15 Celebs Who’ve Been Bullied on Social Media and How Some Fought Back Brilliantly

Online bullying is a serious problem, and even successful celebrities aren’t immune to this modern day scourge. With the platform of social media, anyone can say just about anything about anyone, and people in the spotlight often get targeted by toxic trolls just looking to spark some controversy. Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean words don’t hurt. Here are some celebs who have been the victim of mean tweets and cyber-bullying. A few of them have handled the situation effectively and have helped open up a dialogue about this serious issue.

1. Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato has been an outspoken advocate about all types of bullying, as she has been target both on and offline. She admits she’s been traumatized by her bullies, and has developed an eating disorder, taken to self harm, dropped out of school in part because of this cyber abuse. She wrote about the issue, saying, “Sitting behind a computer gives people a sense of anonymity, but everyone needs to realize that words—even the ones they write online—have a strong power to hurt people. It’s not okay to bully anyone—ever. I hope to encourage everyone to take a stand and put a stop to this horrible epidemic.”

2. LeAnn Rimes

Several years ago, LeAnn Rimes was embroiled in a cycle of cyber-bullying that caused her to check into a treatment facility to cope with her resulting anxiety over the situation. Rimes had a phone conversation that was recorded illegally and shared over the Internet. The women who recorded the call harassed Rimes on Twitter, repeatedly calling her nasty names. Many people have taken online shots at Rimes over the years, dismayed that she hooked up with a married man while still married herself. In fact, Brandi Glanville, the jilted wife in this situation, has engaged in a bitter back-and-forth battle with Rimes for years, both airing their family’s dirty laundry over the Internet. However this particular online bullying incident crossed the line, and Rimes took legal action.

3. Wentworth Miller

Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller recently took the time to craft a heartfelt response after he was the victim of some online fat-shaming jabs about his weight fluctuations a few years ago, while he was in the midst of a suicidal depression. Comments like “Hunk To Chunk” and “Fit To Flab” were hurtful to him at the time. He says, “Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without. Like a dandelion up through the pavement, I persist. Anyway. Still. Despite. The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe. But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning. And the meaning I assign to this/my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness. Of myself and others. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Reach out. Text. Send an email. Pick up the phone. Someone cares. They’re waiting to hear from you. Much love. – W.M.” The support for Miller in light of his honest outpouring has been inspiring.

4. Adele

Gorgeous singer Adele has often been a target of mean tweets and cyber-bullying because she doesn’t fit the skinny-girl mold of most mainstream pop stars. But things escalated after she gave birth to her son. Adele is usually thick-skinned and quick-witted about these kinds of things, but she was shocked at how horrible some of the online comments about her family were. Some cruel people tweeted about her son being “fat” or “handicapped.” One outrageous bully went as far as to suggest that she just “murder him already lol.” Her response was to ignore the trolls and continue to be her fabulous, super-successful self.

5. Pink

Pink has always had a tough-girl image, but sometimes strangers’ cruel comments get to her. She admits, “I am a girl, I have feelings and people think I take no sh*t and I’m tough, tougher than nails, but I’m a human being,” Through her music, she has “exercised a lot of demons.” After a particularly mean bout of fat shaming on the internet, Pink responded brilliantly in a tweet:

pic.twitter.com/fHdHg6II9g

— P!nk (@Pink) April 13, 2015

6. Tamera Mowry

Tamera Mowry of Sister, Sister fame found herself the victim of racist tweets over her interracial marriage. She said, “I’ve never experienced so much hate ever in my life, ever. I get called ‘White man’s whore,’ the new one was, ‘Back in the day, you cost $300 but now you’re giving it to ‘em for free.’ Stuff that, me as a person, could never even fathom. I can’t even think of these words. It’s very hard for me to think of it because I’m a product of it. My mom is a beautiful black woman and my dad is an amazing white man.” There’s really no arguing with racist bigots like that.

7. 50 Cent

Even a street-tough ex-gangster rap star can be bombarded by bullies online. 50 Cent opened up about his experiences saying, “When you’re a public figure, you’re public property for them to say these things to you. Online, how many times have you seen people make comments that weren’t called for? It’s just what they’re conditioned for. It’s a place to vent for them because they don’t mean very much in our traditional social environment. The new social networking allows them to say things to you that they wouldn’t say to your face. There’s so many areas that you can look at now that would be considered bullying.”

8. Kim Kardashian

It’s no big surprise that someone who shares so much of herself online is sometimes the recipient of negative comments on social media. It comes with the territory, but she doesn’t like it. Online strangers have insulted her personality, body, intelligence and family. Kim fears that her children, North and Saint, will be sucked into this cyber-bullying cycle too. There’s not much she can do to protect them from this considering how public her life is.

9. Ciara

R&B chanteuse Ciara has had her share of negative comments from the online public. Back in 2013, she responded to a Twitter troll that had been particularly nasty to her. She penned an open letter against cyber-bullying to explain why she takes the high road, saying, “People sure do have a lot of courage when they are anonymous. It’s like a ‘Who Can Say the Nastiest Comment Game.’ I click onto some of the comments from something as fun as an Instagram post that you’re sharing with your fans, and a person finds a way to turn a positive post into a negative. I think to myself, ‘I could pick this person apart so bad but what for? Why act ugly like them?’ It honestly takes the fun out of it when people seem so miserable.”

10. Lorde

Teenaged New Zealand singer Lorde was appalled to read racist comments about her boyfriend, who happened to be of Asian decent. Taunting trolls took to Twitter to bully her about his looks and her relationship. Despite her cool, strong exterior, she confessed that the haters got to her, saying, “[I’m] not completely impervious to insult. I’m a human being.”

11. Melanie Griffith

Aging actresses often are targeted by internet bullies, and Melanie Griffith has been on the receiving end of countless criticisms about her physical appearance and plastic surgery. She says, “Most people are telling me I look horrible. The tweets I get are really nasty.”

12. Lindsay Lohan

LiLo has had a lot of ups and downs over the years that have made her a sitting target for mean girls and guys online. With her substance abuse struggles and public fall from grace, the abuse she endures (and occasionally dishes out herself) on social media is concerning.

13. Ellen Page

Oscar nominated Juno actress Ellen Page has also endured some extreme cyber-bullying. In 2012, she was harassed by a crazed Twitter “fan” who flung a barrage of negative comments at the actress, even threatening to kill her at one point. She notified the LAPD who launched an investigation to track down the menacing troll who crossed the line.

14. Rihanna

Rihanna puts herself out there online, which means she is subjected to cyber abuse from time to time. The outspoken singer usually doesn’t just sit back and take it though. She often engages with the trolls that go after her on Twitter and Instagram, and was once was accused of cyber-bullying a young fan herself. We all have to watch what we say online and offline, as even jokes and lighthearted digs can be misinterpreted as hurtful insults.

15. Monica Lewinsky

Monica Lewinsky’s 1998 affair with President Clinton was one of the first big stories to set the internet abuzz. Then just a 22 year old intern who fell for her boss, she was subjected to a barrage of harassment, humiliation and bullying from strangers weighing in on everything from her looks to her morals and was called names like “tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo, and, of course, That Woman.” Even 20 years later, she continues to deal with the fallout. She spoke out against cyber-bullying in a 2015 TED Talk called The Price of Shame, saying, “It’s time for an intervention on the Internet and in our culture.”