While many fall in love with the idea of Hollywood and the movie stars that have provided countless memories over the years, it’s a sad fact that not everyone in Tinseltown is loveable. Since the beginning of time, there have been many famous people and actors who have rubbed people the wrong way, and that’s who we’re talking about today. We’re going to go over the history of some of Hollywood’s most despised figures.
Instead of being famous like many of their peers, the people on this list are infamous. Meaning they’re well-known for all of the wrong reasons. Many of them have been arrested for embarrassing crimes, others are known as being rude to fans, and some have made questionable decisions that make most of us shake our heads in bewilderment. You’ll likely have someone on this list that you have despised for a while now.
To determine Hollywood’s most despised figures, 24/7 Tempo looked through many different online sources. We looked at celebrity-focused sources like People.com, the Internet Movie Database, and The Hollywood Reporter. We also reviewed publications that provide details about the bad deeds of many celebrities, including TMZ and Snopes, so we could get the whole story. Once you’re done with this list of the most-hated celebrities of all time, check out the people that crowds actually like with this list of the top movie stars from 2017.
Charlie Sheen
For many years, Charlie Sheen was a beloved son of Hollywood, and that went on until he had a falling out with the creators of his sitcom “Two and a Half Men.” He wanted more money, and they turned him down, so he started burning bridges and acting out on the public stage. Since that drama occurred in 2015, he has lost a lot of fans. Besides that, he also allegedly takes drugs, and many people also despise him for that. While he has his fans, many mainstream audiences are not on board with Sheen.
Mel Gibson
For years, Mel Gibson was one of the most famous movie stars in Hollywood. That all changed in 2006 when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. During the arrest, he said many upsetting and anti-Semitic things, and they shocked the world. Even though his star is starting to rise again, there are many people who will never forgive him for his comments. Even if they did, he doesn’t appear very remorseful for his behavior, so he’s not winning back a lot of fans. That’s why he’ll likely always be on the list of Hollywood’s most despised figures.
Bill Cosby
For decades, comedic actor Bill Cosby was one of the most beloved figures in Hollywood. He was even considered to be “America’s TV dad.” However, over the last several years, over 60 women have accused Cosby of a variety of sexual crimes. They include sexual battery, harassment, and abuse. Cosby was found guilty of many of those crimes and spent time in jail. His reputation has been destroyed since that time, and he will likely never get it back. He’s been released from jail, but his career is over, and he’s been out of the public spotlight ever since.
Justin Bieber
Though he’s a talented young man, many people just simply don’t like Justin Bieber. Some of it stems from the fact of being famous from such a young age. Other people remember some of the legal shenanigans he got into a few years ago, and they think he’s a punk. Others just dislike the kind of music he makes. With that said, Beiber does have a huge legion of fans, so not everyone has a problem with him. Still, he’ll be on the tip of the tongue of anyone when you ask them about Hollywood’s most despised figures.
Kim Kardashian
Like Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian is another instance of a celebrity that’s not universally hated, but the people who aren’t on her side really don’t like her. While she has a legion of young women who adore her and will buy every product she sells, many others don’t like the fact that she seems to do a lot of things just so she can get paid. Although she’s going for her law degree, many people also believe that she’s not too bright, and that irritates them. Others are turned off by her public behavior and relationships.
Shia LaBeouf
It’s a common sentiment in Hollywood that child stars don’t grow up to be as beloved as they were as kids. That’s certainly the case with Shia LaBeouf. Once he reached adulthood, he started exhibiting strange behavior and had several run-ins with law enforcement. While he’s not the most upsetting celebrity on this list, his antics make people despise him. He’s never really apologized or turned over a new leaf, and so he’s not gaining many new fans. He also no longer acts in films that people watch, which is another fact that doesn’t help matters.
James Franco
For many years, audiences fell in love with comedic actor James Franco and he had a string of hit movies, including starring in several Spider-Man films. However, in addition to a few wild antics, like making fun of celebrities in his short stories, he also got into severe legal trouble. Since 2018, he has been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior with at least five women, many of whom were students in his classes. While many of those cases are still pending, his reputation has never recovered, and he’s not in movies very often anymore since that time.
Gwyneth Paltrow
While she’s not globally despised, many people dislike Gwyneth Paltrow not for the movies she’s made but for her side jobs. She has made a second career out of selling various alternative medicine products that many perceive to be more harmful than helpful. These include candles that smell like female body parts and snake oil that’s supposed to help people lose weight. It’s some of her eccentricities that have put her on this list. Plus, she doesn’t act as much these days, so she doesn’t have good movies to help her reputation.
Alec Baldwin
While Alec Baldwin is not universally hated, over the years, he has rubbed people the wrong way for various reasons. Part of it is his political leanings. He’s very outspoken, and people who don’t agree with him consider him to be one of Hollywood’s most despised figures. However, he faced legal hot water when, in 2021, he shot a gun on a film set that he thought was just a prop. However, it was loaded, and a crew member died. That incident made him infamous for the wrong reasons, and many people dislike him for it.
Woody Allen
Woody Allen still has plenty of fans, and he still makes films, but his life choices have disturbed many potential audiences. One of them is the allegations of sexual abuse towards his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was younger, and it hasn’t been resolved. The other big issue is that he married his adopted daughter. They are still married and have two adopted children of their own, but that still rubs some people the wrong way. Plus, he hasn’t shown remorse for any of the allegations, so he’s not getting many people back on his side.
Kanye West
Rapper Kanye West has been a divisive figure for several years now. While not a movie star, he has had ties to Kim Kardashian and other Hollywood figures. Kanye started acting out and getting more political. The political party that he wasn’t supporting doesn’t like him for that. However, Kanye really became one of Hollywood’s most despised figures when he started making controversial remarks against the Jewish culture and speaking fondly about Hitler during several interviews. Making comments like that is hard to come back from, and only time will tell if he will.
Katherine Heigl
While Katherine Heigl had a role on “Grey’s Anatomy” at the time, her breakout role was in the comedy movie “Knocked Up.” However, while it made her a star, she made headlines when she talked about how bad she thought the movie was. Her negative comments rubbed people the wrong way. She quickly gained a reputation for being hard to work with and failing to appreciate what she had. That not only made audiences fall out of love with her, but she also made some enemies in the industry, and so she hasn’t worked as much since then.
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford is considered Hollywood royalty, but she wasn’t loved by everyone. Crawford was allegedly tough to deal with on set. Rumors are that she didn’t become a star because of her talent. Instead, it was by having relationships with executives and other people in power. Later, when married to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., she famously cheated on him with Clark Gable, and that also gave her a bad reputation. As her career went on, her movies became less successful, and she was dubbed by many as “Box Office Poison.” All of this resulted in her despised reputation.
Kevin Spacey
For many years, Kevin Spacey was one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. He had successful roles in movies “American Beauty” and “Seven,” as well as his popular TV show “House of Cards.” However, all of that fame disappeared overnight when he was accused of sexual assault against numerous individuals, and it became a highly publicized affair. People saw the stories and started disliking him, and Hollywood stopped hiring him. He has since been acquitted of all of the charges. Still, people have yet to trust and watch him like they did in the past.
Chris Brown
Chris Brown is a musician who has ties to Hollywood. His personal issues that have made him one of the more despised celebrities. The issue that many people still have with him is that he assaulted his girlfriend and fellow singer Rhianna back in 2009, and most have not forgiven him. He’s also had other legal trouble over the years. He threatened to kill another girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, which resulted in a restraining order. While people make mistakes, the problem is that he hasn’t been very remorseful for his crimes, and that isn’t helping his case.
Kris Jenner
As the mother of Kim Kardashian and her sisters, Kris Jenner has made a lot of money because they have their own reality TV show and they sell lots of products. The problem is that many people believe that she’s been exploitative of her children. They think she cares more about the cash than the well-being of her family. She’s also been accused of pushing her daughters into modeling careers even though they may not have wanted it. Basically, people consider her to be one of the most despised figures by assuming she’s a bad mom.
R. Kelly
Like many others on this list, musician R. Kelly is despised for his legal issues. He has had many problems over the years, including being sued for emotional distress by a girlfriend in 1996 and being sued for sexual assault by an intern in 2001. In 2019, he was also accused of various sex trafficking and prostitution charges. The result of these charges was a 20-year prison sentence. All of these legal issues have overshadowed any success he had as a musician. He’ll always be known mostly for criminal behaviors, which have destroyed his reputation.
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein was a movie producer who helped create some of the biggest movies in recent memory, including “Pulp Fiction” and “The Lord of the Rings” movies. However, in 2007, it was discovered that Weinstein had allegations of sexual assault from many actresses that went all the way back to 1990. These allegations were so startling that they launched the famous #MeToo movement, which allowed women to come forward who were also victims of abuse. Because of his crimes, Weinstein is reviled In Hollywood and the world in general.
O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson was a famous football player who also had a film career with many comedies under his belt. However, that all came to a screeching halt when he was accused of murdering two people in his home, one of them being his wife. During his trial in 1995, he was found not guilty of those crimes. However, many people don’t believe that he was innocent. He was arrested again in 2007 for theft and was sent to prison. Though he has since been released, he’s still despised by many, and he remains a very divisive character.
Lance Armstrong
While not a movie star per se, Lance Armstrong is an athlete known for being a professional road racing cyclist who has been in and won many competitions. He’s also been in movies, including “You, Me, and Dupree,” and “Dodgeball.” However, several years ago, he was accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs to win his races. He’s been disliked ever since. But he’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you’d like to learn about other major disgraceful stories of the last several years, then check out the other most shocking scandals that rocked the sports world.