When Fans Go Fanatical: 16 Violent Moments At Popular Events

Celebrities have their fans to thank for their fame and fortune. However, do fans get to act out when they don't get their way or can't meet their idol in person? The answer should be no, and yet things do happen.

Violent fans aren't just linked to sports events. Oh, no. Actors, artists, and singers also have to deal with rowdy fans who shout terrible things, get too close, or throw things at them. It can be hard to keep your emotions under control, and for some, it doesn't happen.

Ready to learn about when fans go fanatical? For this slideshow, 24/7 Tempo scoured the internet searching for violent moments from fans to other fans or against celebrities. We used entertainment sources, news sources, and relied on footage to confirm the events.

Hockey fans are brutal, especially when directing their anger to the opposing side. We saw this in 1990 during a WHL playoff game between the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Tri-City Americans. During the game, Thunderbirds fans threw beer and yelled profanities and insults at the Tri-City Americans team. The team members grew tired of it and started swinging behind them towards the benches they could reach with their hockey sticks.

Again, fans can go too far. While we all want our team to win, there has to be a line. In 1995, during a game between the San Diego Chargers and the New York Giants, Giants fans, who were heavily intoxicated, threw ice and snowballs at Charger players. A total of 15 people were injured, including equipment manager Sid Brooks, who was knocked unconscious.

On September 24, 1999, Astros outfielder Billy Spiers, during a game between the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers, was attacked by a drunk fan. Bert W. Visgar, the drunk fan, was arrested and jailed for 90 days while Spiers suffered slight injuries.

Fans need to take a step back when they start feeling anger. A game is a game; no one deserves to get attacked because of the game's outcome. Unfortunately, during a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals in 2002, Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was violently attacked by a son and father, William Ligue Jr. and William Ligue III.

One of the most violent and shocking instances of fan-related violence at a game in the U.S. was the Malice at the Palace. On November 19, 2004, during a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, a massive brawl started between fans and players. The altercation started with Pistons center Ben Wallace shoving Pacers small forward Ron Artest. After a few moments, players on the court broke out into a fight.

A fan in the crowd, John Green, threw a drink at Artest. He then went into the crowd and mistakenly grabbed the wrong person, Michael Ryan. After this, more fans and players started fighting.

In a 2009 game between the Wests Tigers and the Brisbane Broncos, a drunk Tigers fan, Mark Edwards, went onto the field and tackled referee Jared Maxwell. He had been waiting on the sideline after climbing the fence. Security grabbed Edwards quickly, and he was fined $1,500 and banned from attending NRL games for life.

One of the most recent violent sports events where fans were involved was the Independiente and Universidad de Chile Copa Sudamericana match. The brawl started when Universidad de Chile fans threw blunt, sharp objects towards the home team fans. About 100 fans were arrested, and 20 people were injured, one critically. The game was canceled. After the match was canceled, hooded Independiente fans attacked Universidad fans with sticks and metal bars.

Artists must get sick and tired of fans throwing things at them during concerts, even if it has good intentions. Harry Styles has been hit with a long list of items by fans, leading to injuries. This includes unidentified objects, flowers, chicken nuggets, and Skittles.

Who wouldn't want to grab the attention of a celebrity you look up to? Although it'd be nice to be acknowledged, maybe throwing a phone at their face isn't the best way. While Bebe Rexha performed a concert, a fan, Nicolas Malvagna, threw his phone at the stage to try to hit her. It hit her face, leading to a bruised eye. She rushed to get medical attention and needed stitches. Malvagna was charged with attempted assault and aggravated harassment.

While performing at Miami's Rolling Loud Festival, Kid Cudi was harassed by Kanye West fans, some of whom were upset that he wasn't on stage. The fans threw water bottles at the artist, who tried to dodge and get them to stop. He then walked off mid-song when another water bottle was flung in the air.

So much went wrong during the Astroworld Festival in 2021 that it resulted in the death of 10 people. Fans had no patience and bulldozed through crowd-control barricades to get to the front. People fell, were tossed to the ground, stepped on, and crushed. The youngest person who passed at the concert was nine years old.

Another sad case that led to the death of someone was the murder of Christina Grimmie by an obsessed fan. While at a fan signing, Grimmie went to hug 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl when he shot and killed her. He tried to get away but was tackled to the ground. When he got off the floor, he cornered himself on the wall and shot himself in the head. Grimmie was rushed to the hospital, where she passed away. Kevin James Loibl had never met the singer, but had an unhealthy obsession with her, losing weight and whitening his teeth, for her.

You'd be surprised how common it is for fans to break out into fights while watching movies, even movies made for kids like the 2023 "The Little Mermaid." On more than one occasion, fights broke out in theaters over seat numbers and even racial comments on the appearance of Ariel.

Does anyone remember the hype and fights around the Twilight series when the films were in theaters? Teenagers are really good at arguing and getting mad, so it's not shocking that some people fought over this vampire romance franchise. Some fans took Team Edward vs Team Jacob a little too seriously. While no one was ever critically injured or killed, quite a few fights and arguments broke out in theaters. Other fans yelled out when scenes didn't match the book, raising tension.

During her performance of her 2018 single, "Bodak Yellow," Cardi B was splashed with a fan's drink. One moment, Cardi B is singing happily and dancing, and the next she's angry and throwing her microphone at the fan. She then continued yelling while her crew jumped in to see what was going on.

After winning an award for "Hero of the Year" at the NME Awards in 2021, Slowthai was ready to celebrate, when someone in the crowd started yelling. They called him misogynistic, which set him off. In response to this comment, he threw a microphone, cigarettes, and punches at the fan.