21 Times Celebrities Were Grossly Out-Of-Touch With The Real World
21 Times Celebrities Were Grossly Out-Of-Touch With The Real World

Kristen HarrisSat, November 14, 2026 at 2:31 AM UTC
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Oftentimes, celebrities think they've said something really powerful, funny, or clever, but in reality, all they've done is put a foot in their mouth.

CBCHere are 21 times celebs really thought they did something, but it actually came across as grossly out-of-touch:1. During a 2015 episode of The View, Kelly Osbourne attempted to call out then-presidential candidate Donald Trump by saying, "If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?"

ABC / Viayoutube.comHer co-host, Rosie Perez, immediately called her out, saying, "Latinos are not the only people to do that."

Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage / Via GettyAfterward, in a Facebook post, Kelly wrote, "I want to start by saying I ALWAYS take responsibility for my actions. In this particular case I will take responsibility for my poor choice of words but I will not apologize for being a racist as I am NOT. I whole-hearted fucked up today. I don't want to bullshit anyone with lame excuses. Although, I was stopped mid-sentence by Rosie and couldn't finish my point, I will not let Rosie take responsibility for my words. I should have known better as I was on The View and it was live. I’ve learned a very valuable lesson. It is my hope that this situation will open up a conversation about immigration and the Latin community as a whole. By the way, I clean my own fucking toilets."

Ryan Emberley/amfAR / Getty Images via Getty Images2. In 2026, James Charles posted a since-deleted TikTok where he called out a former Spirit Airlines worker who allegedly DM'd him a GoFundMe link after losing their job. He said, "I just got a DM on here from a girl that said, 'Good morning, James. I know you'll probably never see this, but if you could just take one minute to read, it would really mean a lot to me. I’m really struggling right now because Spirit Airlines just filed for bankruptcy, and I have lost my job. Here's a GoFundMe link. Any donations help.'" Laughing, he sarcastically added, "I'm sure they do, sweetheart. I'm sure they do. You know what else would help you? Getting another job. Yeah, try that."

James Charles / Viareddit.comHe continued, "Because in the time that it took you to copy and paste the same fuck ass message to myself — who you don't follow, by the way — and probably a hundred other influencers and celebrities, you could've applied for a hundred other jobs. But you didn't, 'cause you're a lazy piece of shit, and you're entitled, and you think that influencers and celebrities should fund your life for you. Why would I ever help you? You're not a fan; you don't even follow me. You've never supported me. This is your first time DMing. And you think that I'm gonna send you money because you lost your job? Oh my God, welcome to the real world, sweetheart. People lose their jobs every fucking day. And you're white, pretty, and able-bodied. You're in a much better position than a lot of other people out here who are trying clearly much harder to make a better life for themselves. Why would I fucking help you?"

James Charles / Viareddit.com"Aside from that, 17,000 people lost their jobs at Spirit Airlines. Why do you think you need the GoFundMe? ... But honestly, it does hurt to try, because now you've pissed me off. I'm not the one. Go find MrBeast; this is literally his entire schtick. I'm not fucking helping you. All you did was lose your job. Welcome to the real world. I could at least understand if you were like, 'James, I'm a longtime fan. Here's a trillion years of DMs and my support for you. I love you. I'm suffering with a really rare genetic disease that there's no cure for, and I'm trying to raise money for myself and other people that have this.' Maybe I would help. This bitch, you lost your fucking job? Ugh. What are we gonna do? Nothing! I'm gonna do nothing. You know what you need to do? Go find a fucking new one, girl! Put some effort into the workplace! Ugh!" he said.

Tommaso Boddi / Variety via Getty ImagesOnline commenters were pretty appalled across the board, which is, of course, totally unsurprising.

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The comment says this: "This is so wild lol why is he so pressed?? Ignore and move on!!!"
Related: "17 Celebs Who Confirmed Their Status As Total Bridezilla Or Groomzilla"

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The comment says this: "Even from a PR standpoint why would he think this was normal to do 😭"

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The comment says this: "Holy shit he is cruel af, I only watched 30 seconds but omg, but also not surprised???"

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The comment says this: "Yeah he has never applied for a job in his life if he thinks it takes 30 seconds."
Following the intense backlash, James deleted the original TikTok and posted an apology. He said, "This video was fucking stupid. It was rude, it was obnoxious, it was privileged, and most importantly, it was completely fucking unnecessary. When I saw that DM, I absolutely had the choice to ignore it and say absolutely nothing at all and move on with my day, but instead, I couldn't even tell you why. Her message just triggered me, and I decided instead to make a video about it. And I bashed her. And it was obnoxious, and I shamed her for asking for help in a situation where she was clearly really struggling, and this could have been her absolute last resort."

James Charles / Viatiktok.comHe continued, "I have no idea what was going on in her life, and I should have never assumed that she was copying and pasting this DM as an easy way out. I don't know. I just don't know. My intention behind making this video in the first place was, I get a lot of messages like this every single day, and for me, it definitely sucks to receive messages from people that don't follow you and don't support you treating you like our personal ATM or bank account. But what I'm sure sucks even fucking more is not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from and not being sure whether or not you're gonna be able to put food on the table for yourself and your family."

Santiago Felipe / Getty ImagesHe said that his intentions behind the video didn't matter because it came across as "super fucking privileged" and like he was shaming unemployed people for "not trying hard enough to get a job." He added, "I feel awful because that wasn't my intention, and I really hurt a lot of people... I'm super sorry, especially to the woman from Spirit Airlines." He also offered to help the person who originally DM'd him "a little bit" if they were comfortable reaching out.

Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images3. In 2015, Gwyneth Paltrow faced backlash over her "food stamps challenge," with many criticizing her grocery haul as unrealistic and impractical for actual SNAP recipients.
Gwyneth Paltrow / Via x.com
Time called her challenge "poverty tourism," and Vox said that it "fails to capture the grim reality of being a low-income American."

MEGA / GC Images / Via GettyIn a Goop post, Gwyneth said, "As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice). My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days — a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year... I know hunger doesn't always touch us all directly — but it does touch us all indirectly. After this week, I am even more grateful that I am able to provide high-quality food for my kids. Let's all do what we can to make this a basic human right and not a privilege." She also encouraged fans to donate to the Food Bank for New York City.

Arturo Holmes / Getty Images4. In 2018, Gwyneth Paltrow told the Wall Street Journal, "Forgive me if this comes out wrong. I went to do a yoga class in LA recently, and the 22-year-old girl behind the counter was like, 'Have you ever done yoga before?' And literally I turned to my friend, and I was like, 'You have this job because I’ve done yoga before.'"

Gilbert Carrasquillo / GC Images / Via GettyOn social media, people criticized and made fun of her comments.

Bunny Sanders / Viax.com5. In 2013, Dr. Dre and his Beats Electronics co-founder Jimmy Iovine donated $70 million to USC to build a new academy with their names on it. Six years later, Dr. Dre posted about his daughter's college acceptance on Instagram, writing, "My daughter got accepted into USC all on her own. No jail time!!!"

Leon Bennett / Getty Images for The Recording AcademyFollowing backlash, he deleted the post.

Jerritt Clark / Getty Images for Top Dawg Entertainment6. In 2025, Sydney Sweeney sparked massive backlash for her American Eagle jeans ad, which was accused of promoting eugenics and whiteness.

American Eagle / Viayoutube.comResponding to the criticism, American Eagle released the following statement: "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."

XNY/Star Max / GC Images / Via GettySydney's response to the backlash drew further criticism. She told GQ, "I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I'm literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life... [The president and VP speaking about the ad] was surreal." Then, when GQ features director Katherine Stoeffel asked her point blank about the criticism that "in this political climate, white people shouldn't joke about genetic superiority," Sydney said, "I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear."

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One viral response, amassing 137K likes on Twitter, read, "'hey, so do you want to just disavow white supremacy real quick?' 'no' the decade of the chud."

Monica Schipper / Getty Images7. In 2022, Kim Kardashian shared her "best advice for women in business" with Variety.

Variety / Viayoutube.comKim faced backlash across the internet as many people pointed out that her comments failed to acknowledge her privileged background, which gave her a boost.

Taylor Hill / FilmMagic / Via GettyShe told Good Morning America, "It wasn't a blanket statement towards women...it was taken out of context, but I'm really sorry if it was received that way." Variety denied that the quote was "taken out of context."

Theo Wargo / WireImage / Via Getty8. Discussing her runway career with Love magazine in 2018, Kendall Jenner said, "Since the beginning, we've been super selective about what shows I would do. I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season or whatever the fuck those girls do."

Amy Sussman / Getty ImagesAfter being called out by other models, she apologized on Twitter, writing, "I was misrepresented in a recent interview over the weekend, and it's important to clarify the meaning. It was intended to be entirely complimentary but unfortunately, my words were twisted and taken out of context. I want to be clear. The respect that I have for my peers is immeasurable!"

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP via Getty Images9. In 2023, Mark Cuban was labeled an "out-of-touch billionaire" after a TikTok video in which he shared the "just stop buying coffee"-style financial advice young people are all too used to hearing from older generations.

Mark Cuban / Viatiktok.comIn the comments and in stitches, many viewers pointed out that not buying coffee wouldn't actually make that big a difference in their bank accounts.

TikTok / Viatiktok.com

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TikTok / Viatiktok.comFollowing the backlash, Mark didn't address the criticism, but he did post another "tip of the day." He said, "What's the tip of the day? Be nice, smile, cause smiling takes nothing. And you know what? We all rather do business with someone that smiles, we all rather work with somebody that smiles, we all rather just make someone's day with just a smile. It's so easy."

Sony Pictures Television / Viayoutube.com10. In 2026, Tracy Morgan sat down with fellow Saturday Night Live actor Marcello Hernández for Variety's Actors on Actors. After Marcello said that he got in trouble for making "mischief" in school but was now "getting paid for mischief," Tracy replied, "And they still making minimum wage." Marcello said that teachers' salaries are "not enough," but Tracy continued, "I can't stand teachers. You know why? Because they have a ceiling, they have a limit. That's all they ever gonna be. I teach my kids sky's the limit."

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Online commenters called Tracy out for disrespecting teachers, whom the National Education Association found "still suffer from too-low wages and a lack of professional respect."

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Tracy hasn't publicly responded to the criticism.
11. Many former Harry Potter fans have called for a boycott of the franchise in response to author J.K. Rowling's anti-trans behavior (including funding anti-trans legislation). While many Harry Potter actors have openly spoken out against her views, in 2025, Tom Felton told Variety that he "can't say" that the "Twitterverse controversy around her views" impacts him and his work with the franchise.

Variety / Viax.comSpeaking to the outlet at the Tony Awards, he said, "I'm not really that attuned to it. The only thing I always remind myself is that I'm lucky enough to travel the world. Here I am in New York, and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. And she's responsible for that, so I'm incredibly grateful."

Variety / Viax.comOn Twitter, many commenters called him out for ignoring the very real issue at hand. One popular reply, which received 19K likes, said, "What a privileged straight white man take."

Stephanie Augello / Variety via Getty Images12. Similarly, Keira Knightley — who voiced Professor Umbridge in the new Harry Potter audiobook releases — told Decider that she was "not aware" of the call for a boycott. She said, "I'm very sorry" then laughed. She added, "I think we're all living in a period of time right now where we're all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren't we? And we've all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect."

Decider / Viainstagram.comIn Decider's Instagram comments, many viewers called out her dismissive response.

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Decider / Viainstagram.com13. For her 2025 Halloween costume, Julia Fox dressed as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a pink suit and a pillbox hat splattered with blood, referencing the former first lady's appearance moments after surviving the 1963 assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy.

Santiago Felipe / Getty ImagesOnline commenters criticized Julia's costume as "tasteless" and "inappropriate." Writer and political commentator Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of Jackie and JFK, also called her out, tweeting, "Julia Fox glorifying political violence is disgusting, desperate and dangerous. I'm sure her late grandmother would agree."

Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAddressing the backlash via Instagram, Julia wrote, "I'm dressed as Jackie Kennedy in the pink suit. Not as a costume, but as a statement. When her husband was assassinated, she refused to change out of her blood-stained clothes, saying, 'I want them to see what they've done.' The image of the delicate pink suit splattered with blood is one of the most haunting juxtapositions in modern history. Beauty and horror. Poise and devastation. Her decision not to change clothes, even after being encouraged to, was an act of extraordinary bravery. It was performance, protest, and mourning all at once. A woman weaponizing image and grace to expose brutality. It's about trauma, power, and how femininity itself is a form of resistance. Long live Jackie O. ♥️"

Santiago Felipe / Getty Images14. In 2017, Ariana Grande's fans called her out over a since-deleted Instagram post, which she captioned, "When you're cute but you're also the hardest working 23-year-old human being on earth."

Savion Washington/2026GG / Penske Media via Getty ImagesOn social media, fans pointed out that, around the world, there are other 23-year-olds who are "making 60 cents a day trying to provide for their families" or "working four jobs to stay in their tiny apartments."

Monica Schipper / Getty Images15. In 2019, Lizzo wrongly accused a Postmates delivery driver of taking her food. In a since-deleted (but very public) tweet, she said, "Hey @Postmates this girl Tiffany W. stole my food. she lucky I don't fight no more."

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic / Via GettyPostmates Support replied, "Hi! We're sorry to hear you've had a less than satisfactory experience on our app. Would you mind DM'ing the email address linked to your account, so we can look further into this for you?" A spokesperson told Page Six that the driver actually did show up and waited for five minutes. However, after being unable to get ahold of Lizzo, she had to move on.

Lou Rocco / ABC via Getty ImagesLizzo tweeted, "I apologize for putting that girl on blast. I understand I have a large following and that there were so many variables that could’ve put her in danger. Imma really be more responsible with my use of social media and check my petty and my pride at the door."

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images
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Tiffany ended up suing Lizzo for emotional distress, libel, and false light invasion of privacy. In her lawsuit, she said that she "feared for her physical safety" and got "direct threats of violence." She also said that she was "scared to leave her house and as a result was forced to stop delivering as a courier altogether." However, Tiffany ultimately dismissed the lawsuit.

Raymond Hall / GC Images / Via Getty16. In the 2023 Netflix docuseries Beckham, Victoria Beckham claimed she grew up "working class" — only to be playfully called out by her own husband, David.

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NetflixThe moment went viral. Victoria embraced it and sold pricey "My Dad Had A Rolls-Royce" T-shirts.

Victoria Beckham / Viaus.victoriabeckham.com17. Appearing on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, influencer Molly-Mae Hague — who, at the time, was reportedly making six figures as creative director for PrettyLittleThing — repeated some familiar advice that doesn't take into account the different privileges, circumstances, etc. that mean everyone isn't on a level playing field.

The Diary of a CEO / Viayoutube.comYouTube commenters weren't too impressed.

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This comment says, "'You just need to work harder' Molly’s opinion on poor people."

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This comment says, "I really dislike the phrase 'we all have the same 24 hours in a day'. I wake up at 6am, get my grandparents ready, make breakfast, work 9-6pm, cook dinner, tidy up and then study after 9pm or any other free moment I get. I can guarantee no 2 people have the same 24 hours. The perception of putting in the grind in order to be successful simply isn’t possible for some - I couldn't possibly fit anymore work hours into my day if I tried and I'd consider myself a hard worker despite being on a 25k salary. I am resentful that other people have more 'time' than me and are far more successful in their career but saying we have the same 24 hours is such a naive statement making other people feel guilty that they're not as successful despite working the same hours, not having time for a social life etc."
18. In a viral TikTok from 2022, a fan asked Oprah Winfrey to suggest "a favorite gift for [their] mom [who's] not doing well." Oprah replied, "You know, a wonderful thing is that jewelry box that I had on 'Favorite Things.'" The fan said, "That's too expensive for me," then Oprah replied, "It's really not; it's like $100."

Phillip Faraone / Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative ArtHowever, after a bit of back-and-forth, she finally said, "Okay, then this is the perfect gift for your mom; you do a list of your top 10 reasons why you love her, and you make a beautiful card, and it's your top 10."

XNY/Star Max / GC Images / Via Getty19. In 2019, former The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Alexis Bellino posted an Instagram picture of the dirty floor under her couch. In the caption, she said, "When your couch accidentally disconnects and you realize your maids aren’t doing deep cleaning. Found 2 socks too... 😂🤦🏼♀️🤔"Her commenters called her out for publicly shaming her staff rather than simply cleaning it up herself.

@alexis_bellino / Instagram / Viainstagram.com

@alexis_bellino / Instagram / Viainstagram.comIn a follow-up Instagram post, Alexis claimed she'd been joking. She said, "To All: I can and WILL post whatever I want on my [Instagram]. My maids are well paid for and I love them. It was a joke. Get over yourselves, stop trolling, find happiness and please unfollow me ASAP as I'm not looking for any of your approval on my [Instagram] and I DON'T need followers."

Paul Archuleta / Getty Images20. During the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanessa Hudgens went on Instagram Live and said, "But like, it's a virus. I get it, I respect it. But at the same time, like, even if everyone gets it, like yeah, people are gonna die, which is terrible, but like, inevitable? I don't know, maybe I shouldn't be doing this right now."

Vanessa Hudgens / Viayoutube.comAfter initially claiming her words were taken out of context, she later apologized. On Twitter, she wrote, "This has been a huge wake up call about the significance my words have, now more than ever. I'm sending safe wishes to everyone to stay safe and healthy during this crazy time."

Paul Archuleta / Getty Images21. And finally, in 2022, Location, Location, Location presenter Kirstie Allsopp — who reportedly received financial help from her family to purchase her first house — told the Sunday Times, "When I bought my first property, going abroad, the easyJet, coffee, gym, Netflix lifestyle didn't exist. I used to walk to work with a sandwich. And on payday I'd go for a pizza, and to a movie, and buy a lipstick. Interest rates were 15 percent; I was earning £11,500 a year... I don't want to belittle those people who can't do it. But there are loads of people who can do it and don't. It is hard."

Dave Benett / Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Killik & CoShe reportedly responded to a critic via Twitter, saying, "Either you think I'm an out-of-touch rich bitch who doesn't get how hard it is to buy a home in many parts of the UK or you don't. The Times can twist things as much as they want, but in the end, it's down to whether you believe in my empathy, understanding, and experience or not."

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