40 Times Celebrities Shared a Glimpse of the Horrible DMs They Get

This article appeared in Sneakertoast and has been published here with permission.

Social Media in a Nutshell

While the internet has definitely made the world better, it’s not all rosy. Sadly, lots of people experience harassment, threats, and online shaming. And that doesn’t exclude celebs. Social media means that people have much more access to celebrities than ever before. We can literally strike up a chat with our biggest heroes! However, that also leaves our favorite stars open to all sorts of online abuse. Check out these horrible DMs, tweets, private messages, and snaps that celebrities have received.

“Honestly, Wow, Thank You”

Let’s kick things off with TV personality and former model Chrissy Teigen. The star is pretty vocal on social media, and has gotten into some problems of her own. Let’s not forget that Chrissy admitted to trolling Courtney Stodden when the star was just a teen.

Instagram // @chrissyteigen

Anyway, on this occasion, Chrissy was the victim of some nasty online messages. Underneath this picture of the star with Andy Cohen and Kelly Dodd, someone decided to leave an unsolicited critique of Chrissy’s hair.

What Is Wrong With You?

This online interaction is totally typical of social media. English model and activist Munroe Bergdorf was subjected to this ridiculous string of messages. The trans star received these DMs from someone who strongly disagreed with Munroe’s beliefs.

PinkNews // thepinknews.com

Interestingly, as soon as the star replies to this person, they back off. As we’ll see throughout this list, most online trolls never expect anyone to reply. It should go without saying but this is not the ideal way to communicate over complex ideas!

“The Very, Very Worst”

During much of lockdown, English actress Kate Beckinsale shared pictures and videos with her beloved cats. The star has two feline pets — one named Clive, and one named Willow. Despite this rather wholesome content, Kate still received very nasty DMs about her furry children.

Facebook // Evening Standard – Insider 

This very angry person wished that Kate and Clive drove off a cliff and died. Who would wish such a thing?! The star posted the nasty comment on her social media to mock the troll’s typo.

To Someone I Don’t Know

Look, we know that reality star Janelle Evans is a controversial character. We watched her deal with teen pregnancy and motherhood, along with a host of other issues. But, despite what people may think of Janelle, she definitely doesn’t deserve to be harassed or bullied.

The US Sun // Jenelle Evans

The star shared this screenshot of some of the abuse she regularly receives. This particular message insulted her, her mom, her kids, and her partner. Janelle rightly asked her followers, “What makes you think this is ok?”

#YouCan’tStopTheGirl

On several occasions, singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha has been targeted by online trolls. The “Baby, I’m Jealous” singer isn’t afraid to respond though. As these messages show, Bebe was super excited to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. However, someone had to be there to burst her bubble.

Instagram // @beberexha

Bebe Rexha has also talked about being taken down from within her own industry. The star shared online that male music executives tried to make her take down certain Instagram posts. Leave our girl alone!

“You Are No Role Model”

Unfortunately, lots of nasty online abuse is full of racism, sexism and homophobia. These messages are really hateful, and express all sorts of offensive views. This racist tirade was sent to model and TV presenter Ashley Graham in 2019. The star shared it on her Instagram stories, saying “racism isn’t clickbait, it’s real and evil.”

Reddit // u/Automatic-Air-1382

She continued, “I see what my husband has to go through every day […] Read books; have conversations. Educate yourself.” We couldn’t have said it better Ashley!

“Don’t Be That Person”

It’s in 24 countries across the world, but the British Love Island is the OG and the best. Over the years, mental health has been a real issue with reality stars. They rise to fame super quickly and then have to deal with tons of exposure. And of course, social media makes all of that more intense.

Daily Mail // Demi Jones

Demi Jones starred on the show in 2020 and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the following year. Incredibly, vicious online trolls made fun of her for it. Now, she’s cancer-free.

I’m Not the Miserable One

And here’s another reality star that had to learn to adjust to fame quickly! Chrishell Stause is best known for selling hot property at the Oppenheim group. Well, that and her dating life. The star went through an extremely public divorce from Justin Hartley and then started dating her boss and co-star, Jason Oppenheim. The drama!

BuzzFeed // @chrishell.stause

Because of this, some viewers felt they knew Chrishell’s life more than she did. This nasty DM alleges that the star “can’t accomplish anything without a man.”

You’re Going to Regret It

Compared to some of the nasty messages on this list, this one isn’t so bad. Really, it’s just annoying. Travis Barker has reemerged in the public eye recently because of his whirlwind relationship – and engagement – with Kourtney Kardashian. But, of course, the Blink 182 drummer has been around for decades. And he’s been heavily tattooed the whole time.

Instagram // @kourtneykardash

Although tattoos are a personal choice, this onlooker decided to tell Travis his tattoos are “ridiculous.” In fact, the drummer had several done after he was in a serious plane crash.

Fighting Battles All Year

Sadly, some people are more likely to receive abuse than others. Women of color tend to get way more harassment and bullying than other groups, and this is especially true when they’re in the limelight. We’ve seen it happen to superstar Serena Williams, and now it’s happening to American tennis star Sloane Stephens.

Twitter // @SloaneStephens

After her loss at the US open, Sloane was subjected to a torrent of abuse. This horrible DM threatened to damage the star’s legs. She shared it on Instagram to spread awareness.

She Truly Is a Demon

Here’s another celebrity woman of color that’s taken an absolute beating from social media trolls. And let’s be honest – from lots of media trolls too. After the star wrote about her miscarriage in an opinion piece, lots of readers decided not to believe her. We can’t really wrap our heads around this reaction…

Yahoo // Karwai Tang

In this utterly bizarre comment, someone claims that Meghan’s writing is too descriptive for a sad story. Then, they say she lacks a soul. It seems like she just can’t win!

“I Don’t Mind the Other One”

Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson received so much abuse in her early career that she made a documentary about it. The band came to fame on a talent show. This meant that they were able to attract a huge audience, but also a lot of haters.

Shutterstock // Beretta

Messages about Jesy Nelson have been extremely hateful. The star has been body-shamed since she was just a teenager. We can’t imagine the long-term effects of being treated so horribly by total strangers. These people need to get a hobby!

Why Don’t You Admit?

On reality series Chrisley Knows Best, viewers follow Georgia real estate tycoon Todd Chrisley and his wealthy family. On spin-off series Growing Up Chrisley, Todd’s daughter Savannah and his son Chase stepped into the spotlight. Todd shared these abusive messages that Savannah received.

Daily Mail // Todd Chrisley

In response, the Southern star said, “You have some nerve to come at my daughter but after reviewing your profile, I see where the jealousy comes from […] if jabbing her about Botox is the best you got, then you are weak.”

“Used to Be So Beautiful”

We’ve seen some of the abuse that Janelle Evans receives, but what about Cheyenne Floyd? In 2021 the reality star shared messages that attacked her weight just after giving birth. She captioned the post, “When people ask me why I don’t share or post as often.”

Reddit // u/Automatic-Air-1382

Thankfully, some of Cheyenne’s co-stars stepped up to give her some encouragement. Kailyn Lowry wrote, “You look awesome” while Briana DeJesus said, “You look beautiful – Don’t let anyone tell you any different!” Preach!

You Need to Calm Down

More reality stars, more online harassment. This time we’re checking in on Bravo star Scheana Shay. As we can see from these images, Scheana has received huge amounts of toxic and cruel messages.

Instagram // @scheana

These screenshots show someone threatening her unborn baby and taunting her over previous miscarriages. When Scheana decided to respond to one troll, they called her an attention seeker for doing so. As always, they can’t win!

Lipstick and High Heels

In case you thought online abuse was just for models, actresses, and reality stars, don’t worry – it’s also directed at news anchors. Investigative journalist Mina Kimes received this extremely chauvinistic and racist message from a viewer.

Twitter // @minakimes

Apparently, wearing lipstick makes a person incapable of speaking about football. Who knew? According to this genius, women should stick to what they’re “suited for.” In such a case, the very serious business of football should be left to the big boys.

“I Don’t Want to Be Nasty”

Next up is another former resident of Casa Amor that ended up receiving lots of nasty online comments. Amy Hart starred in the 2019 series of the reality dating show. She posted this screenshot to her Instagram, along with the caption, “Wonder what she’d say if she was being nasty?!?!”

Reddit // u/Automatic-Air-1382

This person saw a picture of someone else, picked out every flaw possible, and then messaged them to tell them. In what world is that reasonable human behavior?

I Feel Compelled to Ask

OK, so there’s some backstory to this post. After Taylor Swift eviscerated actor Jake Gyllenhaal on Red (Taylor’s Version), Swifties came for him. You see, Jake dated Taylor when she was just a teen, and he didn’t exactly treat her well.

Pupperish // @johnmayer

Likewise, John Mayer dated Taylor around this time, and her songs reveal that he wasn’t a gentleman either. So, after receiving tons of hate messages, John Mayer decided to engage with one angry Swiftie. Eventually, she apologizes, before warning him about the next album drop.

“Absolute Degenerate You Are”

Irish actress Nicola Coughlin has been appearing on our screens more and more. Initially one of the Derry Girls cast, the star then delighted audiences in Bridgerton. Of course, being a woman on-screen means you’re likely to attract some trolls.

Reddit // u/Automatic-Air-1382

Plus, Nicola is outspoken on a number of political issues — as you can guess from this post. This screenshot is one of many that Irish actress Nicola Coughlin receives. Here, she’s called a “Marxist brain dead clown.” That would make a good Twitter bio.

“I’ll Get Right on It!”

It really is amazing the things that people will say. While you might hesitate before speaking your mind, other people just blurt it out. Rather than thinking about an opinion and thinking about sharing it, these people just start typing.

Instagram // @shaymitchell

Before they know it, their thoughts are out there for all to see. This completely ridiculous person accused Canadian actress Shay Mitchell of not looking at her child while feeding them. Apparently, that makes the star an attention seeker!

Social Media in a Nutshell

This has got to be one of our favorite interactions with a troll. Of course, we don’t wish trolling on anyone. But this shows us just how thoughtless the act of trolling is. Here we have a screenshot shared by Bravo king Andy Cohen.

Instagram // @bravoandy

It starts off with someone telling him to be a better person for his son. That’s a pretty bold move! When the TV host responds, the person immediately withdraws their criticism. They even apologize! What a spineless troll!

You Seem So Nice

It’s absolutely outrageous that multiple women on this list have been trolled after suffering a miscarriage. It goes without saying that this is an extremely emotional time, and that many women grieve their pregnancy. To try and hurt someone during this time is completely beyond us. Who are these people?!

Us Weekly // Hilaria Baldwin

Hilaria Baldwin was trolled like this after her miscarriage. Then, she shared this screenshot with more nasty messages in 2020. In response, she posted “I’m one of the biggest cheerleaders for body positivity and love.”

Desensitized in the DMs

Influencer and former Casa Amor resident Molly-Mae Hague has been all over the internet recently. The creative director of Pretty Little Thing got in hot water after making some dubious claims about hustle on a podcast.

Yahoo // @MollyMaeHague

Plus, she was pulled into a DM war between her boyfriend, boxer Tommy Fury and his opponent Jake Paul. Drama! The English influencer posted this screenshot online showing the nasty comments left on her socials. This DM called the star shallow, vacuous and useless.

A Man Your Age

We’d love to know whether this commenter would say the same thing to Busy Phillipps’ face. We’re willing to bet he wouldn’t. The actress posted this selfie of her working out while wearing simple black leggings and a crop top.

Instagram // @busyphilipps

According to this very charming commenter, the star’s “rolls” were showing. How rude! Thankfully, Busy clapped back with a comment of her own. She gave this guy a free grammar lesson, then called him a “bodyshaming loser.” We condone this message.

Where Do Y0u Get Off?

By the way, have you noticed how many people on this list are women? It’s almost like they get hit with more abuse, bullying, threats, and shaming. It’s almost like being a woman in public is threatening to the people that leave these comments.

Instagram // @iantherose

This screenshot was shared by model Ianthe Rose. She posted a picture of herself in the kitchen, only to be told that she needs to do more squats. How charming! Thankfully she gave them a piece of her mind.

“You Are Not Like This”

As we’ve said, lots of online trolling is full of homophobia, racism, and chauvinism. These people are pretty lazy when it comes to being hateful. This exchange was between a troll, actress Ashley Benson and her then-girlfriend Cara Delevingne.

HuffPost // @caradelevigne

Someone left a nasty comment under one of Ashley’s posts telling her to choose a “strong handsome religious man” rather than her actual partner. Understandably, this infuriated Cara who stepped in to give them a piece of her mind. We love to see it.

“Like You Hung the Moon…”

Speaking of homophobia, here’s another comment from that unfortunate subcategory. These people seem to get extra irritated when they initially perceive somebody as straight and later find out that isn’t the case.

BuzzFeed // @coltonunderwood

Footballer and reality TV star Colton Underwood faced a lot of this reaction after he came out as gay in 2021. Colton was the first lead from The Bachelor to come out as gay. This particular message claims that having seen him with girls on TV “just hurts.”

Take Her Down

Astoundingly, there’s been a whole social media campaign focused on bullying teen star Millie Bobby Brown. It all started when someone claimed that the actress refused to take a picture with a fan unless they removed their hijab. This story claims that Millie pulled the hijab from the person’s head.

Reddit // u/Automatic-Air-1382

From there, this became a meme with multiple people wrongly accusing the star of Islamophobia and homophobia. Hashtag Take Down Millie Bobby Brown share posts full of fake stories. This screenshot shows commenters mocking the actress’s body.

“No One Cares”

Unfortunately, we’re not surprised that rapper Cardi B faces nasty online messages. The “Bodak Yellow” singer started off on a reality show and quickly rose to the top of her field.

Twitter // @iamcardib

However, many people refuse to see the star as anything other than a former exotic dancer. Cardi shared these messages from a commenter who called her a fake rapper. However, when Cardi told the person to “go on a diet,” she was hit with backlash for being fatphobic.

“Only the Weekends”

When it comes to celebrity trolls, Lil Nas X is up there. Seriously, there are multiple articles about his skills when it comes to the trolling arts. The “Montero” singer has lots of clapbacks up his sleeve, especially because he’s attacked so much.

PAPER Magazine // @LilNasX

Sadly, the gay rapper has also faced homophobia from other celebs. In this exchange, various commenters make homophobic comments about the star. One actually laments that a great person “turned gay.” Thankfully, Lil Nas X takes it in his stride.

“I’m Trying to Figure Out”

Former basketball player Dwyane Wade is a pretty great guy. The star is a father of four, including daughter Zaya, who is trans. When Dwyane posted this family snap with wife Gabrielle Union, the trolls came out full force.

Facebook // Kayla Nicole Jones

This message shows the disgraceful homophobia, transphobia, and racism directed at the celebrity family. In response, the athlete wrote, “As a parent my only goal is that my kids feel that I see them, love them and support them.”

Over the Edge

Erika Jayne hasn’t exactly had a good year. While she was once flying high with glam teams and music videos, now she’s at the center of a huge federal court case. The star has received multiple death threats, including this one that she shared on Instagram.

Reddit // u/SittinOnTheRidge

Here, a commenter threatens to shoot her, on top of other hideous threats. It’s hard to understand why people think these sorts of messages are a good idea. Really, what good does it do?

Not an Insult, But…

It’s never good news when a message begins with “Don’t take this as an insult, but.” Let’s be serious – that sentence is never going to turn out well. How about if someone could take something as an insult, you just don’t say it?

Instagram // @snooki

Anyway, reality star Nicole Polizzi (a.k.a. Snooki) was subject to such a comment. How rude! In response, she wrote, “I’ve been. Three kids destroy your waistline. I’m not trying to be skinny. I’m trying to gain muscle.”

Did You Know?

The Kardashian-Jenners face an absolutely huge amount of online harassment. Those ladies seem to rub people up the wrong way just by existing. Out of the whole gang, Khloé is definitely the sibling that’s faced the most bullying.

Instagram // @khloekardashian

She’s been body-shamed for years, and now faces nasty comments about her parenting. In this absurd Instagram comment from 2019, someone accuses the reality star of using her daughter “as an accessory.” As she often does, Khloé replied with exactly what she thinks.

Keep Away From the Keyboard

When English singer-songwriter FKA Twigs started dating actor Robert Pattinson, she faced hordes of abuse. In particular, fans of the English actor made nasty racist comments about their relationship. At the time, Twigs called the abuse “deeply horrific.”

E! News // Samir Hussein

Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs dated from 2014 to 2017. The star has since suggested that R Patz’s fans view him as a kind of “white Prince Charming.” Unfortunately, this type of online abuse towards women of color is all too common.

The Hate of Strangers

Look, when it comes to the ongoing war between the Spears siblings, we’re firmly on Team Britney. However, that doesn’t mean that we condone the nasty and cruel messages sent to her younger sibling, Jamie Lynn.

BuzzFeed // @jamielynnspears

The star posted this nasty comment on her social media, along with her own response. She wrote, “I’ve gotten beyond use to receiving the love and the hate of strangers, since before I even had a choice.” We agree that this sort of hate shouldn’t be tolerated.

New Message Received

Another star that grew up in the public eye is Kelly Osbourne, daughter of rocker Ozzy and TV personality Sharon. Over the years, Kelly has been bullied for her appearance and body. Sadly, it’s still happening.

Shutterstock // REX

After Kelly Osbourne posted about her dad’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2019, she received hateful messages. This one said it was “great” that her father was dying. In response, she screenshotted the message and posted it with the caption, “…seems like you need some attention???”

A Wake-Up Call

Reality star Abbie Chatfield is serious in her fight against cyberbullying. The star has revealed hundreds of nasty messages sent to her. In fact, she has a special Google drive full of them. Abbie has been body-shamed online, with commenters saying, “Saggy all over. Shed some pounds or wear clothes that actually suit and fit.”

Reddit // u/Automatic-Air-1382

Abbie reckons that blocking and deleting trolls doesn’t do enough to solve the problem. She’s also adamant that she shouldn’t be pushed off her socials by bullies.

Don’t Feed the Trolls

Horrendously, Lily Allen is another celebrity woman who was attacked online after having a miscarriage. In 2017, the English singer actually took a break from Twitter because of the avalanche of abuse.

Mirror // Keith Perry

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — it’s never ok to mock someone after a miscarriage! From where we’re standing, these commenters should have their accounts disabled immediately.

“Y’All Need to Chill”

And we close our list of nasty DMS with another reality star. This time it’s Evan Bass, who shared some of the comments he receives on social media. In this case, someone decided that Evan and his wife Carly Waddell were trying to outdo each other during Easter vacation.

Us Weekly // Evan Bass

Evan actually had a very thoughtful response to the trolls that attacked him. He said, “It just made me think about empathy and feel so bad for the people that are saying mean things.”