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Britney Spears -

Britney Spears is one of the most famous women in the world, but even she couldn't get close to French basketball player Victor Wembanyama. The princess of pop took to Instagram to explain what happened when she ran into the 19-year-old NBA hotshot in Las Vegas on July 5, 2023. According to Spears, she spotted him in a hotel lobby and approached his entourage to offer her congratulations on his success. It was noisy and he didn't see her coming, so she reached out to tap him on the shoulder. She claims that one of his security guards then "back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd," knocking her sunglasses to the floor.

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Britney Spears - Wembanyama released his own statement saying that he wasn't aware of the incident but simply thought a fan reached out to grab him and was pushed back by security. Spears denies that she grabbed him. TMZ reports that the security guard later apologized to Spears and explained that he hadn't recognized her. Spears filed a police report with the Las Vegas Police Department. She wrote on Instagram that she wanted "to urge people in the public eye to set an example."

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Benedict Cumberbatch -

Benedict Cumberbatch and his family had a terrifying brush with danger as a man wielding a knife broke into their home and began destroying the actor's property and shouting at him while they all feared for their lives. According to Daily Mail, 35-year-old chef Jack Bissell kicked through the front gate of Cumberbatch's North London property and shouted, "I know you've moved here, I hope it burns down," while the actor, his wife, and their three kids could hear from inside. 

Bissell reportedly threw one of their plants against the wall and spit on the intercom before ripping it off the building—the DNA from which was used to eventually arrest him after he fled the scene. In Bissell's trial, prosecutors said he told a shopkeeper nearby that he planned to break into Benedict's home and burn it down. He pled guilty and was ultimately hit with a fine and a three-year restraining order from the Cumberbatch family. It still remains unclear, however, what Bissell's connection with Cumberbatch is. 

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6ix9ine -

The rapper known as 6ix9ine, real name Daniel Hernandez, was reportedly cornered by a group of men and viciously beaten in the sauna of a Florida gym on March 21, 2023. Videos posted online show him on the ground as several men punch and kick him. The attackers fled the premises when the staff became aware of the disturbance. Police were called and Hernandez was taken to hospital with cuts and bruises on his face. 

Hernandez has been a controversial figure in the rap community for several years after he cooperated with law enforcement following his arrest in 2018. He was picked up on racketeering, weapons, and drug charges. Facing a 47-year sentence, he struck a deal and reportedly provided information about the Nine Trey Bloods gang, with whom he had been associated. He was sentenced to serve two years but was released early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, he has been ridiculed by the rap community for "snitching," which may have been the motivation for this attack.  

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Rick Allen -

Rick Allen, the one-armed Def Leppard drummer, was smoking in front of the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 13, 2023, when he was assaulted by a 19-year-old. The alleged attacker, Max Hartley, ran at the British rocker "full speed" from behind and struck him over the head with a pole. Allen fell to the ground, hitting his head and sustaining further injuries. A woman who came out of the hotel to help Allen was also attacked by Hartley. Reports say that he dragged her out of the hotel lobby by her hair after she ran inside in an attempt to escape him. Hartley fled the scene but police found him smashing car windows in a nearby parking lot. He was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult. The final count relates to Allen, who had his left arm amputated after a car accident in 1985. 

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Frankie Grande -

'Big Brother' alum Frankie Grande, who is also Ariana Grande's brother, was violently mugged by a 13-year-old and 17-year-old on November 9, 2022, in Midtown Manhattan in NYC. The teenagers reportedly struck him on the back of the head and then stole his Vuitton bag, which held his iPhone, AirPods, a pair of sunglasses, and his wallet. The muggers were arrested shortly after they attempted to use one of Frankie's credit cards at a nearby smoke shop, and police told E! News the two individuals were each charged with two counts of robbery as well as assault and harassment.

“Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers,” Frankie wrote on his Instagram Story on November 15. “I am so thankful to be safe and healing. Keep shining bright and stay safe out there.”

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Salman Rushdie -

On August 12, 2022, famed author Salman Rushdie was suddenly stabbed in the face and throat by a young man while he was at a public event in New York. Rushdie sustained severe injuries and was placed in the ICU. He ultimately lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand.

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Salman Rushdie -

While the attacker's motivations haven't been confirmed, a fatwa was issued against Rushdie by Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 in response to his book 'The Satanic Verses.' The fatwa called for his assassination and offered a reward, but Rushdie believed himself to be relatively safe given how many decades had passed.

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Paul Pelosi -

Prominent American businessman Paul Pelosi, husband to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was viciously attacked on October 28, 2022. A man broke into their San Francisco home in the middle of the night, where Pelosi was alone in bed. He threatened Pelosi while shouting "Where's Nancy?" The situation escalated when police arrived to find the two men wrestling over a hammer, which the assailant allegedly brought to use in the attack. He managed to gain control of the hammer and beat Pelosi before being restrained by police. The attacker, David DePape, later told authorities he was looking for Nancy Pelosi. He was also armed with zip ties and duct tape.

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Sean Bean -

British actor Sean Bean was stabbed in a London bar in 2011. He was standing outside the bar smoking with a young woman when a man passing by made an inappropriate comment, and Bean responded in her defense. Later in the evening when he stepped outside the bar again, the man was waiting for him and attacked him, stabbing him in the arm with broken glass.

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Steve Buscemi -

Steve Buscemi was brutally attacked in a bar fight in 2001. He was filming the movie 'Domestic Disturbance' in North Carolina and went to a bar with colleagues Vince Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg one night. Some of the locals allegedly started a fight with Vaughn after one of their girlfriends started talking to him.

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Steve Buscemi -

It escalated into a group scuffle and one of the men stabbed Buscemi multiple times, in the arm, the neck, the jaw, and above the eye. Buscemi was hospitalized and the offender was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

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Megan Thee Stallion -

Megan Thee Stallion was allegedly shot in both feet by fellow rapper Tory Lanez at a Hollywood house party in 2020. According to Megan, the two had previously been friends and she wanted to protect him after the shooting, which is why she initially told police she had injured her feet by stepping on broken glass. She later went public with the story that she had been shot and alleges that she had to have surgery to remove the bullets from her feet.

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Megan Thee Stallion -

Lanez denied the allegations but was charged with "assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle." He was found guilty at trial in 2022. 

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Brad Pitt - At the 2014 premiere of Angelina Jolie's movie 'Maleficent,' Brad Pitt was attacked on the red carpet. A man jumped over the barrier and rushed the star, striking him across the face. He was restrained by security and later identified as Vitalii Sediuk. Sediuk has allegedly been involved in a number of similar incidents and once rushed on stage at the Grammys.

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Gigi Hadid -

Gigi Hadid was leaving an event at Milan Fashion Week in 2016 when a man suddenly grabbed her from behind and lifted her off the ground. Luckily, Hadid responded quickly and elbowed him in the face, freeing herself and allowing security to take over. It turned out to be Vitalii Sediuk, the same man who attacked Brad Pitt.

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Rihanna -

Chris Brown's 2009 attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna is one of the most high-profile cases of domestic violence in modern history. The couple were involved in a verbal argument in a car when Brown launched a vicious attack on her, punching her in the face and arm and even biting her ear. The photos of her face following the assault were leaked to the media and Brown became public enemy no. 1.

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Andy Warhol - Andy Warhol was almost murdered in 1968 when a troubled activist named Valerie Solanas showed up at his studio and shot both him and gallery owner Mario Amaya. Both survived, but Warhol's health never really bounced back and he died at the age of 58. Solanas had been part of a large group of young people who had worked in The Factory, Warhol's studio, on his TV show. She allegedly became paranoid that he was stealing one of her plays and decided to kill him. She was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

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Tupac Shakur -

In 1994, rapper Tupac Shakur was headed to a recording studio with two friends when he was accosted by three men who demanded he hand over his money. Shakur was shot five times in the altercation, but luckily didn't sustain life-threatening injuries. Sadly, he was killed two years later in a shooting that was alleged to be gang-related.

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Lindsay Lohan -

In 2012, Lindsay Lohan was allegedly attacked by a man she met in a night club. The actress was hosting the man along with some friends in her hotel room after a night out, when she claims he started taking photos of her. The two got into a fight after she demanded he delete the photos and tried to take the phone. She told police that he then threw her down, climbed on top of her, and tried to choke her before her other guests pulled him off.

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Tyler James Williams -

Actor Tyler James Williams appeared in 'The Walking Dead,' and like many characters on that show, he got eaten up by zombies eventually. Well, an overzealous fan seemed to be inspired by this and bit Williams when he ran into him in public!

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John Lennon -

John Lennon was shot multiple times as he entered his New York apartment with Yoko Ono on December 8, 1980 by a man called Mark David Chapman. Chapman had reportedly been a fan of The Beatles but was upset by Lennon's past comment that they were "more popular than Jesus." He remained at the scene reading 'The Catcher in the Rye' until police arrived. He has been in prison ever since.

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Robbie Williams -

British pop star Robbie Williams was attacked on stage during a concert in 2001. A fan made his way onto the stage and ran at Williams from behind, throwing him off the stage and into the security pit. Luckily, Williams wasn't badly injured by the unexpected fall.

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Chevy Chase - Actor Chevy Chase was kicked to the ground during an apparent road rage incident in 2018. He got into an altercation with another driver after they both got out of their cars, and was kicked in the shoulder by the other man. Police were called and the 22-year-old assailant was charged with second-degree harassment.

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Bob Marley -

Bob Marley passed away after a battle with cancer in 1981, but he was nearly assassinated years earlier in 1976. He was about to perform a peace-promoting concert in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, during a period of severe political unrest. Several armed men raided his house and shot at Marley and his friends and family. Marley and a few others sustained minor wounds, but no one was killed. He went ahead with the concert despite the risk to his life.

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50 Cent -

In 2000, 50 Cent was sitting in his car when a gunman pulled up next to him and started shooting. The rapper was shot nine times, but miraculously survived. He later told Oprah that being shot hurt less than he imagined due to the shock and adrenaline, but "it hurts after."

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Noel Gallagher - Oasis front man Noel Gallagher was seriously injured by a stage invader at a concert in Toronto in 2008. The man managed to climb onto the stage and shoved Gallagher into a set of speakers. Although he managed to carry on with the show, he later discovered he had three broken ribs and had to cancel several dates on his tour.

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Duffy -

Grammy-winning Welsh singer Duffy was on top of the world until she suddenly disappeared in 2010. A decade later, in 2020, she revealed that she was kidnapped, drugged, and taken to a foreign country by a man who repeatedly assaulted her for four weeks. She was severely traumatized and kept herself hidden for years while she recovered and regained her strength.

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Tila Tequila -

Reality TV star Tila Tequila made an appearance on stage at the infamous Gathering of the Juggalos festival in 2010. The raucous crowds turned on Tequila and began to pelt the stage with rocks and bottles. She fled to her trailer where she was surrounded by hundreds of people before escaping to her car, which was smashed by belligerent concertgoers. Another performer at the festival said that Tequila was "pretty cut up" by the time she made it out.

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Jim Jefferies - Australian comedian Jim Jefferies was performing standup at a club in Manchester when he apparently angered an audience member. The enraged man didn't take kindly to the way Jeffries was bantering with a heckler, and rushed the stage. He managed to get a few punches in before he was pulled away by security, leaving the comic with a black eye.

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Corey Feldman -

In 2018, former child star Corey Feldman told the media that he had been attacked by a group of men who had allegedly been threatening him online. He told reporters that he had been stopped at a traffic light in his car when a man opened the door and stabbed him in the abdomen. However, police could not verify that Feldman suffered lacerations, despite the fact that he posted photos of himself in the hospital receiving treatment. The strange incident didn't lead to any arrests.

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XXXTentacion -

Young emo-rap sensation XXXTentacion was attacked on stage in the middle of a concert in San Diego in 2017. An audience member jumped onto the stage and socked the rapper in the face, knocking him unconscious. The following year, the 20-year-old was shot and killed in what is believed to have been a robbery

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Monica Seles -

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Monica Seles was the most promising young star in women's tennis. In 1993, she was playing at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany. Seles sat down at the side of the court momentarily during a water break, when she was stabbed in the back by a man who had leaned out of the crowd. He was later identified as Günter Parche, a German man obsessed with Seles' rival, Steffi Graf. He was reportedly determined to destroy Seles for defeating Graf in several tournaments. Seles survived and returned to professional tennis two years later, but she was permanently shaken by the incident and many believe she never reached her full potential as a result.

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Christina Grimmie -

YouTube sensation Christina Grimmie was just 22 years old when she was shot after a concert in 2016. The singer was signing autographs for fans when a man shot her multiple times. Her brother tackled the assailant and Grimmie was rushed to hospital, but, sadly, she died of her wounds.

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Theresa Saldana -

Actress Theresa Saldana, known for films like 'Defiance' (1980) and 'Raging Bull' (1980), was viciously attacked by a crazed fan in 1982. The man ambushed her when she left her Hollywood apartment and stabbed her 10 times in broad daylight. Luckily, a delivery driver witnessed the attack and stepped in to subdue the man. Saldana survived and became an advocate for victims of stalking, which contributed to the first anti-stalking laws being introduced in the US.

Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Showbiz Cheat Sheet) (Nicki Swift) (BBC)

See also: Celebrities who were victims of domestic violence

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