Famous Celebs Everybody Hates Working With

Chris Brown seems to attract trouble, and that hasn't gone unnoticed by those in the industry. In 2011, he threw a temper tantrum on the set of Good Morning America after being questioned about his domestic abuse charges. Brown allegedly got so angry that he walked off set and chucked a chair at a window in his dressing room. Not exactly the kind of thing that gets one invited back for more TV interviews.

According to Billboard, former employees have lobbed fierce accusations against the R&B singer, accusing him of physically and emotionally abusing them, all while reportedly battling his own mental illness and drug use. "We would ask, 'What's the temperature today?'" said a member of his security detail at the time. "You didn't know how he was going to wake up. Were you going to get cool Chris? Or depressed or artsy and focused Chris, who would be very productive? Or the happy-go-lucky Chris, who would just joke around and have fun? It was a different person every day." 

A witness told Billboard that on the set of his "Grass Ain't Greener" music video, Brown supposedly threatened a cameraman before disappearing for two hours. According to the source, he was eventually found sleeping on a bathroom floor. 

Jennifer Lopez's list of demands apparently lost her the opportunity to perform at the opening ceremony of India's Premier League cricket tournament. An insider told Page Six that in addition to her usual wants, Lopez allegedly demanded a private jet and a large number of hotel rooms for her entourage. The tab noted that Lopez requested nine additional dressing rooms for her 90-person crew during a 2001 interview. J. Lo ultimately "priced herself out of the event" in India, the insider said. The huge gig went to Pitbull.

The American Idol judge allegedly kept up her diva antics on the set of What To Expect When You're Expecting. According to the Daily News, Lopez would only communicate with everyone else working on the movie through an assistant. And when Lopez was a dancer on In Living Color in the '90s, she evidently didn't get on with choreographer and actor Rosie Perez. In her 2014 memoir, Perez writes, "All of the girls were coming into my office complaining how [Lopez] was manipulating wardrobe, makeup, and me, all to her advantage."

Apparently, the complaints don't end there. When former celebrity stylist Tamaran took to TikTok (via Page Six) in 2020 to dish some of the dirt she's heard, she said J.Lo is apparently one of the "worst people to work with." In her video, the stylist claimed that people aren't allowed to look at the singer, sharing, "There's a reason why she can't hold down a costumer or a seamstress."

It seems no one who has worked with Kiefer Sutherland has anything positive to say about the experience. The actor best known for his starring role on 24 has even been accused of having co-stars fired for outshining him on the show. Shohreh Aghdashloo, who played Dina Araz on the show, shared her experience with Fox & Friends: "I'm afraid working with him proved to be hard. That young man was pretty angry." Aghdashloo said someone recommended she not shine too bright on her first day on set; when she did, her character was suddenly killed off— something she feels Sutherland instigated.  

Freddie Prinze Jr. also fell victim to Sutherland's rage, telling ABC News that 24 almost led him to quit acting for good. "Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world," Prinze said. "That's not me talking trash, I'd say it to his face, I think everyone that's worked with him has said that."  

It's hard to believe the actor known for playing America's sweetheart on Friends has a diva side, but it seems Jennifer Aniston may not be so easy to work with. An insider told Radar Online that while filming Life of Crime in Connecticut, "the only person who doesn't eat with everyone else is Jen. She quickly grabs a lunch to go and leaves." The source continued, "All the actors ride in normal production vans when they head to lunch, but Jen has her own luxury SUV. And not only is Jen's private trailer miles away from the set, but she heads all the way back there each day to eat her lunch away from everyone else." 

Okay, okay, maybe wanting to eat lunch alone does not a diva make, but there's more: If the rumors are true, Aniston reportedly had a fit on the set of She's Funny That Way over the name of a character in the script. According to Star Magazine (reported by Celebitchy), said character shared a name with the woman who arguably wrecked her marriage to Brad Pitt. The insider claimed Aniston wouldn't show up to set until the change was made. Still pulling for Team Jen ? 

According to some reports, Megan Fox is apparently so difficult to work with that it's made it tough for her to find steady work in the industry. At the peak of her career, when Fox starred in Transformers, she evidently rubbed some people the wrong way. After the actor compared Director Michael Bay to Hitler, those who've worked with her started to speak up, revealing some of her worst on-set antics. 

Three crew members released an open letter claiming Fox was often late to set, wouldn't show up to events related to the film, and even complained when filming was canceled last minute in Egypt and Bay took the cast and crew on a tour of the pyramids to make up for it. Transformers screenwriter Ehren Kruger told GQ that Fox "was there for rehearsals. But she seemed like an actress who didn't want to be a part of it. She was saying she wanted to, but she wasn't acting like it." Fox is no longer a part of the blockbuster franchise.

In 2020, Ellen DeGeneres faced widespread accusations by her former employees of disturbing workplace conditions that included accusations of racism, unfair termination, and an overall toxic work environment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The allegations surfaced after BuzzFeed published a story that saw several past employees discussing their time working for the television host, who is famously known to end her shows with the catchphrase "be kind to one another."

However, nothing kind was said in these past employees statements, which were mainly aimed at executive producers and other top-heads on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, according to BuzzFeed. A Black former employee of the show shared that she experienced racist comments and "microaggressions," adding that she was afraid of speaking out "because everyone knows what happens when you say something as a Black person. You're blacklisted."

Comedian Kevin T. Porter began a Twitter thread that went viral after asking his followers to share "the most insane stories you've heard about Ellen [DeGeneres] being mean," adding that the host is "notoriously one of the meanest people alive." His thread received thousands of replies, however, it was impossible to tell whose story was accurate, according to Insider. The outlet also noted that several celebs, including Brad Garrett, Lea Thompson, Kathy Griffin, and even her former resident DJ Tony Okungbowa, chimed in about mistreatment and toxicity on set of the show. Following the scandal, DeGeneres apologized.

There have been whispers of Chevy Chase being difficult to work with since his days as an original Saturday Night Live cast member, with Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers and Guests recounting instances between Chase and other actors, including a fistfight with actor Bill Murray. During his time on the late-night show, openly gay SNL cast member Terry Sweeney said Chase pitched a terribly offensive sketch involving Sweeney playing a character who has AIDS and gets weighed every week. "He was really furious that he had to apologize to me," Sweeney recalled in Live From New York, adding, "He was just beside himself. And it was just awful. He acted horribly to me. He acted horribly to everyone."

SNL alum Tim Meadows said in Live From New York, "He didn't care about what he said. He had no qualm about telling you're an idiot." Meadows' comments were spot-on about Chase, especially when he and actor Donald Glover starred in the sitcom Community together. In an interview with The New Yorker, Glover revealed that Chase was jealous of him and stated that he tried to throw him off, saying things like, "People think you're funnier because you're Black." Glover added, "A true artist has to be okay with his reign being over. I can't help him if he's thrashing in the water. But I know there's a human in there somewhere."

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been labeled a diva by both her own personal staff and fashion designers. Oh, and former employees filed assault charges against her. As Time recounted, "Campbell has denied many of the allegations and most have been settled out of court; in 2007, she was found guilty of one assault charge and sentenced to five days of community service." As CR Fashion Book recalled, Campbell was seen out and about wearing a "Naomi Hit Me... And I Loved It" T-shirt in 2006.

Even during her career as a model, Campbell was accused of being a "drama queen" who arrived late for bookings. According to People, Elite Model Management cut her from their roster in 1993, with founder John Casablancas calling her "crazy, irrational, and uncontrollable." Casablancas claimed Campbell was "disloyal," adding, "She has been having people around here in tears. Our staff have killed themselves for her in terms of the number of lies told in order to protect her." Even her mother, Valerie Campbell, commented on her daughter's personality, stating, "She's no angel...but she's professional" (via People).

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, who worked with Campbell several times, also spilled some details. On the Bravo series Fashion Queens, he maintained that the model was demanding and "not the easiest girl to work with."

Katie Couric has been on television for quite some time, having been a television host for all of the Big Three television networks, which include NBC, CBS, and ABC. However, her former colleague on NBC's Today show, Bryant Gumbel, painted a surprisingly negative picture of Couric, even though he did not specifically name her. During an interview with New York Times Magazine, Gumbel admitted to feeling underappreciated while his co-hosting mate got all the credit.

"I do think the comparison is a little unfair in light of the fact that I won in two different decades with two different cohosts," Gumbel shared, adding, "I won with different executive producers, I won with different studios." Not naming any names, the journalist went on to express that one of his former co-hosting mates wasn't as pleasant as everyone thinks. He claimed that the host "went through five [assistants] in five years" while he only had one, and that the person "who shall remain nameless" also went through "three or four" makeup and hair people. A Today insider told the Times that Gumbel and Couric, who he is widely believed to be talking about in his interview, were not the best of friends, admitting, "I don't think either of them wanted to spend much time together."

After the New York Times Magazine interview was released, Gumbel walked it back a bit, telling the New York Post that he and Couric have "always had a good relationship."

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, or call the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).