Being a public figure isn’t easy. They’re stripped of their privacy, scrutinized for their appearance, their behavior is constantly judged, and they can no longer enjoy or do things that regular people do. Not to mention the “friends” who are only with them for the fame or the admirers who are out of control.
It’s really no surprise that this pressure can take a toll on a person’s mental wellbeing. People are noticing this more and more as celebrities begin to exhibit strange and erratic behavior.
When redditor Darvelic asked netizens who they thought had legitimately lost their mind, they received more than 8,000 comments within a week. Scroll down to find celebrities who couldn’t cope with their fame and unfortunately got out of hand.
While you're there make sure to check out a conversation with Darvelic who started this discussion in the first place and psychiatrist David Puder who kindly agreed to tell us more about the mental health challenges of public figures.
#1
Kanye. He’s def gone off the deep end.
Naptimehours:
Strange to think we’ve been saying that for nearly 20 years and he’s still out here demonstrating we haven’t seen nothing yet
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#2
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#3
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It’s convenient to believe that being a celebrity is all glitter and glamor. Sure, wealth, status, and endless opportunities may create a picture of a perfect life, but it can also mask the psychological effects that come with being a public figure.
Producer Julie Crosby from Cromono International acknowledges that mental health issues in the entertainment industry are widespread and severe. Meanwhile, various studies show that rates of suicide, suicidal thinking, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are significantly higher in show business professionals than in the general public.
Bored Panda reached out to redditor nicknamed Darvelic who started this discussion in the first place. Naturally, we were curious to know what inspired to take such a question online.
"My initial inspiration was Nicki Minaj’s multi-day online rants against Megan Thee Stallion. Although rap beef can get out of hand, I found it bizarrely one-sided and maniacal. And when I heard Nicki’s song, “Big Foot”, I thought, ‘She’s lost it now.’
In truth, while Nicki’s behavior was ugly, it wasn’t out of the realm of her character. The whole drama is trivial. I’m no psychologist but I think someone who’s lost their mind, they’re tangibly self-destructive, alienating, and make you feel as though you’re the one taking crazy pills."
#4
teambob:
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#5
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#6
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If they were asked this question themselves, they would choose Elon Musk.
"His obsession with Twitter, his engagement with often disprovable right-wing rhetoric, renaming Twitter to X and thinking it’s going to be the Everything App, his erratic use of drugs, his toxic relationships with his exes and many of his children — some born through IVF or surrogacy. I can go on and on, but this is a guy who was once equated with some of the greatest minds of the modern age. Now he’s mirroring Donald Trump. It’s disturbing."
#7
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#8
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#9
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If the redditor were asked this question themselves, they would choose Elon Musk.
"His obsession with Twitter, his engagement with often disprovable right-wing rhetoric, renaming Twitter to X and thinking it’s going to be the Everything App, his erratic use of drugs, his toxic relationships with his exes and many of his children — some born through IVF or surrogacy. I can go on and on, but this is a guy who was once equated with some of the greatest minds of the modern age. Now he’s mirroring Donald Trump. It’s disturbing."
#10
[deleted]:
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#11
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#12
Wavemanns:
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“For actors and performers especially, the roles they play become an increasing part of an identity,” Sarah Davies, a psychologist who has worked with actors, told Insider. So when everything comes to an end, they may feel grief for what they lost.
Harrington told Esquire that he broke down after the producers called “Wrap!”
“It was this onslaught of relief and grief about not being able to do this again. It wasn’t so much about Jon. It was about not being in this world, not getting to smell those smells, fight those fights, be with these people — the whole package.”
#13
Barfignugen:
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#14
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#15
jumpupugly:
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Psychologist Sally Baker told Insider that acting is sometimes so intense that it can leave a gaping hole inside when it ends. Being in tune with the character can convince a person’s mind that it’s real, and when it’s over, it often leaves them feeling flat and in low spirits.
Being on location for an extended period away from home can also make the experience more emotionally consuming. Furthermore, some roles are so disturbing it takes therapy and medication to recover from them.
#16
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#17
As an older guy wanting to sound hip on current events, I'll go with Nicki Minaj.
aggibridges:
Megan Thee Stallion indirectly dissed Nicki Minaj on her latest song by saying 'These h**s don't be mad at Megan, these h**s mad at Megan's Law'. Nicki Minaj felt alluded to because her husband is a convicted sex offender.
Nicki Minaj is now acting extremely erratically. She's having IG lives where she's sputtering literal nonsense for an extended amount of time, hurling abuse at her own fans on social media, tweeting NONSTOP, making fun of Megan for being tall, for having big feet, for being shot on the foot, making fun of her mom's death...
Megan's diss was a throaway line on a song, Nicki devoted the entire track to Megan, and she said a lot of vile and childish things. It's just not a good look for someone with the career trajectory she has. Public sentiment is very much against her and has been for years, and her ramblings now feel like she has lost every shred of sanity she had.
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#18
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What may help is a good support system, as it’s important to have people around them to whom they can talk and escape from the noise that eventually comes with success. Those who recover the best are the ones who pick up their lives right where they left off. Meanwhile, offering them therapy and a safe space where they can talk everything out can also be very beneficial.
#19
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#20
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#21
EurekaBoyd1979:
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#22
Happy-Measurement-57:
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#23
quool_dwookie:
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#24
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#25
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#26
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#27
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#28
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#29
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#30
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#31
Dragonfront:
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#32
almagemela:
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#33
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#34
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