Anyone have first-hand stories of celebrities who were real pricks?

[drumwolf]

As in, did you or someone you know personally witness an example of a musician, actor or sports star who was a major jerk?

I had a girlfriend a few years back who worked in a health food store in NYC's Upper East Side at the time and once had a very unpleasant experience dealing with Susan Sarandon.

My current roommate works at Best Buy in San Francisco, and Barry Bonds came in to shop one day. My roommate confirmed that Bonds' reputation as a dick was accurate.

[Emops]

1. Not personally-

but my mom saw Phil Donahue act like an asshole towards a bank teller when he was still a local celebrity here in Dayton.

That's why she hates him to this day, even though she is a Democrat.

[Melynn]

25. I saw Phil Donahue at a restaurant when he broadcast from Dayton

and he seemed pretty cool. I guess your mom saw him on a bad day. Too bad.

[madison2000]

2. I know someone who had a small part in "The Fugitive"

and he said Harrison Ford was just terrific.

[ashmanonar]

8. i've heard that he's just an awesome guy.

that celebrity hasn't gotten to his head at all.

good to know.

[saltpoint]

3. A close friend claims to have witnessed the late --

-- Rosemary Clooney stealing a bedspread from an upscale Indianapolis hotel.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Clooney denied the report and I think the Indianapolis Symphony, with whom Clooney had performed the night before, had to reimburse the hotel for the item.

[blondeatlast]

4. My b-i-l is the vice president of Hi-Health stores and had numerous

dealings with Dr. Robert Atkins. My husband once went to help out and apparently the man was just constantly rude and condescending to everyone but my b-i-l; who of course made the purchaisng decisions. My hubby said he was just a pussycat with my b-i-l; just couldn't have been nicer.

But he called the store manager a slut to her face.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Not quite a celebrity, but when I was ushering for concerts at Yale,

I had to throw David Kissinger (Henry's son) out as he tried to sneak into a concert.

The concert cost all of $3 (probably like $8-10 now) to attend, so I doubt that it would have broken his budget to buy a ticket like normal people.

[forgethell]

6. I don;t know, but I read an

interesting quote while browsing in the bookstore Saturday. The book was called Put-Downs. The quote was, as near as I can recall, "If you've seen an actor, you've seen a lousy husband; if you've seen an actress, you've seen the devil".

I do not vouch for, or endorse, the sentiment of the quote, but I thought it was pretty funny.

:-)

[Paladin]

7. Once Upon A Time.....

...years ago, an old friend of mine from Austin, TX sent me a letter, enclosing a small, ragged piece of blond wood, thin and polished on one side. In his letter, he explained that this was about the biggest piece of what had once been a $2000 Martin 12-string guitar that Jerry Jeff Walker was using in a concert. The crowd's response to Jerry Jeff's performance apparently wasn't up to his expectations, so he reduced this beautiful Martin accoustic to kindling wood before storming off the stage. I hear that Jerry Jeff has cleaned up his act in recent years and doesn't do that kind of thing any more. Here's hoping.....

[dorktv]

9. Never met any famous non-political types but Dean is a total

sweetie.

[ashmanonar]

39. again:

someone i totally believe is really that way. from all accounts, he's an awesome, down to earth guy. i'd like to meet him myself, if i lived remotely near washington.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. Reggie Jackson is the reason I completed my education

I waited on him in a restaurant that I worked at in the late 70's. He was a complete drunken asshole. I told him to eat shit and die and was fired. That night I decided that in life you either serve or be served and from now on I was going to BE SERVED.

Several years later, friends and I were in a sushi bar and Reggie Jackson and Dave Foster (former pitcher) were in there and sent us beers and came over to flirt with us.

I reminded him we had met and told him all of the above..I thanked him for altering the course of my life :D

[latebloomer]

15. How did he react to your story?

Did he continue flirting, or turn back into an asshole?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. No he was actually pretty embarrassed because Foster started

ripping on him for it...my friend who was with me had heard the story before, so she was cracking up too.

[miss_kitty]

21. I have a friend who burned Reggie bad

She was a bartender at a hotel here and he was coming on to her in a big sleazy way when she was off-duty, after having treated her like a total slave (Finger-snapping pointing at the glasses, not looking at her). He asked her in front of the guys how about we go out to dinner? and she said "Why waste money and time on dinner and drinks-Let's just go up to your room and fuck RIGHT NOW!" Loudly. He shrunk.

Imagine his chagrin when he spotted her behind home plate, chatting with all the ball players on both teams-her SO was a sports writer and they'd been comped some extra special tix. Not only did he not get to perform with her in the bedroom, his performance on the field the next day sucked bad.

[sybylla]

11. Mickey Rooney was on the same ship bound for Europe during WWII

as my grandfather. He never had a nice word for the child actor and never had any qualms about calling him an asshole every time his name came up, regardless of the company he was in.

[bbernardini]

12. I can report that the following celebrities are really nice:

Tony Maimone
John S. Hall
Jack Black
Kyle Gass
Geoff Downes
Mike Keneally
All four Zappa kids
Prairie Prince
Dale Bozzio
Dogbowl
Kramer

There's probably others, but I've forgotten.

[ashmanonar]

38. i had the feeling a lot of those people, those that i know,

are pretty cool. i'd imagine jack black is kind of an ass, but in the funny good way...just the way he is on movies/in music...and i've heard kramer is a really funny but also totally introspective guy.

the rest; i'm not up on my celebrity names, i tend not to worry about celebrities: i worry more about acquaintances and friends.

[KittyWampus]

13. People Have Bad Days... So ONE Incident Is Meaningless, IMO

I will say that on several occassions, I had the misfortune to wait on Lauren Bacall.

[fudge stripe cookays]

14. Tommy Stinson of the Replacements....

was a complete dick to my friend and I when we tried to engage him in conversation behind Liberty Lunch in Austin back in the 80s.

FSC

[Wcross]

16. Kid Rock is a prick.

He came to Nashville last week and left a trail of destruction and mayhem. Even got his punk ass arrested. Oh, his "music" sucks too.

[miss_kitty]

22. Kid Rock? A Prick?

I'm shocked. And surprised. Wow!

j/k

[blondeatlast]

31. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

You're pullin' my leg.

/sarcasm/

[devilgrrl]

17. Not first hand but I'm told that Faye Dunaway is a total lunatic

This is from 4 different people who've had to deal with her.

[underseasurveyor]

46. On the set she is known as

Faye Have-it-her-way.

Old friend of mine was a cinematographer years ago. Apparently Miss Faye is very difficult to work with. He said she was late all the time, demanding, rude, and she insisted on doing scenes over and over because that just wasn't her best work and it had to be perfect.
He told us that he'd never work with her again and in the future he'd turn any job down if she had a part in it.

[Swede]

19. A friend works in the local auditorium,Garth Brooks was appearing.

My friend sets up and breaks down the stage. Before the show the entire staff were escorted out of the building "No one sees Garth for free" was the reason. He'd seen every act in the building for 15 years,this was a first. I knew Brooks' humble act was just that.

[fudge stripe cookays]

49. A friend of mine went to the same college as him in Oklahoma....

and agrees with you wholeheartedly. He was an asshole even before he got famous.

FSC

[u4ic]

20. Two second hand reports

one friend sat next to Kiefer Sutherland on a plane - apparently he believes flight attendants are servants. Snapping fingers and all. :eyes:

another friend worked with Paul Gross (Due South) on a show and he was an arrogant so-and-so and screamed at her much of the time. Don't want to mention her name, but she's on a Canadian series now.

[Flaxbee]

33. bummer - I loved "Due South"

and he played such a good guy. Oh well, I guess that's why they're called "actors".

[catzies]

23. Jimmy Kimmel when I was on Win Ben Stein's Money.

Offstage he was a prick.

Just like he is onstage.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

24. I met Willem Dafoe on a flight to Paris. he's a nice guy-very regular.

He's really into yoga. :-)

[stanwyck]

30. Great! I love Willem

and it's great to hear he's a nice guy. I think he's sexy. I've been told I'm crazy. I also think Christopher Walken is hot.

[kiraboo]

35. I agree with you on both counts. That they're both hot, I mean.

I like characters. And caricatures, possibly.

[Patiod]

34. My friend's husband is a producer and they were out w/him

one night. She said most celebrities ignore her because her husband is the "important one", but Dafoe was delightful and charming to both of them (and it was a very low-key, unimportant dinner meeting, so no need to turn on the charm if it weren't real)

[Dying Eagle]

47. My Mom went to HIGH school with Dafoe

She didn't have anything bad to say about him, but that was before his fame, so you would know better i'm sure.

[xmas74]

26. Donal Trump

I met him when I was 16. He was rude and condescending.

[bikebloke]

27. Errol Flynn

In DC, my grandmother was in a restaurant and saw a drunk Errol Flynn and his wife having a loud raving fight. She thought very little of him after that.

But she worked in the Bureau of Engraving when Gary Cooper visited. No airs. A real down-to-earth person. Even got down on his hands and knees to look at the machinery.

She also saw documents excusing rich film stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks from paying taxes like the rest of us.

[HeyManThatsCool]

28. Charles Barkley is really obnoxious

and condescending. I happened to be somewhere & a group of children recognized him. Surprisingly they were extremely well behaved & calm, they asked if he wouldnt mind taking a photo with them. He said he didnt "do" photos with kids & then pulled out a $50 from his pocket & said this is all you'll get from me.Threw it at one of the kids- He then walked to his car, jumped in and drove away.

[Lady President]

29. No big celebrity stories....

I don't have a bad story about any big celebrities, but I know that Pete Sampras and Greg Norman are both asses. Some friends waited tables at a fancy fish restaurant near Tampa and the running joke was to give the newbies Sampras' table. He was rude, demanding, and left tiny tips. I've had many friends through the years work as drivers or wait staff at golf tournaments and they universally disliked Greg Norman. (On the other hand Phil Mickelson is supposedly extremely generous and friendly.)

I said "hello" or made small talk with many celebrities during the course of the Presidential campaign, and almost everyone was nice to me. The only person who was rude was the guy who played the main couples' friend on Mad About You and was also in Spin City. We were the only two on an elevator going up about 20 floors, so I said "hello, how are you?" He looked over, rolled his eyes and responded with "no". No to what, I couldn't tell you. It's not like he really famous.:eyes:

[stanwyck]

32. Close friend was at a Broadway show

and Jeff Goldblum was sitting in front of her and her friends. Before the show started, he turned around and chatted, asking them questions about where they were from, what they were doing in New York. He saw them at intermission and asked how they were enjoying the show. They said he was sweet and genuinely friendly.
Another friend was staying at the same hotel in Italy as Paul Simon. He joined her and her co-workers for dinner, he was by himself, and was totally laid-back and engaging.

[Patiod]

36. Not surprised to hear the Bill Cosby allegations

Years ago, my girlfriend worked as a union carpenter on the set of his short-lived "You Bet Your Life" type series. He came upon her kneeling on the set nailing down carpet, and made some really lewd remarks about blonde girls on their knees. I remembered those stories when the groping allegations came out.

I've told the story before, but I was doing makeup for TV once, and was surprised at everyone's behavior: Senator Boxer was lovely and charming, Joe Califano was sort of rude, William Casey (CIA) was a Gilbert & Sullivan fan, Justice Breyer was very nice - very self-deprecating, Barney Franks was not friendly, but commanded more respect from the other dignitaries than I expected, and Al Haig was WAY nicer and friendlier than I expected.

[Devil Dog Dem]

37. I've met many celebs at the Dem conventions; I work backstage/podium

John Cougar is an ass. I hate to say it but he was rude to everyone. The worst I've met in 3 conventions (not including pols, like Diane Feinstein, who is a class A asshole).

Willy Nelson was the nicest guy in the world, as were Ben Afleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Stevie Wonder, Ron Reagan, and Dylan McDermot. That's all I can think of right now.

[proud2BlibKansan]

44. I can't stand John Cougar

So I don't mind hearing he is an ass.

[DebinTx]

48. Gerald Ford, Jane Seymour, Keifer Sutherland

Went on a business skiing trip to Vail and got to ski and party with them. My hubby would die for Jane Seymour since they met. I also have to say that Gerald Ford was most gracious and has some very interesting and funny stories about his life. I didn't spend much time with Keifer but did meet and talk with him.

[driver8]

40. Steven Seagall

I work at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles (Burbank, actually). A few years ago, Fleetwood Mac was preparing to do a couple of shows on our lot, and were rehearsing in a sound stage. A bunch of us were standing there watching the rehearsal; about 15 or 20 of us.

Anyhow, Steven Seagall and his entourage decided to drop in and say hello. Seagall plowed right through us like we weren't even there and never said a word -- he just knocked a bunch of people out of his way and kept walking. As he went through everyone goes, "Asshole", "Fuck you", "Prick" etc...

On his way out, he did the same thing!!

We saw him get out of his limo one day and he reaches in the car and pulls out a 9mm pistol and tucks it in his pants like he is some badass. He actually thinks he is the character in his movies.

[progmom]

41. Van Morrison

[Blue_Tires]

42. Tiger Woods

not a firsthand story, but a classmate in college was a valet in the 'ritziest' hotel in the city...Tiger is in town (drove up in a porsche) and stiffed him for the tip

[proud2BlibKansan]

43. Ray Charles

I saw him in concert twice. Both times he stopped playing in the middle of a song to berate one of the guys in the band for missing a note or playing the wrong beat. He was an ass. I never bought any of his records again after the second time I saw him do this. He lost me as a fan for sure.

My hubby is a musician and we are huge music lovers. I have probably been to over a thousand live music events and I have NEVER seen any other musician do this. It was really horrible.

[bettyellen]

51. wow i'm suprised, i 've seen him a few times and

he was really happy with his band, and showed it. he was very nice to me, too.
just goes to show ya.

[proud2BlibKansan]

53. This happened 20 years ago

and I have told this story many times and have heard lots of other people say they saw him do the same thing at other concerts.

I'm glad to hear he was a nice guy when you saw him.

[MrScorpio]

45. Every single celebrity I've ever met was cool

I guess I'm lucky

[bobthedrummer]

50. A. J. Foyt is an unbearable prick based on my observation in the 1960's

he treats his employees like dogs too.

[bif]

52. I heard that Mel Torme was real prick