It might be hard to imagine, but some of our favorite musicians are pretty awful people. While they might seem out of this world on stage, they're still people who go home to relationships and families. When the cameras aren't watching, there's no telling how they can act. Are your favorite stars good people, or are they just good performers?
John Lennon
Sure, he might have helped reinvent music as we know it, but that doesn't mean he was kind while he did it. Despite his carefree public image, at home, he was quite an absent father. He abandoned his son Julian at age 5. Julian later said John totally disregarded him since birth, giving his mom just enough to keep him clothed and educated, but never performing any fatherly obligations.
Secretly Abusive
Julian attests that maybe this was for the best, as he and his mother endured significant verbal abuse from the singer-songwriter. Not only that, but John's infrequent home visits often left drugs scattered all around the house. He also started having affairs even prior to his marriage to Yoko Ono. He even said in one Playboy interview that he's hit women in the past. Yikes...
Ian Dury
You're not always the best version of yourself when you're drunk, and musician Ian Dury was no exception. The Brit was known to become one of the rudest, nastiest, meanest people once he had some liquor in him. Being subjected to his presence was denoted as "Dury Duty" by his friends. Disabled by polio, he said the crassness was intentional to see if anyone dare contest a disabled person...
Drunk Dad
This brash attitude wasn't reserved just for friends, but also for his family. His kids remember getting the brunt of Dury's abuse. Even worse were his 'parenting' skills. The singer once left his son in the care of an aggressive and violent drug addict known as the "Sulphate Strangler." How long you ask? Well, just about three years. Baxter and his father don't have the best relationship anymore...
Steven Tyler
Who knew that this Aerosmith frontman had some skeletons in his closet? In his 2011 memoir, "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" Tyler talks about his girlfriend Julia Holcomb. Aside from misspelling her name in the book, he also publicly admits to sleeping around in public places and nicknaming her Little Bo Peep. A little weird, but nothing too bad right? Nope, it gets way weirder and way worse.
Legal Guardian
At the time, Julia was only 16. Steven Tyler was old enough to be her parent...and he almost was! Her mother signed the papers to have him be her guardian. She then got pregnant and the two quickly married. Five months into her pregnancy she was caught in a house fire and rushed to emergency care. When at the hospital, Tyler convinced her to terminate the pregnancy. That was the end of their love affair...
Justin Timberlake
Justin might be the golden boy of pop music, but even he has some bad stories in the business. The "Cry Me a River" singer has long been praised for his good-guy nature, but Janet Jackson has some conflicting opinions. After their 2004 Super Bowl halftime show debacle, Janet Jackson rarely worked in the industry ever again. One slip of the costume was done by JT, but she's the one who paid the price...
Scot Free
While Janet endured the wrath of a nation for the mishap, Justin got off scot-free, but he was the one who pulled the clothes off! Janet said that Timberlake had totally left her hanging in the scenario. She wouldn't have cared too much except the incident permanently blacklisted her, decreased album sales, and effectively ended her career. Cry Janet a river, Justin...
Chris Brown
No problems here, what a gem! Just kidding, Chris Brown is one of the most infamous pop stars of the current generation. You might know him for his early 2000s hits, but more likely it's due to his very dismal claim to fame: beating Rihanna. The duo had dated on and off until Brown viciously assaulted Rihanna. She was left bloodied and bruised by her boyfriend, and the media caught it all on camera. His career took quite a turn after that...
Chris Brown
This old dog never learned new tricks. He was accused of hitting his girlfriend Karrueche Tran in 2015 after seeing her and her friends out at a club, as well as times before that. He also had a problem with an undisclosed woman in his home back in 2016 which resulted in him pulling a gun on her. Whatever his issues with women are, they certainly haven't been left in the past...
Michael Jackson
This one is a surprise to no one. MJ was the King of Pop, but he also had several credible accounts of child abuse. Though the abuse went silent for decades, a new documentary aired the experiences of boys who claim to have endured abuse at the hands of the media mogul. There are so many damning details that the publication Indiewire said it "proves Michael Jackson sexually abused children."
Leaving Neverland
"Neverland" was what MJ called his home where young boys would often stay overnight. The accusers said that they were repeatedly harmed while at the house, both physically and mentally. Apparently, Jackson even performed a mock wedding between himself and the boys. They were threatened with prison if they told anyone.
Christina Aguilera
Christina might look like a beuty bombshell, but she's got a terrible reputation in the industry. She's got major issues with other celebrities, once calling Britney Spears and Beyonce Knowles-Carter fake for trying to adhere to a good girl image. Even worse, she did a lot of blackface onstage early in her career. Pop boyband The Wanted even went to a major publication just to reiterate that she was "the rudest person [they] had ever met."
Rude Beyond Belief
Not only that, but she's also just plain old mean. An insider for OK! Magazine once reported her as being "incredibly rude and demanding". They also said she "treats her household staff terribly." She would call her employees during off-hours just to get something like a towel from a different room.
Nicki Minaj
Love her or hate her, Nicki has been at the epicenter of controverseies for years. She said she was a "Monster", and maybe she was right. The singer asked her loyal fans to go after critics after a Billboard writer who had been reporting on her canceled tour with Future. The NICKIHNDRXX tour was actually just rescheduled, but a simple mistake was enough to make Nicki jump the gun and almost ruin someone's career...
Ariana Grande
Don't be lured in by her pretty pout and high ponytail. Ariana Grande is said to be one of the nastiest singers in the business. She once told a national news publication that she wished death on her fans. She's also been accused of stealing other artists' music and of course, there was that whole donut-licking debacle. Stars like Victoria Justice and Julia Ransic have both said she's not exactly a dream to work with either...
Oh Madonna, will you ever learn? She's allegedly so narcissistic that she once appeared at her own concert an hour late and didn't care at all. "I don't like to be late by the way, alright? And all you b****es who keep complaining about it can shut the f**k up," she said to the bitter audience members. "If you diva b****es want to keep complaining about it," she finished, "don't come to my show." Talk about alienating fans...
Rude Reporting
One reporter recounted a particularly troubling experience with the star. What was supposed to be a normal interview turned out to be one of the worst she'd ever conducted. "She didn't particularly acknowledge me and was rude to her assistant in front of me. At one point I thought I would have to resign," she said, "It was disappointing because I admired her so much, but it was stupid of me — you don't admire Madonna because she's nice."
Cee Lo Green
CeeLo Green was once a beloved and respected musician and producer. He even judged on shows like The Voice, but maybe he was the one who should have been judged. In 2012, the singer was accused of raping a woman who he drugged with ecstasy. He pleaded no contest to the drug charges and served 45 days of community service as well as three years of probation. The rape charges vanished thanks to his lawyer...
Twitter Meltdown
Like any 2012 celebrity, CeeLo took to Twitter to air his frustrations. To say that they're in poor taste would be an understatement. He wrote to his followers "People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!" as well as "If someone is passed out they're not even WITH you consciously! So WITH Implies consent." That's absolutely not how it works and Twitter users bashed him for the tweets until he deleted them.
Mariah Carey
If you're talking about terrible celebs, Mariah's name has surely come up. Aside from the baseline rudeness of not paying her staff, she also has a laundry list of diva behavior such as having people push her around in chairs. Not only that, but her demands for things that she should have on tour are kind of insane. She wants specifically "gold faucets" as well as newly purchased toilet seats in her hotel room. Okay, relax Mariah!
Celebrity Battles
She doesn't have issues just with her staff, but also with other celebrities. After Madonna once stated that she would never sing songs like Carey's, the gloves came off. Carey said in an interview "I really haven't paid attention to Madonna since I was in, like, seventh or eighth grade when she used to be popular, so I didn't hear that." The best revenge is not paying attention...
Justin Bieber
Often remembered as "the worst guest in SNL history", JB has had a pretty bumpy road on his way to the top. As a tween, he was annoying and unfocused, but he never really grew out of that phase. He threw wild parties, abused drugs and alcohol, and has stated that he acted disrespectfully toward women during this period of his life. After finding religion and a wife, he's been very settled down since...
Prank Star
He often tried to write off his antics as pranks. He was arrested for reckless driving around his neighborhood, an act that persisted for several months. He was pulled over frequently for months for driving at top speeds, sometimes under the influence. He also threw eggs at his neighbor's house, which isn't as bad but certainly made the nice home smell awful. He's been in and out of messes for years, but he seems to have finally stopped his shenanigans...
Kanye West
Who doesn't Kanye have beef with? The man has angered several people in the music business throughout his long career. Before he was trying his hand at Presidential politics, the rapper was assaulting paparazzi, lashing out online via detailed Twitter rants, and making divisive comments. He's made some strange and unhinged comments about slavery as well as declaring himself a god. Now he wants to run for office!
West vs. Wiz
Kanye West has had some trouble with other celebrities as well. West mocked the rapper for dating Amber Rose, who had previously worked as a stripper. It made things even worse because West had previously dated Rose. He said that before he married Kim Kardashian, he had to take 30 showers to get the "Rose" off of him. Sounds pretty dehumanizing...
Carlo Gesulado
Have you ever heard the one about the composer who went on a murderous rampage? Probably not, but his dark music indicated some darker thoughts brewing underneath. On October 16, 1590, and officials first found the body of the Duke of Andria. He and Gesaludo's wife were found covered in blood, shot a multitude of times, and stabbed in the chest, neck, face, arms, hands, shoulders, and kidneys.
No Question
The witnesses would not hear anything else aside from conviction. They knew he was guilty, even citing that he cried out before the murders, "Kill that scoundrel, along with this harlot!" When he somehow remarried, he convicted his many mistresses of witchcraft. They were all found guilty and locked away in prison for the rest of their days. Good music, but at what cost?
Elvis
Elvis might have been the king of Rock and Roll, but with all that fame comes a lot of power. He often used that power over young teen girls to take advantage of them, fooling around with young teenagers when he was in his 20s. He met his future wife, Priscilla, when she was only fourteen. While he allegedly never slept with these girls, the lines was certainly blurred between what was and was not legal…
Hot Shot
Elvis wasn't just known for dating young girls though, he also acted violently. After Priscilla, he was engaged to a 21-year-old who said that the rocker once pulled out a gun. He then shot a single bullet in her headboard, justifying the action by saying it was "an attention-getter." This was just one of several other incidents that women endured in his life.
Chuck Berry
What do people have against Chuck Berry? Apparently, quite a lot, especially if you're Keith Richards. Berry once punched Richards in the face for touching his precious guitar while the two were trying to plan Berry's 60th birthday party. He called these little outbursts his "naughties." He probably formed them from his 3 years in reform school for stealing cars. He also once was found with a 14-year-old girl when he was 35...
James Brown
James Brown's daughter, Yamma, has long spoken out about the extreme domestic abuse she received as a child of this star. She said that though he never turned the violence onto her, she often lived in fear for the day he would, and it caused her to accept her own husband's domestic abuse for years. She included some descriptions of the violence her mother endured at his hands, and they were almost too gruesome to print...
James Levine
Conducting for the Metropolitan Opera House is a life goal for many, but James Levine tainted the career. He worked as the program director, helping young artists achieve their dreams. However, this maybe wasn't the best place for him, as the Met later announced they would be cutting ties with him due to account so "sexually abusive and harassing conduct" on their students. Not much more was said, but it likely wasn't pretty...
Brian Jones
Brian Jones passed at only age 27, but that was enough time to make some bad choices in the music business. Anita Pallenberg, one of the many muses for musicians of the era, was in a relationship with Jones but had no nice words to say about him. She said their on-and-off relationship hit it's final off after he hit the woman so hard that he broke his own hand. Yeah, not exactly a Prince Charming...
Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck is remembered for not only his contributions to country music but also for his single attempted murder. The details of the encounter are a little hazy, but basically a fan approached him at a bar, they got to chatting, and someone said the wrong thing that ended in a fight. Paycheck shot the fan and missed, but still spent nine years behind bars for the attempt. Bet he's not such a big fan now...
Alexander Scriabin
This Russian composer operated under the assumption that he was the Messiah if that tells you anything about his character. It’s said that he was so dedicated to his music that he broke his hands on purpose, hoping that once they healed he would be able to spread them out farther over the keys. He also created a cult based on the idea that his music would lead people to the end of days…
Mike Brewer
Mike Brewer was the Chetham Music Director and Director for the National Youth Choir, renowned for his service to music. However, his talent was shrouded in abuse, and he was sentenced to prison in 2013 for sexual abuse of minors. Even worse? His wife helped and was involved in many of these assaults. There were two who came forward, but likely many more were affected by the experience…
Miles Davis
Miles was a huge force in the world of jazz, but he was apparently also a terrible person. He would play with his back turned to fans and would scoff at anyone who dared approach him. He even got annoyed at music critics for praising any artist who was not him! Aside from rudeness, he also beat his wife and said he never saw it as a bad thing. He even claimed that the action kept women in line…
Lead Belly
Though you might not know him, bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan all cited him as major influences. After release from prison, the singer killed his cousin's husband and attempted another murder. He was in and out of jail for extreme violence his whole life.
Spade Cooley
You might not be familiar with the “King of Western Swing” but he certainly has a reputation for being involved in alcohol, pills, jealousy, revenge, and murder. He murdered his wife, Ella Mae, right before they got back together. Not only was it extremely violent, but their 14-year-old daughter witnessed the whole thing. He put out a cigarette on her body and waited hours before contacting the police.
Morrissey
Morrissey is one of the most infamous villains of music. Despite claiming he was not xenophobic or racist, he also spoke damningly of immigrants. He once said in an interview “You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies.” His take on #MeToo was also pretty off-color, saying: "I hate sexual situations that are forced on someone. But in many cases, one looks at the circumstances and thinks that the person who is considered a victim is merely disappointed."
Jerry Lee Lewis
JLL was known for many vices throughout his career, but his hateful rage permeates his career. He had a violent temper which once culminated in the young star trying to strangle and kill one of his teachers. Jerry had seven wives over the course of his life, and two died under mysterious circumstances. One drowned and the other overdosed. He wasn’t found guilty until years later when he shot and killed his bass player.
Richard Wagner
Wagner died in 1883, but his violent anti-semitism is still discussed among scholars. The composer believed Jewish people were unable to create music, and only could mimic what they heard from others. He blamed Jewish critics for his lack of success. Even after Jewish patrons supported his work, he still spit his anti-Semitic views in private conversations…
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash had a lot of struggles in his life, but he never had trouble finding women. The man was a constant cheater. He cheated on Vivian with June Carter, and then on June Carter with her sister Anita Carter. This left Johnny with a lot of broken families in his wake, and a lot of children feeling like they could never count on their father…
Ike Turner
Tina Turner’s beloved husband wasn’t so beloved behind the scenes. He beat her, raped her, broke her nose, broke her jaw, gave her black eyes, and hurled hot coffee in her face that ended up leaving third-degree burns on her body. When asked about these and more allegations, he wrote “I didn't hit her more than the average guy beats his wife." Sounds like a charmer…
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra was a famous crooner, but there was some shady activity surrounding his success. His temper was often regarded as his worst trait, with several wives commenting on how quickly he could change his whole mood. In 1948, he punched a reporter, threw a phone at a random businessman, and once cracked a man’s skull in a fit of rage. Ava Gardener was almost killed when he chucked a champagne bottle at her face…
R. Kelly
Maybe one of the worst on this list, R. Kelly has become known as an infamous abuser. There is over 25 years' worth of documented evidence that he abused women, groomed teenage girls, and engaged in many twisted acts with young girls who were unable to consent. His abuse was chronicled in a 6-hour documentary called Surviving R. Kelly…
John Mayer
Though his songs might sound sad and sweet, women who this singer dated have all said he's not the same off stage. One article in Playboy painted this songwriter as a racist and sexist performer who enjoys oversharing stories of his sexual conquests. He might have had a lot of experience with the ladies, but not all of it turned out to be for the best...
PWR BTTM
Despite once being hailed for their quirky sound and style in the underground NYC music scene, this duo got into some hot water a few years ago after several accounts of sexual assault were associated with Ben Hopkins. After the accusations came forward, the up-and-coming celebs were dropped from their tours, labels, and haven't had much industry success since the fallout.
Ryan Adams
Seven women came forward to the New York Times to accuse Ryan Adams of what was described as "a pattern of manipulative behavior in which Adams dangled career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex." Though the sources and stories were credible, the bulk of his listening audience continued to support him and he retained most of his fans...gross.
XXXTentacion
Though now deceased, this up and coming rapper missed the fallout of his actions during his career. The rapper confessed to domestic violence and stabbing nine people during an interview with the publication Pitchfork. This was later used in his sentencing. When discussing his ex-girlfriend, XXXTentacion stated: "I already got what I wanted, I already bashed her face—her face on the internet, bruh, I done made her look bad on the internet, bruh."
YNW Melly
Singer and rapper YNW Melly shot and killed two members of his crew, Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. Though he posted a heartfelt Instagram post for the boys, he later turned himself in and confessed to the killings. His hit single "Murder on My Mind" took on a new meaning to fans and it quickly skyrocketed on his streaming platforms.
6ix9ine
6ix9ine, named Daniel Hernandez, is a singer, songwriter, and rapper who was imprisoned for sexually abusing a child, choking a 16-year-old in a mall, ordering a hit on rapper Chief Kief, several years of domestic violence against his former girlfriend and mother to his daughter, and more. To say he leads a reckless lifestyle would be putting it mildly. His career hasn't been the same since these charges came to public attention.
Blood on the Dance Floor
Blood on the Dance Floor seemed to be a popular and unique EDM group until April when 21 women told a Huffington Post report that frontman Dahvie Vanity sexually assaulted them. Spotify promptly removed the band from their streaming platform and their number dropped drastically. They haven't had any critical or commercial success since...
Jimmy Page
While he was rocking out with Aerosmith onstage, he was going after underage girls behind the scenes. Lori Maddix was kidnapped and raped by the guitarist when she was just 14. The duo dated for three years after that until a little after her 17th birthday. Page was in his twenties throughout all of the relationships, making this extremely predatory...
Bill Wyman
At age 52, Bill married Mandy Smith who had just turned 18. To say this is unconventional is an understatement, but the duo had been "dating" since she was only 13. He was 47 at the time of their meeting. They divorced only two years later but managed to have 3 daughters during that time frame. She now writes for a Christian lifestyle magazine.
Tupac
Tupac changed the genre of rap, but he also changed lives. Ayanna Jackson claims that Tupac and several of his friends raped her when she was 19. She said that they had been together before, so it didn't seem odd when he invited her to his hotel room. In an interview, she recalled "He told me, 'These are my boys. I like you so much, I decided to share you with them.'"
Sid Vicious
History has painted Sid and Nancy as a romantic couple, but the truth was much darker. Sid frequently abused Nancy and ended up stabbing her in their hotel bathroom. He allegedly told police "I stabbed her, but I never meant to kill her." He tried to commit suicide only ten days later slashing his wrist. He was brought to the hospital, where he tried to jump out a window crying out "I want to be with Nancy!" He eventually died of an overdose.
Ozzy Osbourne
On September 2nd, 1989, Ozzy Osbourne blacked out and tried to murder his wife. A frequent users of drugs and substances, Sharon recalled in an interview "I knew that something was going to happen. [...] He came down in his underpants, sat on the sofa right opposite me and said, 'We've come to a decision.' I said, 'Yeah' – sort of sarcastic – 'What's the decision?' and he replied, 'We're very sorry but you're going to have to die... There's no other option.'"
Iggy Pop
Sable Starr was raped by Iggy Pop when she was only 13. Known as the "uncrowned queen of the baby groupies", Sable had several experiences with older rockstars in her youth, but seeing as she wasn't even old enough to drive, these were not considered consensual. He also slept with Sable's younger sister, Corel. Sable tragically passed away in her fifties due to a brain tumor.
Dr. Dre
Throughout his career, Dr. Dre has had several reported cases of domestic violence. From 1991 to 2015, there were multiple accounts of taking his temper out on women, both in his life and near strangers. He apologized in a later interview saying " I'm doing everything I can so I never resemble that man again. [...] I apologize to the women I've hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives..."
Wilson Pickett
A long history of drug abuse led Wilson to some of his worst moments. He once screamed drunken threats while driving on the front lawn of New Jersey mayor Donald Aronson. Also under the influence of outside substances, he assaulted his girlfriend Elizabeth Trapp. She denied any desire to press charges, but he was charged with drug possession.
David Bowie
In Bowie's early rocker days, he also slept with Sable Starr and Lori Maddix. The three of them slept together on one night, but both girls were around 13-14 years old at the time. As Lori would later say, "He escorted me into the bedroom, gently took off my clothes, and devirginized me." He faced allegations of rape in 1987 as well.
Adam Levine
While he might have been able to shed his former image by judging on singing shows, Adam Levine wasn't always so kind-hearted. One fan recalls approaching him for an autograph after one of Maroon 5's early shows. He was pretty into himself at the time and sais to the fan "I don’t give autographs to ugly chicks." Wow...
Lea Michele
This Glee actress has some pretty impressive singing chops, but that's where here good qualities end. All of her co-stars have cited her as being difficult to work with, even calling her racist. She was clearly someone who was impressed with herself and no one else. During the #BlackLivesMatter movement, several former costars corroborated that the actress was racist on set.