Can celebrities really manifest their dream roles through style choices?
Celebrities are often exposed to both die-hard fans and haters, and both can be problematic. Then there are also the adoring fans who have high expectations about their idols, which results in heavier criticism. Being late for a show, for example, caused Rihanna to get showered with chips by angry fans. And then there are those who just plain dislike a celebrity and choose to express it in ill-mannered ways, like throwing shoes at them.
When booing someone or cheering them is not enough, it seems some people think the next best things is to throw objects at them. Perhaps water bottles or eggs come to mind, but if you think you’ve seen it all, think again. From sharks to pigs' heads, these stars have had all sorts of bizarre things thrown at them.
Countless celebs have unfortunately had strange things thrown at them on stage, from adult toys to human ashes. Browse through the gallery and see what your favorite stars have been pelted with during performances and public appearances.
Schwarzenegger was egged during his governor campaign in 2003 in Long Beach, California.
In 2008, the former US President had a shoe thrown at him by a journalist during a press conference in Iraq.
During a speaking tour in 2014, the former Secretary of State had a shoe thrown at her.
Florence Pugh was hit by an object while promoting her film 'Dune: Part Two' in Brazil. Pugh was struck near her right eye by something thrown from the audience.
Swifties are some of the most loyal fans out there, but the singer still had to ask them not to throw things. While on stage for her Eras World Tour show in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 12, Swift noticed a gift that was thrown on stage by a fan. She immediately addressed the crowd, saying, "And just because communication means having gentle, healthy boundaries — it really freaks me out when stuff gets thrown on the stage." Not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, she continued to explain, "I love that you brought presents, and that is so nice, but just can you please not throw them on the stage?” She calmly explained that dancers might trip on them. "I love you so much," she finished, before resuming her performance.
The rapper was performing at Drai’s Beachclub in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 29, when a concertgoer at the front of the crowd tossed their entire drink at her. She was instantly drenched, and after a moment of total shock, she threw her microphone at the person in question and started cursing them out. Security rushed in to remove the suspect and Cardi B's performance was brought to a swift and unpleasant end. The moment was captured on video and was viewed millions of times on TikTok.
Harry Styles is no stranger to getting pelted with random objects on stage. This time, during his performance in Vienna, a video shared by Pop Crave showed the One Direction alum walking along the stage's catwalk when he was hit in the eye by a flying object. He quickly placed his hand over his face and crouched to the ground. Luckily he was okay and ended up finishing the show, which is more than can be said for what happened to Bebe Rexha, who needed stitches after a man at her concert threw a phone at her head.
The former One Direction member has been hit by all sorts of objects while on stage, from chicken nuggets to Skittles. In a show in Nottingham, England in 2012, someone threw a tampon at him. Luckily, it was not used.
On July 5, 2023, the opening night of Drake's 'It’s All a Blur Tour' in Chicago, the star was singing Ginuwine's song 'So Anxious' when a phone came flying out of the crowd and bounced off his arm. He looked at it as it fell back into the crowd (on the other side of the stage, so that person is unlikely to get their phone back!), but he luckily carried on singing without missing a beat.
On July 1, 2023, Lil Nas X was performing at the Lollapalooza festival in Sweden when a strange object came flying onto the stage. He narrowly missed getting hit by it thanks to his fast reflexes, and then walked to the back of the stage to examine the object. It turned out to be a certain adult toy that imitates female private parts... "Who threw their [explective] on stage?!" asked the bemused rapper. Once again, what was likely intended as a joke only served to throw off the performer and potentially put them in harm's way.
Country music star Kelsea Ballerini was struck in the face by a flying object while performing at the Idaho Botanical Garden on June 28, 2023. Videos from the event show Ballerini singing and playing the guitar when she was suddenly hit in the face by an object thrown from the crowd. She stepped back from the microphone holding her face, seemingly shocked and checking for injury. She spoke to her violinist for a moment before going backstage. When she returned, she addressed the audience, asking them to help her create a safe environment for everyone at the show.
She later addressed the incident on social media, explaining, "someone threw a bracelet, it hit me in the eyes," she wrote, "and it more so just scared me than hurt me." She also addressed the online hate she received following the incident, sharing a screenshot of a troll calling her "soft" for addressing safety concerns after being hit with the bracelet. "We all have triggers and layers of fears way deeper than what is shown, and that's why I walked offstage to calm down and make sure myself, band and crew, and the crowd all felt safe to continue."
On June 25, 2023, Pink jumped to the top of the list of celebrities who've had strange things thrown at them. She was performing at the British Summer Time Festival when a fan threw a ziplock baggy of her mother's ashes onto the stage. TikTok videos capture the moment the singer walks over and picks up the bag, looking confused. "This is your mom?" she asks the person in the crowd, adding, "I don't know how to feel about this." Pink then placed the bag at the front of the stage and continued to sing her iconic song, 'Just Like a Pill.' She later wrote on Instagram that she'd had an amazing time at the festival, but didn't mention that unsettling fan encounter.
Bebe Rexha reportedly needed stitches after being hit in the head with a phone while performing onstage in New York. The pop star was just about to close her set on her 'Best F'n Night Of My Life Tour' on June 18, 2023, when a cell phone flew threw the air and whacked her in the face, as seen in a video circulating on Twitter captioned: "Absolutely great show ruined by a fan throwing their phone at @BebeRexha hopefully she is ok after that." The 'Heart Wants What It Wants' songstress dropped to her knees while clutching her face as stagehands rushed to help her off stage. According to PopBase, she needed to have three stitches on her forehead after the incident. Fans criticized whoever threw the phone online—which reports say was a 27-year-old man—with many saying Rexha "doesn't deserve this."
Lady Gaga had already gone viral in July 2022 on her Chromatica tour after someone threw something at her onstage and the object seemed to get magically deflected. But again in August, someone threw something at the Mother Monster while she sang 'Hold My Hand' and it actually hit her in the head. Luckily she wasn't hurt or thrown off, but the user who shared the video to Twitter (which has over one million views) rightly wrote, "How do some fans think this is okay? This is so dangerous and sad." Fans might think "gifts" thrown on stage are a way to show their love, but they're really just safety hazards and could ruin the experience for everyone.
West stopped a show in Dublin, Ireland, after a coin was thrown on stage. The coin didn't hit him, but he was clearly not happy about the incident.
Riri was late for her show in Manchester, so fans greeted her with a shower of chips!
The pop star was egged at a show in Sydney. He did dance through it, like a real pro.
This one was probably quite scary, but again, he wrote a hit with the same name. The singer had fake grenades thrown at him.
The singer got a packet of Haribo (candy) thrown at her during a gig at Alnwick Castle in England.
It's not unusual to see things being thrown at the singer during performances. Even now, in his eighties, he still gets underwear thrown at him.
It seems appropriate to throw Cherry Chapstick at the singer when she performs, right?
The golf star once had a hot dog thrown at him.
In 2004, 50 Cent was hit with a large amount of plastic water bottles when he played Reading festival in the UK.
Lambert was performing in Ontario, Canada, when he was hit by a toy...and we don't mean the kind of toys kids play with.
Barcelona fans never forgave the soccer player for signing with rivals Real Madrid. When he returned to Barcelona stadium he was showered with all sorts of objects, including a pig's head.
The band had a difficult show at Ozzfest 2005. They had ice, eggs, and bottles thrown at them.
The singer was hit by a bottle on the head while performing in Liverpool. He did what you'd expect, and stormed off stage.
Panic! At The Disco also had to dodge bottles while performing. The singer was even knocked down during a performance once.
The band once had to stop their show at Bloodstock Open Air festival in the UK when guitarist Paul Allender was hit by a massive piece of hard candy and needed medical assistance.
In 2015, Venezuela's President had a mango thrown at him with a message. The message was "If you can, call me" and it included the name and contact number of the person who threw it.
In 2009, the late former Prime Minister was hit by a small replica of the Milan duomo.
In 2001, a protester egged the then-British Deputy Prime Minister. A former boxer, Prescott punched the protester!
In 2012, the GOP presidential candidate had glitter thrown at him in South Carolina.
Fans of this ice hockey team threw an actual shark onto the ice during a game with the San Jose Sharks.
A football fan threw a fake penalty flag onto the field during a game. Even the officials were fooled.
The British artist not only had bottles thrown at her, but they were also filled with urine.
Famous people who've had random objects thrown at them
From tomatoes to phones: celebrities who've been hit in the most unexpected ways
CELEBRITY Bizarre
Celebrities are often exposed to both die-hard fans and haters, and both can be problematic. Then there are also the adoring fans who have high expectations about their idols, which results in heavier criticism. Being late for a show, for example, caused Rihanna to get showered with chips by angry fans. And then there are those who just plain dislike a celebrity and choose to express it in ill-mannered ways, like throwing shoes at them.
When booing someone or cheering them is not enough, it seems some people think the next best things is to throw objects at them. Perhaps water bottles or eggs come to mind, but if you think you’ve seen it all, think again. From sharks to pigs' heads, these stars have had all sorts of bizarre things thrown at them.
Countless celebs have unfortunately had strange things thrown at them on stage, from adult toys to human ashes. Browse through the gallery and see what your favorite stars have been pelted with during performances and public appearances.