19 Celebrities Who Claim To Hate Being Famous

Sarah Kester
Lady Gaga
instagram | Lady Gaga

The view isn't always so great from the top.

If anyone knows this to be the case, it's celebrities. See, behind all the money, notoriety, and privilege comes the dark side of fame. This includes the never-ending paparazzi, the loss of privacy, and constant criticism on a global scale.

While some celebs grin and bear it, others can't stand it. Here are 19 celebs who claim to hate being famous.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish selfie
instagram | Billie Eilish

Since the "Ocean Eyes" star became famous at a young age, she lost her teenage years to fame. This left her feeling confused. "There is no training, there’s no, like, let me go to a school that’s going to teach me how to be famous."  

Megan Fox

The actress has minced no words when it comes to fame, calling it bullying on a global scale.

"Whatever your worst experience in high school, when you were being bullied by those ten kids in high school, fame is that, but on a global scale, where you're being bullied by millions of people constantly," she told Esquire.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence in interview
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"I am just not okay with [being famous]. It's as simple as that, the Hunger Games actress told Vogue in 2013. "I am just a normal girl and a human being, and I haven't been in this long enough to feel like this is my new normal. I'm not going to find peace with it."  

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens selfie
instagram | Vanessa Hudgens

The actress rocketed to fame following the success of High School Musical. Then, she dealt with public scrutiny after her nude photos leaked. Since then, she has declared that she never wanted to be a celebrity. "I don't like people staring at me all the time, and I don't want people following me around."

George Clooney

George Clooney hiding
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Although he's an A-lister, he gives fame a D-. "Fame can be very dangerous because you can start to enjoy that part of it..." he told Indie Wire. "And that's not the good part of what I do for a living. The good part is the making of films. The unpleasant part is the fame part if you're not careful."

Selena Gomez

"I can't cough without it being trending news." Gomez told Amy Schumer in an interview in 2020. "The sad part is that I don't remember a time when that wasn't the case. What has kept me afloat is that I know eventually it'll be someone else—and I don't mean that in a negative way."

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford looking uncomfortable
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The veteran actor considers the loss of privacy the biggest consequence of fame. "What a burden that is for anybody. It was unanticipated and I've never enjoyed it. You can get the table you want in a restaurant. It gets you doctor's appointments. But what's that worth? Nothing."

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried selfie
instagram | Amanda Seyfried

The Mean Girls actress has said that being famous "feels like life or death." She told Today that it has increased her anxiety. "Your body just goes into fight or flight. The endorphin rush and the dump that happens after the panic attack is so extraordinary."

Zack Galifianakis

Zack Galifianakis calculating
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Being an actor has always been about acting for Hangover star, not the fame. "Being a celebrity is...dumb. I'm not interested in it. I like to be an actor and that's it... I'm just being honest. I would rather do my work and go home and watch Lifetime or something.''  

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt smiling
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The A-list actor has had his personal life dissected by the world. This has made him disdain fame.

"You have to go and sell your wares... Somehow you're not supporting your film if you don't get out on a show and talk about your personal life. It has nothing to do with why I do this," he told Newsweek in 2009.

Gigi Hadid

Gigi Hadid selfie
instagram | Gigi Hadid

Losing friends as a result of fame has weighed heavily on the model. "I've lost a lot of friends because I'll get busy for a short period of time, and they're not reaching out," she told Harper's Bazaar. "But if I don't reach out, then it's like I've changed. I'm good with [the friends] I've got."

Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner looking uncomfortable
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Being part of one of the most famous families isn't always glamorous. "I wake up every morning with the worst anxiety," Kylie has said. "My worst fear is waking up and finding something bad about me on the Internet."

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart looking upset
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Although she's been in Hollywood for years, the Twilight actress describes fame as "the worst thing in the world." She told Harper's Bazaar, "Especially if it's pointless. When people say, 'I want to be famous' — why? You don't do anything?" 

Shailene Woodley

Being famous from a young age has been hard for the star, who told AP that she's struggled with the 'famous' word since she started acting at five years old.

"The 'fame' word was hard for me because it felt like there was a separation between me and everyone else, and I feel like that word alone is so stigmatized and there are so many connotations associated with it that for a long time I refused to even acknowledge it."

The Weekend

The Weekend in Blinding Lights
Giphy | The Weeknd

There's a reason The Weekend chopped off his signature hair: it was attracting too much attention. "If I had a great car, with my old hair, it was hard," he told Billboard. "Now? It's a breeze. I just put the hat on. My life is one hundred times better.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry with Meghan Markle
Giphy | euronews

After the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, and the horrible treatment of his wife, Meghan Markle, Harry has a complicated relationship with being a public figure.

"I think being part of this family—in this role, in this job—every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back," Harry said in the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga selfie
instagram | Lady Gaga

While the actress and singer always dreamed of becoming famous, realizing that dream wasn't so glamorous. "I used to wake up in the morning, and I would realize I was 'Lady Gaga' and then I became very depressed and sad, and I didn't want to be myself," she told People.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone saying, "oh, boy."
Giphy | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

As someone who has struggled with anxiety her whole life, these feelings were exemplified when she began very famous after Easy A. "Losing my anonymity after Easy A, it was like being seven years old all over again," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson in The Batman
Giphy | The Batman

Dealing with the mega-fame that came from starring in Twilight left the actor feeling lonely. He told Spanish GQ that he couldn't even go to the grocery store at one time because of the paparazzi. "People don't realize how lonely you are."

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