It’s inevitable: actors and actresses the world over are constantly bombarded with requests for photos from their adoring fans. Whether it is a designed meet-and-greet photo opportunity or a chance encounter in a public place, the average person is thrilled to meet a celebrity, and having a picture taken with someone famous is a uniquely modern trophy that can be proudly displayed to friends and family.
Since hundreds of photos get taken of celebrities every day, some are bound to be less than spectacular. Sometimes, a celebrity may be caught off-guard or in a gawky situation; other times, someone may be having a bad day or the camera shutter may simply go off at the wrong time, forever enshrining an unintentional moment of awkwardness.
While it’s always great to take an awesome picture with one of your idols, sometimes it is the more uncomfortable pictures that unintentionally live on in internet history. Considering that fact, we established a list of some of the cringiest fan photos we could come across that should certainly make you question any photo opportunity you may encounter in the future.
For your entertainment, here are 10 Awkward Fan Photos With Actresses And Actors.
20. Britney Spears
Here’s another example of how strange the meet-and-greet photo-ops after concerts can be. Britney Spears has been making music for decades now, and many of her photos - much like the aforementioned Avril Lavigne - seem to indicate that she and her staff have instituted a “no touching” policy at some point.
“No touching” policy aside, many fans would still line up for their own magical shot with Spears.
However, this rule seems to have lightened up, but it will still cost fans plenty to get their shot with the star. Spears recently completed a multi-year stint in a Vegas concert residency, and it was reported that VIP tickets to the shows that included a post-concert meeting and photo opportunity were going as high as $2,500 apiece!
19. James Blunt
Sometimes, famous people meet other famous people, and even celebrities can get star-struck. These crossing of paths don’t even have to be between two entertainers of the same genre; take, for instance, this magical photo between professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and singer/songwriter James Blunt.
There may not be much reason for them to meet on any other occasion, therefore we can understand Blunt’s excitement at this encounter.
Their encounter happened on the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards, where famous folks from all different disciplines come together. Just look how happy Blunt is to be caressing the arm of the significantly-larger Hogan. Whether Blunt was a long-time fan of Hogan and wrestling in general or if he simply got caught up in the moment doesn’t matter; he’s thrilled, and that’s the important part.
18. Avril Lavigne
Celebrity meet-and-greet photo opportunities are all the rage at pop-culture conventions and music concerts. They are a strange situation, however: fans pay a flat fee (sometimes hundreds of dollars or more) to have the opportunity to make a few seconds of random small talk with their celebrity of choice, then get a quick picture together.
It’s pretty clear from singer Avril Lavigne’s photo-op results that she does not particularly enjoy the experience.
Allegedly a person who may not be the biggest fan of these events, Lavigne had her photo-op security tell fans that she has a “no touching” policy, resulting in a plethora of pics with Avril and her paying customers standing awkwardly next to each other. We’re not sure fans are getting their money’s worth, if these allegations are true.
17. Tom Hanks
Surely, it must be frustrating to try to go about your daily life when you are a high-profile celebrity with a face that is recognizable to the masses. Something as simple as a quick trip to the pharmacy can turn into an endeavor of epic proportions, when you’re constantly stopped and asked for photos, autographs, and the like.
Take this picture of Tom Hanks at his local CVS, posing for a pic with some fans. Yes, Tom Hanks has a comedic streak in him and it’s very possible this was an intentional humorous look - but it’s also a very real option that Hanks was simply trying to get his cough medicine and head home, and that he was none too pleased in being stopped and asked for what was likely one of the numerous photos that day.
16. Danica Patrick
The world of sport racing is insanely popular, and features some of the world’s most rabid fans. As a star of IndyCar racing before successfully making the leap to NASCAR, driver Danica Patrick commands the attention of spectators from both sports – it also helps that she’s one of the few female drivers in either league.
Danica’s career started her career with IndyCar Series, where Rahal Letterman Racing signed her up in 2005. Since then, she’s had numerous successful races.
It’s not unusual for a fan to request a celebrity’s signature on a chest or shoulder. In most cases, though, it’s a female making the signature request from a male celeb, which makes this photo of Danica signing on a man’s chest more than a touch disconcerting.
15. Hugh Grant
We all have good days and bad days, right? Sometimes it’s as simple as having a run of bad luck or just feeling like the world is working against you on any given moment.
As we’ve previously discussed, celebrities have a much bigger spotlight on them than the average person, so naturally their more challenging moments have a much higher chance of being caught on camera or film for the whole word to see.
Hugh Grant, the British actor who can be seen in a variety of TV and movie projects over the last few decades, was captured in this photo looking like he was not having the best day of his life; hopefully his day got better after the photo was taken.
14. Katy Perry
Sticking with the musician/concert theme, not only are the meet-and-greet photo opportunities a chance for fans to get a moment “in the spotlight” with their idols, but many performers like to incorporate some sort of interactive element into the concert itself. Sometimes it’s bringing a fan on stage to sing or dance with them. More often than not, it’s setting the stage with a walkway in such a fashion that the performer can actually stroll onto a part of the stage that goes into the crowd.
Artists have to take the good with the bad, as this photo shows singer Katy Perry at one of her concerts.
It appears that a fan with a brightly-colored “Hug Me Katie” sign got her wish, even if Perry seems more than a little surprised and shocked by the moment.
13. Peter Facinelli
Many actors hammer away at their profession for years, doing steady work but never gaining full-blown public notoriety. At one point, a particular role comes along that absolutely propels their stardom forward, whether they knew it was going to happen as a result of the role or not.
American actor Peter Facinelli can likely be included in that group of actors. After working hard on a variety of TV shows and films for years, he landed a role in the Twilight film series, which carries with it a huge number of adoring fans.
As this photo demonstrates, he now has some new fans that will go to extreme lengths. She used a sign with a sad story about her feline friend. Whether the feline tale is true or not, we can’t say, but hey - it worked!
12. Kristen Stewart
It can be hard for some fans to remember sometimes, but it’s worth repeating: celebrities are people, too. They need their personal time just like the rest of us, and they can have bad moments just like every single one of us. With such a spotlight on them, however, these moments of frustration or anger are usually highlighted much more significantly.
That’s may be happened here to Kristen Stewart during an Asian red-carpet film premiere. Stewart saw her fame skyrocket due to her starring role in the Twilight film series, so large crowds are certainly to be expected where she goes. This photo, unfortunately, just seems to have caught her at the exact wrong moment, as she seems to be giving the “stare” to her faithful fans.
11. Luke Wilson
Being honest with ourselves, we have to admit we’ve all been in a similar situation at one point: whether at work, home, or out in public, sometimes something draws our attention enough to make us distracted from what we were originally doing. The moment is made all the more simple when you introduce potent beverages to the mix.
American actor Luke Wilson is best-known for playing a string of characters that can best be described as lovable, a bit goofy, but maybe not the brightest. Now, we’re certainly not saying that’s what he’s like in real-life, but as you can see in the photo, he definitely has moments where he suffers from a bit of attention-deficit - the camera is over here, Luke!
10. Kim Kardashian
Thanks to the success of the reality show Keeping Up with the Karsashians, the entire Kardashian family has soared in popularity, allowing them to branch out into modeling, clothing design, and a myriad other endorsements and deals. No member of the clan, though, is more famous and recognizable than middle daughter Kim.
Even before marrying rapper Kanye West, Kardashian successfully launched several clothing lines, fragrances, and even a mobile game.
As a prominent social media influencer, Kim has often been labeled as being famous for being famous. Her fans are plentiful and they’ll take any opportunity to get a photo with her - including this uncomfortable-looking selfie a fan took during a Kardashian’s signing event where the celeb seemingly may be forcing a smile.
9. Jon Stewart
Comedians are a singular breed of entertainer. The primary function of their job is to find humor in all that life has to offer, even the most mundane of events. Many times, the comedy is presented in a subversive manner, used to demonstrate how things in life shouldn’t be taken so seriously.
Jon Stewart is a comedian who made the leap to the big time by hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central for years.
If anyone knows how to infuse comedy with a healthy dose of subversion, it’s him. He’s a man who seems to wear his opinions on his sleeve in his professional persona, so we’re still trying to figure out if this picture of him seeming very displeased with a fan’s request for a photo is a genuine reaction or simply Stewart continuing being his usual self.
8. Cara Delevingne
Many famous folks take all the time they can to stop and pose for pictures with fans and give autographs - it’s a part of being famous, after all. Some fans, though, can’t respect boundaries and don’t know when the timing is right to ask for a photo.
Take this fan, for instance, who seemed to be thinking of himself and himself alone when he asked for a photograph with actress Cara Delevingne after she had already gotten in a car to drive to her next destination. On one hand, kudos to this guy for not letting an opportunity pass him by. However, props to Delevingne for at least humoring him by actually stopping and rolling down her window to take the pic.
7. Nicholas Cage
In many cases, the look of celebrities that the public sees is an intricately processed one: in movies, TV, magazines, and more, famous folks are touched up, filtered, or dressed a certain way, all done with the intent of projecting a very specific image to viewers and readers.
When actors and actresses are caught by fans in their more, shall we say, natural states, it can be a very different look indeed.
This photo of what appears to be a freshly-awoken Nicholas Cage on an airplane is the epitome of capturing an image of a celebrity at their most human moment - and as we regular folks know all too well, it is not always the best look.
6. Khloe Kardashian
Another member of the reality-TV famous Kardashian clan, Khloe is the eldest of the family’s children, and after a few years in sister Kim’s shadow, has come into her own as a prime-time celebrity. She has shared fashion and fragrance lines with her sisters, had her own spin-off reality TV show, competed on Celebrity Apprentice, and even hosted her own talk show.
It comes as no surprise then, that she has a legion of adoring fans all her own - fans who love to swarm to meet the celebrity in person. As a fashionista, certainly Khloe always has to look her best, but as this photo shows, a tall woman wearing high heels to become taller may have a difficult time connecting with the shorter folks of the masses.
5. David Beckham
There are few fandoms that are more intense about showing their love and appreciation for their idols than the fans of professional sports. Fiercely loyal and enthusiastic to a fault, fans of sports teams or individual players will often times go to great lengths to show how much of a fan they truly are.
Professional soccer player David Beckham has always held a high-profile both in the world of sports and in the general public eye.
Thanks to his many promotional and endorsement deals, along with his marriage to singer “Posh Spice” Victoria (Adams) Beckham, it’s difficult to miss Beckham. Many fans, naturally, want to get close to the star - in this photo, this particular fan took his need for a selfie to a whole new level by physically interrupting the soccer match to do so.
4. Paris Hilton
Another fashion icon to make our list, Paris Hilton certainly enjoyed the ride of reality TV stardom to its peak effect in the early 2000s.
The great-granddaughter of the founder of Hilton Hotels, Paris has always been in the limelight in one way or another, starting early in her life as a model before making the transition to more of a businesswoman. She now owns lines of fashion clothing, fragrances, even self-contained stores, and apartment complexes!
Due to her status as a full-blown celebrity, many adoring fans show up to her public events - including this enthusiastic fellow pictured, who may or may not have known Paris before this picture, but definitely gave her more than she bargained for.
3. Russell Brand
Of all the celebrity types, comedians usually have a very specific mindset about their profession and how they prefer to interact with their fans. Russell Brand has long been a polarizing figure. Using his roots in British stand-up comedy to launch himself into a career that first included films and TV shows, he later blossomed into being an author, radio host, and outspoken activist.
Brand has never been a person who was afraid to speak his mind or go after what he wanted.
It’s no surprise, then, that there may be awkward moments in some of his interactions with fans, including this poorly-timed photo of a fan who asked for a kiss - it looks like she wanted a kiss on the cheek, but perhaps Brand misunderstood the gesture?
2. Megan Fox
Perhaps one of the most infamous fan-spurning photos of all time, this image of Megan Fox seemingly brushing off a young fan trying to give her a rose went viral across social media and the internet at large. The actress’ popularity peaked after the public saw her performance in such films as Transformers and Jennifer’s Body.
While this photo was taken at one of the many social events Fox found herself at, the picture has more of a back-story than most people know. She didn’t actually see the fan at all that evening as she was being rushed from location to location.
Film company Kodak offered a reward for information on who the mystery flower-giver might be. Thanks to the power of the internet, the boy was found, and was actually able to meet Fox in a predetermined opportunity - and yes, he brought along a rose to give her the second time as well.
1. Kanye West
Perhaps the undisputed king of awkward fan photos, musician Kanye West has never been shy about publicly showing his disdain for the public-interaction aspect that comes along with being famous. His public presence as a rapper put him in front of a lot of fans is it was, but when he married reality TV star Kim Kardashian, his presence in the public eye shot into the stratosphere.
According to the Daily Mail, West may be the Muhammad Ali of show business, but he somehow still takes the time to humor fans.
There are a slew of photos taken by fans with Yeezy that show him to be, at best, wildly disinterested in being with them, having them as fans, and just generally being present in his current situation in general.
Are there any other fan pictures you’ve seen online or do you happen to have one yourself? Let us know all about it in the comments section!
