While many star have managed to keep their mental health issues private, some others were not so lucky and had their moments of outburst exposed to public.
- Jul 26, 2020
AceShowbiz - Mental health issues is serious problem that not even a celebrity can't avoid it. While many have managed to keep their battles with their inner demons private, some others were not so lucky and had their moments of outburst exposed to public and were well-documented by the media.
Take Kanye West for example. After baffling people with his antics for years, including the mic grab incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and his rant at a concert in 2016, he admitted in 2019 that he's diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But instead of taking medications, he often boasted about abandoning psychiatric medication for the sake of his music.
It seemed to go well for him for awhile, until he started to make headlines again in early July with his presidential bid announcement. While some speculated that it was just a publicity stunt to promote his new project, he had his first rally in South California on July 19 and things went south from there. The "Gold Digger" hitmaker made controversial statement about abortion and Harriet Tubman in his speech.
A few hours later, he went on a Twitter rant in which he called out his wife Kim Kardashian and mother-in-law Kris Jenner. After staying silent for several days, Kim eventually addressed her husband's conditions in a statement, suggesting that he's having an episode of bipolar disorder. However, rumor has it that he has ignored her pleas to seek help for his mental health issue and turned down her offers to join him in his Wyoming ranch, where he has been staying since his public meltdown.
While Kanye is still struggling to deal with his bipolar disorder, it's a good reminder that no one should shame people for having similar issues. With that intention and to bring awareness of how mental health issues can manifest themselves, here are ten celebrities who have had wild public meltdowns in the past.
1. Amanda Bynes
Starting her career as a child actress, Amanda Bynes was prone to stress and the pressure of the show business which eventually took a toll on her psychological state. The signs of trouble started when she suddenly dropped out of several film projects and later announced an indefinite hiatus in 2010. But it wasn't until 2013 when things got sad. She allegedly threw a bong out the window of her 36th-floor apartment in May and started a small fire in the driveway of a stranger in Thousand Oaks in June.
Following the latter incident, the "Easy A" actress was hospitalized under a 72-hour mental-health evaluation hold and her conservatorship began. In 2014, she made a number of bizarre accusations against her father, before later admitting that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then, Amanda has lived relatively out of the spotlight as she focused on her mental health. Just when things seemed to get better and she announced plans to resume her acting career, she made jaw-dropping announcements about her engagement to Paul Michael and her supposed pregnancy earlier this year. She, however, deleted her post about the baby news shortly afterwards.
2. Serena Williams
Serena Williams had her brilliant tennis record tarnished when she made headlines with her court meltdown in 2018. During a match with [c=Naomi Osaka} at the U.S. Open, she was given a code violation by umpire Carlos Ramos for what he perceived to be illegal communication between Serena and her coach. She denied it, but the umpire refused to change his mind about the penalty. Upset, the 23-time Grand Slam champion smashed her racket and earned a second code violation. She then berated the umpire, calling him a "liar" and a "thief" and demanding an apology, but she got a third code violation instead. She was assessed a game penalty and her opponent Naomi won the day.
Serena appears to have no regrets though. In a 2019 essay for Harper's Bazaar, she claimed Carlos penalized her "for being a woman ... Why is it that when women get passionate, they're labeled emotional, crazy, and irrational, but when men do they're seen as passionate and strong? ... I'm not asking to avoid being penalized. I am asking to be treated the same way as everyone else."
3. Christian Bale
Christian Bale has earned himself a reputation as a person with a bad temper, no thanks to a 2008 incident on the set of "Terminator Salvation". He was reported to have gone ballistic when director of cinematography Shane Hurlbut screwed up a shot. The whole things were caught on audiotape, which heard him screaming atrocities such as, "I'll kick your f***ing a**" and "I want you off the f***ing set you prick!" In his defense, a source claimed he was "extremely tired and having a bad day."
After the tape of the incident was release, the "Batman Begins" actor himself took the blame for the outburst and issued an apology on Los Angeles radio station KROQ. "I make no excuses for it ... There is nobody who has heard that tape who has been hit harder by it than me," he said. "...The one thing that's really disturbed me throughout this ... is that I've heard a lot of people saying that I seem to think that I'm better than anybody else."
4. Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf's outbursts initially seemed to be fueled by his alcoholism which often landed him in trouble with the law. One case happened in 2014, when he was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass at New York City's Studio 54 theater. He was reported to have been "acting disorderly, yelling and being loud." When police arrived, he swore and spat at arresting officers. He later voluntarily sought treatment for alcoholism, but that wasn't the end of his public meltdown.
In April 2017, he ordered drinks until he got drunk at Jerry’s Deli in Los Angeles. When the former "Transformers" star asked for French Fries but the bartender refused, he reportedly threw expletive at the server. Later in the same year, he had another tirade with a police officer who pulled him over in Georgia. He yelled at the officer, "You're going to hell, straight to hell, bro." However, he was found not guilty of public intoxication in court and ordered to get therapy to manage his anger and substance use issues. During a stint in drug rehabilitation, he was told that he had PTSD that likely contributed to his series of public meltdowns.
5. Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan just couldn't seem to stay out of trouble in 2000s until mid-2010s, when she was dealing with alcohol addiction and substance abuse. After being arrested for drunk driving and possession of cocaine in January 2007, she was sentenced to an alcohol education program, community service, one day in jail, and was given three years probation. She failed to follow the court's orders, leading to her extended DUI probation and additionally jail sentence. Before the repercussion of her 2007 case was over, she was sentenced to community service, psychotherapy and lockdown rehabilitation for a 2012 car accident. Her probation was also extended and it wasn't until May 2015 that she was finally probation free for the first time in 8 years.
Since then, she managed to keep a low profile, before she stunned her six million Instagram followers in 2018 with an awkward interaction with a Syrian refugee family. During an Instagram Live, she accused the kids' parents of child trafficking. In the-now deleted video, she "speaks in both English and Arabic. At one point she says, 'You're ruining Arabic culture.' " The video ended as she got hit in the face by the mother when the "Mean Girls" star grabbed one of the kids.
6. Snooki
Snooki was known for her hard-partying lifestyle during her "Jersey Shore" days that often caused a scene, on and off the MTV show. It reached its height in 2010, when she was reportedly "dancing and singing all by herself. Then she just suddenly started crying. They went down off the boardwalk [onto the beach] and she was falling down on the ground and crying and yelling" during a booze-fueled night in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. When a co-star tried to calm her down, she allegedly started saying, "I want my mom. I want to go home!"
The whole debacle led to her arrest for disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and criminal annoyance of others. During a plea bargain, two of her charges were dropped, as the judge characterized the reality TV star as "a Lindsay Lohan wannabe." In a following interview, Snooki admitted the incident prompted her to change her ways. "My dad was very, very pissed," she shared. "I learned that I need to calm down with drinking."
7. Charlie Sheen
It's no secret that Charlie Sheen has had a problematic life, but his 2011 meltdown was probably the one that grabbed attention the most. The then-"highest-paid actor on US television" suddenly lost his job as the lead actor on "Two and a Half Men" after he underwent a substance rehabilitation program, his third in 12 months, and made derogatory comments about the series' creator, Chuck Lorre. He also caused a scene on a Beverly Hills rooftop, drinking what he called "Tiger Blood" and brandishing a machete. Another hint at his downward spiral was a video in which he babbled incoherently during a phone call.
Not taking the termination in stride, he filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Chuck and Warner Bros. After settling the lawsuit in September of that year, he publicly apologized to the sitcom's cast and crew for his behaviors while presenting at award at the Primetime Emmy Awards. "From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season. We spent eight wonderful years together and I know you will continue to make great television," he said on stage.
8. Mariah Carey
While people have long heard of her rumored diva behavior, Mariah Carey had always managed to keep her cool in public until her performance on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in Times Square on December 31, 2016. During the biggest spectacle on New Year's Eve, she forgot the words to her song and uttered a few words that could not be understood. The "My All" singer was then heard saying to herself, again and again, "Why am I here?"
Mariah blamed it on technical difficulties that caused her in-ear monitors to malfunction as the media criticized it as a "performance train wreck." Dick Clark Productions, however, denied her claim and the two parties ended up blaming each other. The world may have forgotten the incident, but it's suffice to say that she will probably not be asked back to the annual show ever again.
9. Chris Brown
Chris Brown's 2009 domestic violence case involving his then-girlfriend Rihanna was undoubtedly what tarnished his reputation the most, but what's following later also caused quite a spectacle. Two years later, in March 2011, during an interview with Robin Roberts (II) on "Good Morning America", the "With You" hitmaker stormed off the set when he was asked about the Rihanna situation and his restraining order.
He reportedly became violent in his dressing room during a commercial break and threw an object at a window overlooking Times Square, causing damage to the window. He then took off his shirt, and after several angry confrontations with the segment producer, other show staff and building security, left the building shirtless. Following the incident, he said that he was tired of people bringing up the abuse incident.
10. Britney Spears
Britney Spears' head-shaving incident goes down in history of the wildest celebrity meltdowns. Following a series of personal struggles, on one fateful day in 2007, the pop star showed up to a closed salon in Tarzana, Los Angeles to hide from paparazzi and asked to have her head shaved, but the owner refused. When the owner left for a while, she took the electric clippers and did it herself, allegedly admitting, "Mom's gonna kill me."
Despite what looked like a little cry for help, it wasn't until 2010 that Britney was committed to the psychiatric ward of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and put on 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold under California state law. She has since been placed under conservatorship, which currently becomes an object of attention again ahead of hearing as she reportedly wanted to get out of it.
