The Ugly Side of Fandom: 10 Incidents When Fans Crossed the Line Leaving Stars Hurt

When fans crossed the line in their obsession with artists

Fame comes with its own set of downsides and in the world of music, for instance, there are loyal fan armies and admirers, but then there are those who are downright scary. There have been times when a celebrity had to move out of their house because of trespassing and cases of unwelcomed gaze. Billboard reports that in just a span of a few months, several artists like Drake, Bebe Rexha, and Kelsea Ballerini were subjected to physical assault by people who call themselves fans. Today, we are looking at the times when artists were left spooked and injured due to the actions of fans.

1. P!nk

In an eccentric turn of events that unfolded in London, celebrated American pop sensation P!nk, who rose to fame as part of the girl group "Choice", was presented with of bag of the ashes of her fan's dead mother. This happened in the middle of the British Summer Time Hyde Park performance in London. “Is this your mom? “I don’t know how I feel about this,” She said nervously leaving the bag at the edge of the stage before walking away. 

2. Bebe Rexha

Bebe Rexha made headlines in June 2023 when she was hit by a fan with a cell phone. The phone hit her face and she ended up being hospitalized due to the cut as well as a bruise around her left eye. Her 27-year-old assailant was taken into custody and was charged with two counts of assault in the third degree. He was also charged with one count of harassment in the second degree one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree and a count of attempted assault in the third degree

3. Drake

Drake, the famous Canadian rapper singer, and songwriter was also targeted with a phone this year at a concert that was happening in Chicago. A fan threw a phone that hit his wrist, while the rapper was performing a pretty emotional solo song. The phone bounced off his wrist and landed somewhere offstage. Thankfully he was not hurt and simply kept on going with his performance. 

4. Harry Styles

Synonymous with the popularity of boy band One Direction, Harry Styles is considered highly sought after, but has had his fair share of unfortunate fan experiences. Nobody can forget the time that Harry Styles was gifted with a sanitary napkin as a gift. This time, a fan pelted him with an object that hit him hard in his groin, and he was seen shaking off the pain and continuing with his performance.

5. Taylor Swift

Because Taylor Swift has been in the music industry for quite some time, it comes as no shocker that she has had he own bizarre fan encounters. She faced one such scary instance during the 1989 tour in 2015 when a fan jumped onto the stage, grabbed her ankle, and refused to let go. Within seconds, the celebrated pop star's team tackled the man and escorted him off-stage. Swift was visibly shaken but collected herself to resume singing "Bad Blood."

6. Kelsea Ballerini

A fan pelted a bracelet during a 2023 concert forcing Kelsea Ballerini to stop playing for several moments before exiting the stage, holding her face. She later said that she was fine, adding that the bracelet hit her in the eye, and scared her. She continued writing on Instagram, "We all have triggers and layers of fears way deeper than what is shown, and that’s why I walked offstage to calm down and make sure myself, band and crew, and the crowd all felt safe."

7. Billie Eilish

In 2019, Eilish was frenzied by a few fans who choked the star and stole her ring. While talking to Variety, she opened up about feeling attacked, and added that while she expects a reaction while going into a crowd, this time she was choked and her security had to tug her away. She also mentioned how people pulled her hair, stole her ring, and groped her.

8.  Adam Levine

Adam Levine was grabbed mid-concert by people who crashed his stage. Surprisingly, it didn't happen once, but twice. Back in 2015, a female fan rushed to the stage hugged the Maroon 5 star from behind, and kissed him on his face before running away. He again made headlines in 2021, when another female fan launched herself on stage and hugged him.

9. Selena Gomez

Gomez once confronted a fan who allegedly stole her sunglasses, and offered to return them in exchange for concert tickets. Selena Gomez who was around 23 years old at the time, was promoting her new single when she came face to face with the fan who stole her sunglasses. She could be heard calling the fan immature, and other fans were very proud of Gomez for confronting the sunglass thief.

10. Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy was hit in the stomach with a disposable camera that a fan threw at him during the 2022 concert while he was singing his breakthrough Hot 100 No. 1, “Bad Habit.” He yelled and told the fans to stop throwing things at him. “My shows have been fun as hell! shoutout to the people not throwing disposable cameras at me and just coming to catch a vibe and connect,” he said in a statement after the show.