Tough Times To Be A Celebrity?


July 9, 2016 by gregrabidoux2013


celebrity times Mischa

I feel the pain of a nation divided, I feel..whoops, I’m a little low on wine, Oh, Cabana Boy, fetch me some more vino will you? Now, where was I?


What a week it has been friends.

From the shootings of young black men in Minnesota and Louisiana to the horrific ambush deaths of seven police officers to at least three more ambush shootings of police officers across the country responding to (phony) 911 calls, it has been simply unbearable.

The response of many Americans has ranged from shock and outrage to calls of restraint and compassion to an urging for vigilante style justice and “revenge.”

I am afraid we are going to endure a very long, hot and violent summer with echoes from the 1960s civil rights upheaval. Only this time it seems to be a toxic mix of race-driven and fueled killings and terrorist-jihadist inspired massacres. With assault rifles.

Let’s face it, sadly, we haven’t seen the last Pulse tragedy only the most recent.

But wait, my friends, there is another voice in the Hollywood wilderness. In fact, several voices and they are crying out for, well, a variety of things really. Let’s together take a peek and a listen.

celebrity times KK

My fans always demand I get behind civil issues in a big way, it’s so um, stressful, you know?


Kim Kardashian, the Queen of being famous for virtually nothing sans her nasty sex video, being the wife of the tormented and incredibly wealthy or incredibly broke (depends, right?) Kanye West, and her fake lips, butt, breasts, thighs, chin, nose and anything else that could be held down long enough to be cut, plucked,sutured or injected had this to say;

“With so much going on out there, people don’t realize it’s not easy always being famous…being a celebrity.”

How true, double K. How true.

Kimbies was responding to criticism that she let 48 hours pass and still did not tweet or post anything in the aftermath of the MN and LA shootings.

Why were her fans demanding she do this? Well, as one put it “You (KK) and your family have come to symbolize what interracial love means and so you should use your power for good.”


Still. There is a point there at least about the power of being a celebrity. Especially in these violent and turbulent times.

Celebrity time Marlon B

We made an offer to our leaders of change they couldn’t refuse.


In the 1960s actors and screen legends, white and black used their fame and media access to demand change. Sydney Poitier, Marlon Brando and Harry Belafonte epitomized the actor-as-advocate and drew crowds, attention and money for a range of civil rights causes. Brando even went so far as to have a native American Indian (Sasheen Littlefeather) demand justice for all Indians on his behalf at the 1973 Academy Awards right before she dropped the metaphorical bomb that he was refusing the award in protest.

Today, in addition to opinion-makers like Kimbies Kardashian we also have serious environmentalists who also happen to be Academy Award winners like Leo DiCaprio. Matt Damon who is helping to bring drinking water to people in need, Brad Pitt who continues to help New Orleans rebuild, his longtime love Angelina Jolie who works as a United Nations Refugee Ambassador and George Clooney who just hosted a fundraiser that reportedly raised over $12 million f0r candidate Hillary Clinton.

celebrity times leo

Don’t look at me, I’m doing all I can to support lonely, love-struck Victoria’s Secret Models. And that’s a 24/7 job folks.


And Bruce Willis (yep, he’s still kicking) and Chuck Norris (also kicking for real) who have both made hefty contributions to the NRA and warned against “knee-jerk” regulations in the wake of the Pulse massacre.

celebrity times chuck n

I’m like 80 years old now and I will still kick yer you know what!


And Mischa Burton. She of the O.C. fame posted what she apparently thought was a “heartfelt” Instagram photo to share her “pain” at the recent shootings of more young black men.

What’s wrong with that you ask?

Well, in the photo she is in a skimpy bikini, with windswept hair holding a glass of white wine on a yacht (Go ahead scroll up if need be and take another peek)

Celebrities. They are really just like us. Except when they are clearly not.

And Kaley Cuoco that little, lovable Big Bang Theory scamp.

She got herself in trouble right around the 4th of July when she posted an adorable photo of her patriotic pooches walking on and rubbing their paws and little behinds on top of “Old Glory” (the USA Flag).

Nice. A “penny” for her regrets now.

celebrity times kc

Don’t blame us, we’re cute and to us the flag is just a soft blankie for our little behinds.


And Justin “Mr. Sexy Back” Timberlake.

He tweeted that fellow actor Jesse Williams who angrily criticized our nation’s police and leadership in response to these shootings was a bit off key and was a “poor soul” who just “didn’t get it.”

When JT’s fans rose up in a fiery twitter backlash, he sheepishly posted an apology and called for “compassion and love.”

And mentioned he’d probably stay away from twitter for awhile. Sage advice for many of his fellow celebs.

And what list of naughty or at least tone deaf celebrities would be complete without mentioning the “Biebs?”

Celebrity Times Bieber

World’s overpopulated dude, maybe all this shooting will help. IDK go ask SG.


Seems Justin Bieber apparently wondered out loud what all the fuss was (the shootings, the massacre) the world was overpopulated anyways. He (well, his agent/spokesperson) says he was just “teasing” and “didn’t mean any harm.”

Just another lovable, harmless celebrity using their massive wealth, media access and power for good I guess.

Even Steph Curry’s wife got into the act recently when she tweeted an angry tweet during the NBA finals that “they were rigged…for ratings and money.”

Well, she might have a point there, I’ll save that one for another day.

My point though for today?

Seems like celebrities across the board are just as confused, unsure and at a loss for both the best words and actions in response to the unspeakable violence and cruelty we all have witnessed recently.

Man, that is perfectly understandable.

It’s just so many more people actually seem to listen and care what they say and do during these tough times rather than ordinary folks like you and I. And that is scary.

Celebrity times Jane fonda

Because Dear Jane we may forgive but we will never forget.



Hollywood book by Greg R

Want more celebrity and politics stuff? Go to type in this book title and buy it! Really, I am hungry and will put any residuals to good use. promise!


35 thoughts on “Tough Times To Be A Celebrity?

  1. Vanessa G says:

    My side hurts from laughing so much! And I needed it, you are right Dr. R, what a terrible week or more it has been. But I do know that our celebrities will by and large give me the yucks I need to face the next day. Bless ’em all! Great post!

  2. Dana H K says:

    Kim Kardashian for VP for Hillary!! Very funny post Dr. Rabidoux and poor little Mischa, so misunderstood on her yacht!!

  3. Jim Halios says:

    I always found it interesting why anyone cares what celebrities think. For me their opinions mean nothing. A majority of the people Dr. R mention who have stuck their foot in their mouth multiple times are media created no talent hacks. We give them the power buy following them on Facebook, Instagram or twitter. Their opinions mean no more or less than ours..

    • Tiffany J says:

      Try telling that to the “Swifters” aka the Taylor Swift nation, several million strong.
      They care what she thinks and do as she commands!!!

  4. haliosj says:

    I always wondered why we put such emphasis on the opinions of celebrities. Especially the social media created ones of today. Many of these people have no clue as to how the rest of the world lives or operates. Quite frankly with out their accidental success I doubt they would fare to well..

  5. A. Luke-Morgan says:

    If only the average citizen would have as much concern with what was going with their elected officials at the local, state, and national levels as they have for celebrities. If their focus could shift to the fundamentals of government, we might not have near as apathetic constituency. Too many people have lost the ability to think on their own. They don’t have a firm foundation of moral and ethical standards. They will go with whatever is popular or trendy at the moment. We are indeed in trouble as a crumbling nation on multiple levels.

  6. Bethany R says:

    You are probably right but I confess I do care what JT, Kim K and especially Taylor S have to say about stuff. I am ashamed BUT it is what it is!!! Funny and great post Dr. R!

  7. Ashley K. says:

    It’s true that many celebrities use their power and influence to force themselves into conversations where they really have no idea what they’re talking about. However, I can’t bring myself to blame the celebrity in most cases (except the Biebs, he should know that he’s just being ridiculous). I think that it’s the fans, not the celebrities, who force many stars to comment on current situations despite their lack of experience or knowledge of the topic. I mean, Kim K. couldn’t go two days without fans being outraged that she didn’t comment on the tragic events. If I was a celebrity and there were (literally) millions of people telling me every day that not only do I have a right to comment, but I should feel a *responsibility* to state my opinion, I think I would eventually start to feel like I had a legitimate reason to speak up and make my opinion heard.

    Celebrities aren’t the only ones who fall into this mindset, either. All it takes is a few minutes on Facebook to realize that the mere existence of social media platforms is enough to give regular people ‘permission’ to get up on their soapbox and rant away, despite the misinformation they may have or their general lack of knowledge on the topic in question.

  8. A. Hughes says:

    …so should we shove all celebrities off screen and put local, state, and federal government officials on reality tv? Hey, I love the Parks and Rec. series on Netflix. Hehe. 🙂 (Oh the comedy if government officials were actually like the tv show.)

  9. Chardonnay Watson says:

    Personally, celebrities have gotten/receive too much power from “regular” people. It’s sad that a celebrity must tweet, Facebook, Instagram, or etc for the event to seem relevant to the citizens of the world. However, even though some celebrities actually use their “famous” platform to speak out on certain topics, some actually feel the need to keep their private thoughts to themselves. I don’t think they should be penalized for doing just that either, they are private.

  10. Marsha M says:

    This is a good one, Dr. Rabidoux. I really think most celebrities are too afraid to destroy their brand by addressing or acknowledging recent events. Of course there a few that are too wrapped up in his or her own lives to care about anybody else (Kimye). I think they are cowards. I hope their fan base will stop idolizing them and see them for what they are.

  11. Kendria Swift says:

    They say that history repeats it self. We are seeing a modern day Civil rights platform being built. We also see the moral responsibility of those who have attained a certain level of celebrity status being misused. If anything needs to repeat, I would say that the actions taken in the 60s by actors in the name of unity or to address division in America needs to be repeated. Not every celebrity is using their platform to make a social/economic change. It could be that they are more concerned with accumulating wealth for themselves rather than actually making a difference.

  12. Dustin H. says:

    I’ve also wondered why people idolize and care so much about a celebs “two cents”. Most celebrities are just as misinformed as a majority of the nation, yet due to all their “followers” they somehow think their opinion means more to everyone. Biebs is the worst…anyone esle think that the North Pole and Canada are continents?

  13. Briana Holloway says:

    Because many people look at celebrities as idols they feel like they should respond every time there is something going on in the world. Celebrities have been given too much power by the people that look up to them. Sometimes I think its best that celebrities don’t respond to a lot of the stuff that be going on.

  14. I’m not sure that any intellectual being actually needs validation of their own opinions on social issues from a Kardashian or any celebrity for that matter. This seems like a trend in those that offer no social improvement through their own lives, but complain when others do the same. Such unwarranted outrage has always puzzled me.

  15. Kershawnda J. says:

    You spoke nothing but the truth. The fact is that the American Dream has changed from the white picket fence to seeing your name in lights or at least your face and other body parts on tv and the internet. This has caused everyday people to believe really that the celebrities they idolize are just like them and know the struggle that is happening. What folks fail to realize is what we see or even hear about these folks are well scripted and when they try to say or do something on their own without their guides… they are nothing like us, and they will not understand due to the fact it is not their reality.

  16. jpmcvaney says:

    It is relatively disappointing at the number of people who look to those celebrities and other famous persons for how people should act and what they should do. And those that get on the case for what the celebrities said are typically the ones NOT doing anything but standing on the sidelines waiting to see what movement gains the most wagoners so to speak..of the political movements. Reading this makes me think about these recent event and the topic of our freedom of speech and right to congregate peacefully. Well the fact that we are taking queues from celebrities would argue the fact that we are even speaking ourselves, we seem to be letting our “support” of a particular celebrity be our way of speaking. I am from the Kim Kardashian Party and support her views; I am from the Mischa Barton (I am a long time fan of The O.C. and have all the dvds) Party and I approve of her ideals… Makes it look like there are more political parties out there than the two running for office.

    Oh well, I guess most of us are not famous so we will never know what these people are thinking and why they think it is okay to say that. Maybe one day.

  17. Sarah Matta says:

    I do not necessarily believe that celebrity’s opinions do not matter, but they do not matter anymore than mine or yours. There are some people who invest more in what is happening in the world today. Celebrities seem to think that their opinion about topics that they have no actual knowledge about matters simply because they are famous. The problem is when people believe what they see on T.V. and read on the internet and do not do any research on their own. Celebrities do have a large influence on society and should be more responsible about what they say.

  18. Laura Deen says:

    Celebrities are just like us. They are people and American citizens. Except of course they are posting things on their social media from their yacht and not writing about it on this post. Everyone’s opinion matters, and I agree with other posts in that they do not matter more than mine in today’s society.

    However, many people in today’s society will see their favorite celebs social media posts and change their thoughts and/or beliefs to match their favorite celeb’s. The problem today especially with the upcoming generation is that many are scared to speak what they believe and will go with the popular way and not necessarily the right way. It is sad, but reality television and celebrities influence so many things in today’s world. Can this be a good thing? Absolutely if used in the right way. However, many celebrities are misinformed on the matters at the time they speak.

  19. Kenny. H says:

    Celebrities are idiots as well. They are like the person in the class who will not shut up because he knows everything. They have power and they should be allowed to speak up. If they do not say anything they will be criticized. It’s kind of a double edged sword.

  20. Dave Brannan says:

    Nice commentary on the interesting obsession we seem to have with celebrities. Why fans of Kim Kardashian make a fuss about her not having a statement about current events is mind boggling.Yes, people in the public spotlight can use their celebrity to create awareness around certain causes, but it certainly does not make them the expert on those topics. Why we the public is more interested in what celebrities have to say on issues that face our country rather than scholars or experts in the field is, quite frankly, terrifying.

  21. David P says:

    Oooo… Jane Fonda. She is who I started thinking of when I first started reading this one. And there she was at the end. I still refuse to watch anything with her in it. You forgot to mention a few other big ones, Gyllenhaal (sp) and Sarandon. Anyway, people that listen to people just because they are famous deserve what they get. It’s no different then walking up to a random person on the street and blindly following what they say. Some celebrities are of above average intelligence, some are below. They are famous because they can perform or because they are lucky. Sometimes people believe because they have power or money or fame it makes them instant experts on everything. I’m looking at you Gwyneth Paltrow. Heck, I don’t understand the obsession with celebrity. But it seems to be a core human fault.

    • Jessica Weaver says:

      Ok, thanks for the Gwyneth Paltrow comment–she does seem to think that, doesn’t she? I’m sure she’s sweet and all, but lack of social awareness is definitely an issue.

  22. Jessica Weaver says:

    Maybe people think the celebrity opinions matter because these people seem incredibly powerful to their fans–after all, they have succeeded (fame, money, influence) at things that ordinary people find utterly impossible. Perhaps to their fans, it makes sense that these demigods must have political opinions and influence, too. Some, thankfully, are smart enough to care and use their money for good. Others are just vapid, selfish, and incredibly fortunate versions of everyone else who has no business telling others what to do, either. I largely don’t pay any attention, but I admit to having respect for very successful entertainers. They are doing something right, I guess, since they are rolling in it and I am over here just pulling down a regular paycheck and paying a mortgage every month.

  23. Mary says:

    I laughed out loud several times reading your post, Dr. Rabidoux. With that much of a social media following, you’d think that celebrities would watch what they say before “opening mouth and inserting foot.” There’s just no fixing stupid.

  24. Hampton Raulerson says:

    I find it humorous that people listen to celebrities on these issues. They are not great philosophers and I would venture to say the vast majority have no idea what they are talking about. That woman is attractive or that man was really good in that movie I saw last year so they must be well versed in the politics and problems of the world. Excellent logic.

  25. E Griffin says:

    I’m not sure how tough it is or isn’t being a celebrity, especially this day in age. Most celebrities gravity towards the attention all be it negative or positive. With social media it makes otherwise normal people celebrities. Social media definitely makes the lives of everyone, specifically celebrities more transparent.

  26. Lexis Lloyd says:

    The amount of violence in the world today is tragic and an overall absolute shame. It is sad to see that racism is still prominent in today’s time. Celebrities do have a platform and should use their “powers” and status to make a positive difference in the world. Unfortunately, more people are tuned in to see what their celebrity crush or idol has to do or say on the specific topic and they have no idea what is even going on. It is an outrage that their voices are heard over people that actually have a clue about what is truly going on. There are a few celebrities that do use their role and credibility as a way to help spread awareness and educate others. For instance, Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams, made a powerful speech in reference to racism and human rights. He used his platform as a way to inform and educate the public about the recent events taking place in the world. He chose to speak up and stand up about the events in order to spread knowledge and awareness to others. It is all about how celebrities choose to conduct themselves and handle a situation. They should use their status to make a positive impact and difference on the world. Sadly, most of them are too busy taking selfies.

  27. Raphael Walters says:

    Hilarious post! I agree with every aspect of this article. I understand it could be hard being a celebrity but real life situations should be addressed at least one point of your life. If you know you have loyal fans that basically “follow your lead”, use those powers to raise awareness and make a difference. To be honest, it’s sad that the world has come to social media factoring our life decisions. Celebrities have a power that is indescribable in this generation. Use those powers and voice your opinions on these ruthless murders occurring everyday celebs!

  28. Raphael Walters says:

    Hilarious post! I agree with every aspect of this article. I understand it could be hard being a celebrity but real life situations should be addressed at least one point of your life. If you know you have loyal fans that basically “follow your lead”, use those advantages to raise awareness and make a difference. To be honest, it’s sad that the world has come to social media factoring our life decisions. Celebrities have a upper-hand that is indescribable in this generation. Use those powers and voice your opinions on these ruthless murders occurring everyday celebs!

  29. Kaitlynn F says:

    People often look to celebrities for comfort, support and affirmation. It is scary because we should not rely on their words, yet the actions of those around us, within arms reach. However, celebrities know they are in the limelight at all times. They make choices, with each choice leading to consequences. Most of the celebrities having tough times are the ones bringing the most attention to themselves.

  30. gljackson33 says:

    We can’t forget that celebrities are people too, and they are not perfect. They have a responsibility of trying to to stop out of trouble, but everyone has a scandal every now and again. They lives just happens to be in the media.

  31. Jakira Smith says:

    Celebrities have a mini pedestal where their life is constantly under a microscope, but they are human are will make as many mistakes as anyone else. Celebrities have to be active and willing to participate in everyday issues and activity so that they can be viewed as a human and not the supernatural figure that the reality shows and social media sites lead them be viewed as.

  32. Molly Giddens says:

    Poor Kim K.

    It must be a trifling life as a celebrity. People waiting on you hand and foot and getting paid for absolutely nothing…

    But it must be demanding when fans are requesting your highly theoretical analysis on the current times. What better way to use your fame than to promote your opinions?
    The sad thing is that people do care what celebrities have to say and take their opinions and feelings (most that have no empirical evidence tied to it) as reality. Sadly, today’s heroes are celebrities rather than police officers, firefighters, or teachers (they do not get any credit). Celebrities are too influential due to social media.

    Apparently, psychologists have even coined a term, celebrity worship syndrome, for celebrity “obsessiveness”. Our values in celebrities are placed too high when they become more than a role model. That is when people emulate their values and actions. This is when the person has developed an obsession or otherwise unhealthy boundary.

    I don’t know about some, but I am looking elsewhere for a role model…

Leave a Reply


You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: