'What is happening?' Then she was asking for photos. I was like, 'This is insane! Oh my god.'"
12.Tyler Lepley
"I had to eventually block them and restrict them," Tyler told BuzzFeed. "Because it was just DM after DM after DM after DM. And he giving side-by-side pictures, and this whole theory of why I was Drake, and that we switched faces. 'Drake is Tyler Lepley and Tyler Lepley is Drake, and this is why.' There was this whole synopsis and a whole thing to prove why. I said, man, let me block this motherfucker. It was a little crazy. They get a little weird out there sometimes. But yeah, that was probably the weirdest rumor I ever heard about myself."
13.Aubrey Plaza
"One time, I was in a bar," Aubrey told Dewey Singleton. "And some guy came up to me and he said, 'I know this sounds weird, but will you punch my friend in the face? He's over there.' I was like, 'I'm sorry, what was that?' And he was like, 'I'll pay you 20 bucks if you just go and punch my friend in the face. He just really wants you to punch him in the face.' A lot of people want me to be mean to them; they want me to berate them in public. I'm not sure why."
14.Jodie Comer
"Someone asked me for a photograph," Jodie told The Graham Norton Show. "And [while we] were posing, she quietly whispered in my ear, 'Will you strangle me?' My publicist was with me at the time and she went, 'No!'"
15.Jay Ellis
“Good morning to everyone except for the lady that slapped me in the face at the airport because she got mad at Lawrence for something he did in season 3,” Jay tweeted, referring to his Insecure character.
16.Madelyn Cline
"One time, I was greeted with a gift of a White Claw," Madelyn told BuzzFeed. "And I don't think that's very wild, but I definitely don't think they were old enough to be drinking. And I was like, 'Thank you, but I also don't want to condone this behavior...I don't think I can accept this...but thank you!' It was also the experience when they asked me to take a picture and I said, 'Why...?' All around, a 10 out of 10 interaction."
17.Alycia Debnam-Carey
"I think it's always just really crazy to see people that have had my eye makeup from The 100," Alycia told BuzzFeed. "Or, like, my eyes or my face tattooed on their body, which is always a pretty crazy thing to see. That's a level of dedication. I'll always be watching you now."
18.Rupert Grint
"I met this drag queen," Rupert told BBC Three. "And I ended up going back to her little flat with all her drag queen friends. I just couldn't say no. They dressed me up. We went to go and get bagels at like 4 a.m. I was in full heels and a feather boa. It was really weird."
19.Peyton List
"I've had some crazy interactions, especially from being a kid when I started," Peyton told BuzzFeed. "I mean, people would just invite me to random birthdays or parties that were happening at the moment.
"Oh, recently, I got an Uber in New Jersey because I was filming there. And the driver had just moved here from Africa. And he was like, 'Oh my god, Tory!' I was [confused]; I wasn't expecting it. I just forget that I'm an actor sometimes. And I was like, 'Oh, hi!' We talked all about [Cobra Kai]. He was so chill. Then we exchanged Instagrams and everything, and he's like, 'I need to take a photo to send my family! I just moved here. This is so exciting!' Then, a few weeks later, I'm standing outside my apartment, and I call an Uber. And it's him! I'm like, 'I have never in my life had the same driver again. We should just start hanging out!' It's funny because he's a fan, but I feel so comfortable and safe with him in his car. Normally, I wouldn't feel as safe, but maybe hanging out with fans is the way to go. They completely gas me up and are just so nice. I need to hang out with fans more often [laughs]."
20.Elizabeth Olsen
"It's not that wild," Elizabeth told BuzzFeed. "But there was a kid, and he just knew where I was all the time when I first started working. This was pre-Marvel. At a certain point, he got bored of me, but he would be at, like, Live With Kelly and he would visit sets. I think that whole experience at the very beginning was wild."
And lastly...
21.Jared Leto
"Someone cut their ear off once and sent it to me," Jared told Xfm. "That was very strange. A whole ear. The van Gogh move. The note just said, 'Are you listening?' I never knew who it was, who's missing their ear out there. I poked a hole in it and wore it as a necklace!"
So, if you ever thought about doing any of these things the next time you meet a celeb...DON'T!
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