10 Celebrities Who Couldn’t Handle the Fame

2007 American Music Awards - Arrivals

Everything comes with a price, and fame is certainly no exception.  However, sometimes the price of fame is more than some are willing to pay. After a stint in the spotlight, many celebrities realize that life in the public eye simply isn’t for them. While some celebrities handle this overwhelming feeling by continuing to plow through their work, others send out cries for help that often result in strange behavior.  Both young and old celebrities have fallen victim to the stress of fame, and it seems that no one is safe from the pending pressure. Either way, it is clear that things aren’t always as they seem, and sometimes the things we want the most cause the most harm. Here are 10 celebrities who couldn’t handle the fame.

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Lindsay Lohan Court Appearance

10. Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan’s tragic fall from grace has been talked about in the media for the last several years.  Once a promising young star, Lohan seemed to completely lose control once she entered young adulthood.  Unfortunately, life in the spotlight simply became too much for Lohan to handle, and as a result she became dependent on illegal substances.

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Jodie Sweetin

9. Jodie Sweetin

Jodie Sweetin is best-known for her role as Stephanie Tanner on the popular 90s sitcom, Full House. However, life as a child star proved to be more than Sweetin could bare.  When the show ended, Sweetin’s life spiraled out of control.  In her memoir, titled unSweetined, she discussed her struggle with drugs and alcohol.

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Premiere Of DreamWorks Pictures' "Need For Speed" - Red Carpet

8. Kid Cudi

When rapper Kid Cudi made his commercial debut in 2009, fans were instantly drawn to his unique style and sound.  However, it quickly became obvious that Cudi was much more interested in making music than being famous. During an interview in 2014, Cudi revealed that he simply couldn’t handle the fame, stating: ““I couldn’t deal with fame, short and simple,” he said. “For me, I could not wrap my head around the fact that a week before I blew up I was just a regular dude and a week after it was just on, it was a whole other thing. When I first started getting recognized in the street it was cool, ‘cause it wasn’t extreme, it was just like, ‘Oh man I like your music. Could I take a picture?’ It was chill. But then when it started to be everywhere I went, it was hard for me because I never wanted to make that adjustment. I didn’t want to be like, ‘Oh now I’m famous now, I guess I gotta live a celebrity lifestyle.’ Spent twenty-three, twenty-four years of my life living a normal life, it was hard for me to feel like I needed to make that switch just because of my job.”

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Dustin Diamond Preliminary Hearing

7. Dustin Diamond

Dustin Diamond, better known as Screech Powers, was once of TV’s most beloved nerds.  As a cast member of the popular sitcom, Saved by the Bell, Diamond quickly began a fan favorite for his quirky sense of humor and fun-loving personality.  However, when the show ended in 1993, the public would not allow Diamond to disassociate himself from Screech.  As a result, Diamond’s real-life persona struggled, and he was labeled a “jerk” by many who came in contact with him.

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Comedy Central Roast Of Charlie Sheen - Red Carpet

6. Charlie Sheen

For nearly a decade, Charlie Sheen was a cast member on one of the most successful sitcoms of its time.  However, in 2011, Sheen suffered a very public emotional breakdown which resulted in him being removed from the cast of Two and a Half Men.  After his dismissal from the show, Sheen went to make several bizarre public statements which included him insinuating that he was a warlock.

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Al Gore Celebrates "Take Back TV"

5. Lauryn Hill

As a member of The Fugees Lauryn Hill became one of the most talked about artists in the music industry.  In 1998 when she released her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, critics and fans could not wait to see what she would do next.  However, shortly after earning five Grammy awards for the album, Hill took a hiatus from the public eye.  Although she has since returned, she is reluctant to live her life in the spotlight.

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MTV TRL With Ashton Kutcher And Dave Chapelle

4. Dave Chapelle

In 2004, fame proved to be too much for comedian Dave Chapelle.  The successful comic, who had found also success with his own TV show, decided to walk away from it all after realizing that the success of his show was overshadowing his career as a stand up comedian.  During an interview discussing is departure, Chapelle stated: “Coming here, I don’t have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I’m interested in the kind of person I’ve got to become. I want to be well-rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced. I’ve got to check my intentions, man.”

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Chris Brown Court Appearance

3. Chris Brown

Sometimes fame can make people do crazy things, and no one is a better example of that than pop star, Chris Brown. Over the last several years, Brown has made several poor choices which have negatively effected his career.  His most famous display of poor behavior came in 2008 when he physically assaulted his then girlfriend, Rihanna.

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2012 People's Choice Awards - Backstage And Audience

2.  Angus Jones

Angus Jones was once the highest paid child star on TV. However, after years of success as a star on the sitcom Two and a Half Men, Angus felt that his  life in the spotlight did not line up with his religious beliefs.  After becoming baptized, Jones decided that he no longer wanted to be a part of a show which he considered “filth.”

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Premiere of DreamWork's "She's the Man" - Arrivals

1. Amanda Bynes

Amanda Bynes gained mainstream fame during the late 90s as a cast member of Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy show, All That.  Just three years after joining the shows cast, Bynes landed her own show on Nickelodeon, and her career seemed to have endless potential.  However, after years of successful TV and film appearances, Bynes decided to retire from acting.  Although she has since decided to return to the acting world, she has not had any major appearances in years, and her additions and run-ins with the law seem to have consumed her life.

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