TV Characters You Wouldn't Want To Meet In Real Life
It's almost impossible not to love the characters on our favorite TV shows, even if they're decidedly awful. Seinfeld, whose cast of self-centered misfits might just be the most selfish non-villains in TV history, has earned a reported $3.1 billion since entering syndication in 1995. There's no other way to shake it: we love watching terrible people on the small screen, but the truth is, we might not want to actually meet them in real life.
As a culture, we collectively waste hours binge-watching 30 Rock and Grey's Anatomy — we could probably solve world hunger if it weren't for our particular Hulu and Netflix addictions. And yet, we'd take a pass on a real life run-in with Katherine Heigl and Alec Baldwin. Do we really want to catch Sean Penn on a bad day or sit through Tobey Maguire losing a game of high stakes poker? Probably not.
Whether it's for their obnoxious penchant for live-tweeting an LSD trip or some serious anger management issues, we don't want to meet these TV characters in real life.
Pierce Hawthorne slapped this comedian across the face
As much as you think it would, in the very least, be interesting to hang around Pierce Hawthorne, Community's bored millionaire, you would probably regret encountering Chevy Chase in real life, especially if you're a mega fan. Series creator Dan Harmon once told The Hollywood Reporter that Chase was a "befuddled old man," whose difficult tendencies actually served as a muse for the curmudgeonly character. The legendary actor did absolutely nothing to disprove that claim in an interaction with comedian Rob Huebel, who he literally slapped across the face after he said hello.
In an interview with Seth Meyers, Huebel admitted he first met Chase was when the pair was meant to perform at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Since Chase was his absolute hero, Huebel decided to introduce himself before the gig. Shocker: it didn't go so well. "So, I went up to him and I was like, 'Chevy, I just want to say I'm a big fan,'" Huebel told Meyers. "And Chevy just hauled off, and slapped me across the face — so hard. I mean, it was like I saw red."
Chase reportedly made a joke like, "Can't you see I'm talking to somebody, kid?" which doesn't exactly excuse assault. Nonetheless, in the way of Regina George, Huebel thought being slapped in the face by his comedy idol was "awesome." We'll have to pass on that one.
Don't meet Devon Morehouse on the poker table
The Spoils of Babylon's Devon Morehouse doesn't exactly have a great reputation in real life. Tobey Maguire is best known as Peter Parker, that friendly guy who was bitten by a spider, got super powers, and kissed Kirsten Dunst upside down. He's totally decent, right? He kissed Kirsten Dunst upside down! According to one waitresses' memoir, Spider-Man might actually be less of superhero and more of a villain in real life (or at least the kind of guy who isn't so nice when gambling).
Molly Bloom was a Colorado cocktail waitress who inadvertently became involved in a secret ring of high-stakes poker games involving A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, and Maguire. She opened up about Spider-Man's behavior at the table in her memoir Molly's Game (via Page Six) and claimed the star was "the worst tipper, the best player, and the absolute worst loser."
In one particularly grim instance, Maguire reportedly humiliated Bloom by asking her to "bark like a seal who wants a fish" for a $1,000 chip. In another, the star refused to play unless the deck was shuffled by a Shuffle Master, a $17,000 machine that supposedly delivers a fast and fair shuffle each time. He then apparently tried to charge Bloom to rent the machine from him at $200 a night, when he was the one who insisted on using it in the first place. Get a grip, Spidey!
Dr. Izzie Stevens is difficult
Katherine Heigl is largely regarded as one of the most hated actresses in Hollywood. Her alleged behavior makes us have zero sympathy for her 27 Dresses character. Girl, there's probably a reason all of your friends wanted to put you in ugly dresses. Though most Grey's Anatomy fans absolutely adored Dr. Izzie Stevens, Heigl never even won her almost-deserved Emmy. Why? According to The Hollywood Reporter, she famously withdrew her own name from the running because she didn't think the writing on the series was good enough. That came after she already trashed her money-maker, Knocked Up, as "sexist" – yikes!
Heigl is notorious for causing "desperately difficult situations" on set, according to THR. She's no stranger to wardrobe issues, questioning the script every single day, and occasionally, failing to leave her trailer altogether. Even her publicist jumped ship, which according to Deadline, is a really, really rare move. PRs don't often fire "legitimate" movie stars.
That's not to say the infamous actress isn't self aware. In an interview with TV Guide (via the Daily Mail), the star admitted she exhibited some "a**hole" behavior in her earlier years of fame. "My career took off in my 20s and when it first took off, I'm not going to deny there was some arrogance. I was feeling pretty untouchable and pretty on top of the world," she said. Better late than never?
Tom Hagerty has some serious anger issues
Sean Penn absolutely stunned in his portrayal of Tom Hagerty in the Hulu original, The First. Perhaps, the actor would actually have the brain power to do something like go to Mars if he wasn't so busy letting his anger management issues get the best of him. In other words, we're kind of hoping we don't stumble upon Tom Hagerty in real life unless we're wearing a helmet and mouth guard.
Penn's problems have pretty much spanned the majority of his career. According to the Los Angeles Times, the star was sentenced to 60 days in jail in 1987 for "reckless driving and for punching an extra on the set of his latest movie." During that same era, he pleaded "no contest" to both punching a songwriter, because he thought he kissed then-wife Madonna, and attacking two British journalists who tried to photograph the pop icon — and those are just a couple of incidents in his long history of alleged violent outbursts.
In more recent years, Penn reportedly kept up his aggression towards fans and photographers alike. The Telegraph reported that the actor was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service in 2010 after being "filmed kicking a celebrity photographer." In 2013, he allegedly smashed a fan's phone when the fan tried to take a photo of him at a San Francisco hotel bar. According to TMZ, Penn screamed, "I'll make you eat the phone." Delicious.
Don't try to give Jerry Seinfeld a hug
Buzzfeed once hailed Seinfeld the "most villainous sitcom in human history." Though that's an audacious claim, it shouldn't be surprising that Jerry Seinfeld shares a couple of bad habits with his on-screen counterpart. As much as we love the comedian on his famed sitcom, we might want to back off in real life, if he'd even associate with us in the first place.
According to the Daily Mail, Seinfeld reportedly steers clear of us normies, preferring to associate mostly with other comedians. "Regular people just don't want to talk about what I want to talk about," he told the publication. Even when he does associate with fellow A-listers, it's not always a pleasant interaction. The comedian famously slammed Larry King when he erroneously suggested his sitcom might have been cancelled (Seinfeld bowed out of the series on his own accord). His response was so fiery it prompted King to ask, "Have I hurt you, Jerry?"
In 2014, Seinfeld had a similarly biting Buzzfeed interview. He clapped back when the interviewer asked a very valid question about the lack of diversity in Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. "People think it's the census or something, it's gotta represent the actual pie chart of America. Who cares?" he said.
Beyond his interview style, the star's biggest sin might snubbing pop queen Kesha. The comedian — a self-proclaimed non-hugger — epically denied the singer's attempt at a snuggle. What's the deal with that?
Don't send a town car for Brenda Walsh
Brenda Walsh has always been the epitome of cool girl — from that time she ran away to Mexico to her Vegas elopement. She even picked up a smoking habit in Paris, of all places. As much as we'd love to kick it with the 90210 star, Shannen Doherty, who portrayed Walsh on the series, is reportedly quite the handful.
According to a memoir written by fellow 90210 star Jason Priestley (via Vulture), Doherty was almost always rude. In one egregious display of diva behavior, she railed at her publicist for sending a town car to take her to the airport instead of a limo — the audacity! She even reportedly told him to "stop talking. Just sit here for the rest of the flight and be quiet." Her attitude was allegedly so obnoxious that Tori Spelling got her fired from the series.
According to Us Weekly, Doherty was "notoriously difficult on the set" and went as far as getting into "a physical fight with Jennie Garth" during a particularly heated moment where everyone was "screaming and crying." Spelling ended up calling her dad, who created and produced the series, and persuaded him to give her the boot. "Was she a horrible person?" Spelling continued, "No. She was one of the best friends I ever had." Hmm, with friends like these, huh?
Jack Donaghy needs some help with anger management
Jack Donaghy was undeniably charming on 30 Rock. Alec Baldwin's famed character was a driving force behind a lot of the show's most beloved in-jokes. Unfortunately, you might want to steer clear of the actor in real life, especially if you're vying for the same New York City parking spot. That stuff can get really intense.
According to CNN, Baldwin was "arrested and charged with assault and harassment following a dispute over a parking spot" in 2018. The star reportedly punched a 49-year-old man, who sustained a jaw injury severe enough to have him admitted into the hospital. Though Baldwin initially denied that he would ever punch someone over a parking spot, he did end up "[pleading] guilty to a violation of harassment in the second degree," per a separate CNN report.
This behavior isn't really new for the actor. In the past, he was booted from a flight after allegedly shouting profanities at cabin crew and refusing to turn off his phone. The following year, he reportedly had a "scuffle" with a photographer. Then, there are those infamous comments he hurled at his own daughter, Ireland, when she was just 11 years old. A leaked voicemail showed him calling her a "rude, thoughtless pig" who doesn't "have the brains or the decency as a human being." According to the Daily Mail, he has since apologized.
Louis Stevens might have actually lost his mind
Louis Stevens was a prankster, but former Disney channel actor Shia LaBeouf has a tendency to take it a little too far. At this point, his rap sheet is extensive. He's been kicked out of restaurants, drug stores, and Broadway shows, and it all seems kind of obnoxious when it's not downright cruel. Do we really need to watch him live-tweet his LSD trip?
According to The Hollywood Reporter's exhaustive breakdown of LaBeouf's bad behavior, the star once landed a gig by sending an actual photo of his genitalia to casting agents. Luckily, the film was Nymphomaniac, so he wasn't slammed with harassment (generally, people don't take kindly to unsolicited nudes). This was years after the star got arrested at Walgreens for arguing with security — and it only gets better from there. In 2013, LaBeouf reportedly made a woman cry after she asked for an autograph, then got into a fight with the girl's boyfriend. He was escorted out of the restaurant by security. That same year, he quit Broadway's Orphans over a clash with Alec Baldwin and director Daniel Sullivan, then proceeded to post their private e-mails online.
The worst of all — beyond allegedly throwing coffee at the paps and threatening to start a knife fight — was when the star was allegedly captured on video trying to steal a bag of McDonald's from a homeless man. How much McDonalds can that Disney Channel money buy?
Madison Montgomery might be a real-life horror story
Madison Montgomery was American Horror Stories resident bad witch — and the same vibes seem to translate to star Emma Roberts in real life. In other words: you might want to steer clear before you get hexed.
According to the Daily Mail, Roberts had at least one "do you know who I am?" moment when she was sent to the back of the cronut line at Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. Why? She's a total line-cutter (allegedly). Star Magazine reports that Roberts' entitled behavior transcends absurdly long Instagram-trendy food lines and seeps into the set of AHS. She reportedly wouldn't speak to crew members and was constantly complaining, so much so that co-star Gabourey Sidibe told her to knock it off.
Roberts' relationship with her cast mates — especially boyfriend Evan Peters — is also reportedly complicated. According to TMZ, the star was arrested in Canada after an alleged domestic violence incident that left Peters with a bite mark and bloody nose. The pair were reportedly hitting each other when someone called the cops, and Peters had "obvious physical injuries" which led to her arrest. Peters didn't press charges, and Roberts was released. Perhaps a change of attitude is in order?