Stars Who Don't Want Anything To Do With Bradley Cooper

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Nobody takes Bradley Cooper more seriously than Bradley Cooper. Cooper's insufferable 2024 Golden Globes behavior belied his lack of humility as he took sulking and petulance to a new level, unintentionally unveiling the abundant self-doubt buried deep inside. Many actors tend to be insecure, but Cooper makes it an art form, with an ego as fragile as a fluffy white cloud in a stormy sky. It's likely one of the reasons that the list of stars who can't stand Cooper is even longer than "Maestro" — which is two hours and nine minutes, in case you were wondering — but feels more like the six years he spent learning to conduct so he could perform live for six minutes and 21 seconds. 

Cooper showcased his overly sensitive side and inability to let criticism or slights slide during a "SmartLess" podcast appearance. "I will never forget anything anybody mean has ever said. It's, like, cataloged," he boasted before ripping into an (unnamed) director for daring to question why he had received seven nominations for "A Star Is Born," while a female actor next to him, who was apparently a "dear friend" of Cooper's, had only gotten three. "I was like, 'I f**king hate this business.' I'm like, 'Bro, why are you such an a**hole? Like, go f**k yourself.'" 

There's clearly a reason so many stars want nothing to do with Cooper. We're diving into the A-list lagoon and taking a look at some of them.

Once upon a time, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio were besties. And, let's face it, they have a lot in common. Aside from their XYs, they're both celebrated actors, albeit DiCaprio has thrashed Cooper 2-0 and 4-0 in the Oscars and Globes races, much to the latter's chagrin. In fact, Cooper admitted he used to be jealous of DiCaprio, envying the "Titanic" star's glittering career and Hollywood creds while he was still scrapping it out for bit parts, waiting for his big breakthrough in 2009's "The Hangover" to catapult him from C to A. However, that's clearly all water under the bridge.

The two are also easy on the eye — DiCaprio not so much now that he's metamorphosing into Jack Nicholson. Still, that doesn't diminish his indomitable pulling power. They also retain unconventionally close ties with their mothers. You could even describe Cooper's relationship with his mom as, well, a tad weird.

Then, there are the women. DiCaprio and Cooper earned reps as lusty lotharios, working their way through Hollywood's crème de la crème. So, it's inevitable they'd eventually share the same one. Enter Gigi Hadid. She's reportedly the catalyst for their fallout and why DiCaprio dumped Cooper like a 26-year-old. According to Radar, DiCaprio is fuming that Cooper broke the bro code by dating his ex, and he's washed his hands of their big beautiful bromance.

Jennifer Esposito wants absolutely nothing to do with Bradley Cooper. Oh no, sirree. Of all the smack that Cooper's exes have talked about him, she's probably delivered the shadiest and stinging. Esposito spilled the tea on Cooper in written form — well, sort of, as she never actually mentioned him by name. Still, it definitely doesn't take a genius to work out who she was referring to.

It wasn't always bitterness and bad blood between the actors, though. They were love's young dream for a hot minute and even walked down the aisle in December 2006. However, they were done and dusted just four months later. Although the details of the split were kept secret at the time, they became apparent when Esposito released her memoir, "Jennifer's Way," in 2014.

In the book, she describes a callous and supercilious diva ex-husband with a "mean, cold side," an ability to constantly make everything about him, and the capacity to leave her feeling discarded and unwanted. "He was funny, smart, cocky, arrogant, and a master manipulator. I didn't necessarily find him that attractive, but I figured that I could enjoy his sense of humor and nonsense for a while," she wrote (via US Weekly). If you're pondering who the anonymous ex-husband is, do the math: Esposito's had two spouses — one ex, Cooper, and one current, Jesper Vesterstrom. She split with Cooper two years before her book's release and married Vesterstrom six years after.

By all accounts, Zoe Saldaña also wants nothing to do with Bradley Cooper — well, outside of a professional relationship, which recently involved co-starring in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise, albeit with limited interaction as he provided voiceover and she acted. You could chalk Saldaña's disdain up to her being another of Cooper's disgruntled exes who's downed the haterade. But given the dirt dished by past partners, there appears to be a pattern of callous coldness, pashing and dashing, and other bad behavior.

Still, Cooper was far from frosty when he and Saldaña starred in "The Words." Their chemistry was sizzling, and she couldn't stop raving about her on-screen husband. "We didn't care where [the camera] was. It was just like we were both part of this extensive conversation," she told The Hollywood Reporter in September 2012. The conversation — and chemistry — continued after filming, with the actors dating for two years. 

However, Saldaña made it (cryptically) clear in July 2014 that Cooper is now persona non grata. "I have been in relationships where a man has disrespected me, and I don't need to be friends with that man anymore...There's a reason why you're called an ex. I crossed you off my list. Moving on," she told Marie Claire. Given that Saldaña's only notable pre-Cooper relationship was a ten-year stint with Keith Britton, with whom she maintains close ties and remains in business with, all the shady signs point to the Coop.

Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper formed a beautiful cinematic bromance during an epic Vegas weekender in 2009's "The Hangover." They subsequently took their comedic chemistry and bater global for "The Hangover Part II," rocking it in Bangkok with the Wolf Pack and a drug-dealing monkey. In the trilogy's finale, Galifianakis decapitated a giraffe before testing the limits of his and Cooper's characters' bond in Tijuana, Mexico. However, ultimately, all's well that ends well, and their bromance emerged stronger than ever. ​

Cooper told NPR's "Fresh Air" in May 2011 that he and Galifianakis carpooled daily while filming in Nevada and regularly hung out. However, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and their off-camera camaraderie purportedly crumbled once Cooper's fame skyrocketed. According to the Daily Mail, tensions boiled over during "The Hangover Part III" promotional tour. The tabloid cited a report from Brazilian pop culture site Glamurama, claiming everyone was over Cooper's demanding diva behavior, which apparently rivaled that of a mid-90s Mariah Carey — without 20 humidifiers and 100 doves, presumably. 

Despite Galifianakis claiming a fear of heights, the bad blood blabber intensified after he nixed a presser on top of Rio's Sugarloaf Mountain. However, all appeared forgiven when the actors later hit the town together. But was it? Eagle-eyed Daily Mail reporters noted that Galifianakis chose to walk next to "his on screen friend crazy criminal Leslie Chow" instead of Cooper. Proof enough, indeed.

Cillian Murphy strives to live as private a life as possible. So, you can imagine his horror at being drenched in drama and splashed all over the gossip rags in December 2023, thanks to Bradley Cooper.

As Oscars buzz intensified, the two sat down with celeb counterparts for Variety's "Actors on Actors" video series — Cooper with Emma Stone and Murphy with Margot Robbie. The Irish actor was all pleasantries and self-deprecation while discussing "Oppenheimer." But Cooper? Well, not so much. He didn't miss the chance to throw some serious shade while praising Stone for taking years to prepare for her role in "Poor Things" (six, the same as he took for "Maestro"). "I watch your movie and your performance, and I think there's just no way. This wasn't like you got a call and then in six months you're going to do it," Cooper gushed. "Like this had to have taken years." Nothing diggy there, right? Well, take a minute to consider Murphy's "Oppenheimer" prep comments. "I had six months from when [director Chris Nolan] called me unexpectedly to when we started shooting," he told Rotten Tomatoes in July 2023. ​

Cooper couldn't hide his shock when Murphy took the gold at the 2024 Oscars. However, the latter likely wants nothing to do with Cooper and couldn't care less about his fragile ego. Instead, Murphy's all about quality time with his wife of 20 years and two teen sons back home in Ireland.