15 Stars Who Are Too Angry With The Paparazzi
There is a price that comes with fame that many celebrities have to endure. They choose to live their lives in the spotlight, and with that comes a lot of sacrifice because they can never do what they want, without someone commenting on their every move. And it's not just tabloid headlines about their actions, they're always being followed by photographers.
Over the years, celebrities have been photographed doing things: Some are as easy as taking a walk or going to the store, while others are caught in compromising positions or seen hanging out with people they shouldn't be (*ahem* Kristen Stewart and Rupert Sanders ). It's no surprise that sometimes some celebrities really lose their cool with them sneaking up on photos.
We can't imagine how horribly your every move is being watched and documented, and of course, it sure is frustrating, but most celebs manage to handle the paparazzi in a sophisticated way. On the other hand, some of them pack a serious punch. Below are 15 people who were overly aggressive with the paparazzi, resulted in expensive lawsuits, countless headlines, about their bad behavior, and resolved a PR disaster.
15 Lily Allen Went Punching and Kicking
Lily Allen is not a fan of the paparazzi and has previously discussed how she feels about her every move being watched and photographed. He even went so far as to tell The Independent that he felt like a "caged animal." It's no secret that Allen has had a hard time adjusting to this dark side of fame, and being constantly followed by photographers has him seeking help from the courts: he has a harassment order against paparazzi standing outside his home.
But on more than one occasion, the paparazzi had become too much for Allen, and he reacted by getting emotional and angry. He reportedly had a few scuffles with clapping, but the most memorable was when he reached boiling point and punched and kicked a photographer who reportedly drove into the back of his car.
14 Adam Lambert Had A Miami Beach Spa
In 2010, former American Idol star Adam Lambert made headlines for his clash with a photographer in Miami Beach. He was reportedly enjoying some free time with his friends when he was hounded by the paparazzi. At some point, he was clearly tired of being constantly watched and lunged at a photographer, and the man behind the camera claimed in the police report that the singer had tried to take his backpack and camera.
Headlines also reported how Lambert had rolled the photographer to the ground, but according to the New York Daily News, Lambert was quick to consider the fight and took to Twitter to defend his actions. He said, "Battery? No. I tried to take the camera, no punches were thrown and nothing fell... It's totally harmless. If shame is a crime - that's all I'm guilty of."
13 Incidents of Assault And Damage to Lamar Odom
In 2013, Lamar Odom didn't want to answer questions about alleged cheating on his wife, Khloe Kardashian - this was before the couple divorced for this reason - and according to Daily Mail, Odom Initially told photographers, "I would never cheat on my wife, that's why I wear my wedding ring."
But when the photographer persisted with his question, Odom became furious. He allegedly started destroying photographer Stefan Saad's equipment. Saad later filed a police report and revealed that it was the questions about the Kardashians that had sparked Odom. He filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Police Department seeking damages totaling more than half a million dollars — for equipment, lost income, attorney fees, and emotional distress.
12 Justin Bieber Knocked Pap With A Car
This may seem like the biggest case of aggressive behavior on this list, but Justin Bieber's encounter with a photographer was more reckless than a deliberate attempt to harm. The incident occurred in 2017 when Bieber was leaving a church service in Beverly Hills and accidentally bumped into a paparazzo.
Bieber did the right thing: He got out of his car, called an ambulance, and according to TMZ, he stayed with the man until paramedics arrived on the scene. And unlike the other cases on this list, this one has a happy ending, as the paparazzo even made a video hours later, saying that Bieber is "loving" and "a good boy." I guess accidents with paparazzi can happen.
11 Kendall Jenner's Boxing Allegedly Met Pap's Face
In 2016, Kendall Jenner made headlines for allegedly punching a Parisian photographer who wouldn't leave her and Gigi Hadid alone as they exited one of the city's nightclubs.
A photo emerged of Jenner and Hadid, as if they were screaming at the photographer, and according to the New York Daily News, it appears that Jenner was pulled over by her bodyguard. And We Weekly reported that Jenner's manager and bodyguard stopped the fight from escalating and reportedly detained the photographer who got too close to the model.
However, no physical altercation has been confirmed, so we can't say for sure if Jenner's fists actually met a photographer's face, or if they were just having a war of words. One thing for sure is that he's really mad!
10 New York Fights Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin is loved by many for his comedic roles, and maybe this is why he doesn't get enough criticism for his actions. Baldwin has had more than a few fights with the paparazzi over the years, with some of the most notable including when he pushed a photographer outside his New York City apartment building in 2013. And that same year he also got into a fight with a photographer, and both the men are seen pushing each other - but surprisingly refuse to press charges.
Then three years later, Baldwin caused controversy again when he fell out with a photographer after the man took a photo of his wife, Hilaria Baldwin. Alec was standing right in front of pap and heard screaming at him that he was "trash" and that he should "stay away" from his wife.
9 Jude Law Push A Pap
Is it ever okay to punch someone? The answer to this question will vary widely, but here are the circumstances that led to Jude Law reportedly lunging at a photographer. In 2009, the actor was leaving a celebrity dinner party hosted by director Christopher Nolan in London, when he was approached by a female photographer who started taking pictures of him.
He reportedly lost his cool, and according to Daily Mail, the photographer claimed that the attack on him was "unprovoked." He also claimed that Law hit him "full face" and that his actions were intentional. However, according to Metro, a spokesman for Law claimed that it was an "accident." He added, “Jude was blinded by camera flashes as he left the restaurant, raised his hands to protect himself and accidentally hit someone standing very close. He apologized and walked away. Images of this kind can often be misleading.”
8 Sam Worthington Hit A Photographer In The Face
Sam Worthington made headlines in 2014 for punching photographer Sheng Li on the streets of New York. Apparently, the incident happened after the photographer tripped over Worthington's wife, model Lara Bingle.
During the dispute, video footage was taken, and according to Daily Mail, Worthington can be heard yelling at the photographer, and claiming that he had "kicked" his wife - according to People magazine, Li reportedly kicked Bingle in the shin. The events were bad enough and saw Worthington and Li arrested, Worthington on charges of assault, and Li on charges of harm, assault, and reckless harassment.
The fight eventually became costly, and the actor faced a civil lawsuit totaling $5.3 million, however, in 2015, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Worthington had agreed to an out-of-court settlement, for which he paid Li, an undisclosed amount.
7 Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz's Paparazzi Lawsuit in 2004
Remember the days when Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz were a couple? That was over a decade ago, and so was their incident with a photographer in Hollywood. In 2004, the couple made headlines after they got into an argument with two male photographers, who later filed a police report accusing Timberlake and Diaz of battery and grand theft.
Then in 2006, the couple was involved in another incident with a photographer. This time Diaz reportedly filed a police report, and according to People magazine, the actress' report claims that she was photographed getting out of the bushes and started taking photos of her and Timberlake as they left their friend's house. Both he and Timberlake reportedly chased him a short distance, after which "The photographer then got into his car and drove towards the two of them, causing Diaz to jump out of the way of the car. He felt the driver was trying to hit them both, so he filed a report. He suspects attacks with lethal weapons, with vehicles."
6 Shia LaBeouf Throws Coffee
In 2010, Shia LaBeouf was furious and decided to dump his coffee on a photographer. LaBeouf's actions were caught on camera, and he appeared to be reading a book in a cafe when he felt annoyed that his actions were being watched. He then grabbed his coffee and chased after the male photographer, and ended up throwing his coffee on his back - LaBeouf then fled.
While the media reported that the coffee was hot, the photographer later spoke about the incident and revealed that the coffee was cold. He also added that he thought LaBeouf was a "jerk" and that he was happy to have left his city - the actor was in Washington D.C. filming Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
5 Kanye West's LAX Brawl
Kanye West really doesn't like having his privacy invaded constantly, and in 2013, things got really bad between rapper and photographer Daniel Ramos. An altercation broke out outside Los Angeles International Airport where West met a number of photographers. According to reports, he apparently got into an altercation with Ramos, which resulted in West cornering him, before rolling him to the ground.
West got into trouble for his actions, and was charged with a battery of criminals and attempted grand theft. However, he reportedly avoided jail time by agreeing to a plea agreement which, according to TMZ, requires him to agree to 24 months (two years, for those who don't feel like doing the math) informal probation, and 250 hours of community service.
4 Kristen Stewart Paparazzi who were verbally abused
Kristen Stewart didn't physically attack a photographer or attempt to destroy their property, but she did have some really harsh things to say to a paparazzi when she encountered them outside the Los Angeles building in 2013. vicious verbal attack, which was caught on camera.
According to Glass, he told X17 photographers, “You're a total jerk. You don't deserve to breathe the same air as me. And continued to call them a number of insults filled with swearing.
While it's unclear what happened in the lead up to his words, and he could have been provoked, the world was shocked to hear the terrible things that came out of Stewart's mouth.
3 Britney Spears Smashed A Photographer's Car
And then we're back to the other celebrities who lost their ass with paparazzo! This time it was Britney Spears who in 2007 had a very difficult time. When he finds himself surrounded by photographers, he gets angry and starts destroying a photographer's car with an umbrella. He reportedly also shouted "for you."
The most interesting thing about this case is that ten years later, in 2017, he returned to the media. This time it was because the paparazzo had decided to auction off the umbrella Spears used in the altercation. According to Us Weekly, photographer, Daniel Ramos, told Broadly that he would sell the green umbrella to the highest bidder, and plans to give half of his income to a charity of choice Spears.
2 Gary Dourdan from Los Angeles SmackDown
Gary Dourdan has had issues in his past, but since this list is all about his treatment of the paparazzi, we'll focus on just that. In 2007, Dourdan made headlines after he violently attacked TMZ photographers in Hyde, whom he thought were someone else.
According to TMZ (via MTV News), Dourdan showed up at a nightclub and was furious to see the photographer there, telling him, "get that king camera off my face!" Apparently, the photographer did as he was told, and made his camera face the ground (but didn't stop recording, just in case). Dourdan was dissatisfied and started attacking the photographer by slamming him into the pavement and banging his head against the concrete.
Everything has been recorded on camera by the photographer, which is still rolling.
1 Russell Brand's Unpleasant Encounter
In 2010, Russell Brand had a very unpleasant encounter with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport. Footage of the incident was uploaded by TMZ and shows how Brand was angered by a male photographer.
According to reports, he was placed under citizen arrest by the paparazzi, before airport police stepped in. He was later taken into police custody, but according to TMZ, he paid $20,000 and was released on bail.
The Daily Mail reported that a Los Angeles Airport Police spokesperson made a statement about the incident, saying, "At approximately 1:50 p.m. today, Los Angeles Airport Police responded to Terminal 5 to a battery report involving a celebrity and commercial photographer."
Katy Perry, who was engaged to Brand at the time and had been traveling with him, defended her actions and claimed that a photographer got too close to her and tried to snap a photo of her dress. He insisted that his fiancé had protected him.
