When you’re a celebrity, it comes with the territory that people might get a little obsessed with you. But these people crossed the line from fan to stalker real quick. From break-ins to blackmail, these stories about stalkers who went way too far are so disturbing, they’re impossible to forget.
1. Pete Davidson’s Big News Was A Big Lie
I may not see it, but if Pete Davidson can manage to date the likes of Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, and Kim Kardashian, then he’s definitely got enough appeal to attract some overzealous fans. But the story of Davidson’s biggest fan is way weirder than your typical celeb stalker story. It all began when a press release from “Bodega Cats” made the rounds in March of 2021.
The press release claimed that it was a newly-minted production company helmed by Pete Davidson and a childhood friend—and that’s not all it said.
Getty Images
2. She Claimed To Be His Wife
According to the press release, Davidson was not only collaborating with childhood friend Michelle Mootready, but he’d also tied the knot with them. The news was a shock…particularly to Davidson, whose reps claimed that he didn’t even know them (Mootreddy identities as they/them). They began to look into remedies to the situation—but the situation was about to spin even more wildly out of control.
3. She Took It One Step Further
On March 18, 2021, law enforcement detained Mootreddy after they broke into Davidson’s Staten Island home. According to their accounts, they found an open side door and sat down at the kitchen table before Davidson’s aunt called 9-1-1. The break-in meant that Davidson was finally able to get an order of protection against his fake wife. On top of that, the courts charged them with multiple felonies for her stunt.
Dang, and here I was looking forward to seeing what kind of stuff Bodega Cats films would come up with. Well, when it comes to dealing with weird stalkers, Davidson could’ve asked his girlfriend Kim Kardashian for advice…
4. Kim Kardashian’s Stalker Has A Strange Idea Of Romance
What’s that one thing that every girl wants? Why, a diamond ring, of course…but what about when it comes in the mail from someone you don’t know, along with a pack of Plan B? That’s what happened to Kim Kardashian in 2021. While this wasn’t her first time dealing with a stalker, it was definitely among the more bizarre incidents.
And it’s not like he just mailed the ring out of nowhere—no, this strange story began much earlier.
5. He Thought A Forged Document Would Make It Real
It all began in February of 2021, when Nicholas Costello showed up at Kim’s door, claiming that he was there to take her to dinner. Hey, at least he tried for a first date before sending an engagement ring, right? Well, that’s not all. He also posted extensively about the star on social media and apparently even doctored up a marriage certificate with both of their names.
According to Costello, "Queen Kimberly [is] sitting up in thy big castle alone waiting for her Knight in Shining Armor.” Fairy tale talk is one thing—but what Colin Farrell had to deal with is another…
6. Colin Farrell’s Stalker Got Creative
Not every celeb can say they’ve been stalked by a prolific and creative author. Well, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch in Colin Farrell’s case—though his stalker does certainly have a way with words. Farrell got an unpleasant surprise in 2006 when he appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. That night, Dessarae Bradford rushed the stage in order to present Farrell with her magnum opus: a book she’d written that she titled Colin Farrell: A Dark Twisted Puppy.
But the story doesn’t end there…
7. He Wasn’t Her First Victim
Farrell wasn’t the first celeb that Bradford had fixated on. She’d previously written another book about Alec Baldwin—with an equally entertaining, if unprintable title. After the incident on The Tonight Show, Farrell feared for his safety and that of his family’s, so he obtained a court order against Bradford.
At least we can laugh about Bradford’s bizarre book titles—because what Rihanna’s stalker put her through is way too sinister to find humor in.
8. Rihanna’s Stalker Got In Despite A Mix-Up
In 2018, a man named Eduardo Leon broke into a Los Angeles area home looking for Rihanna. There was just one problem. Leon got the address wrong. Law enforcement took him in, but days later he was out in L.A. again—and this time, he didn’t make the same mistake. Not only did he make it into the house, he also was able to disable her alarm system.
With that out of the way, Leon made himself at home and waited…
Getty Images
9. He Got The Wrong Girl
Leon had unpacked his bag and was charging his phone when the door opened. Well, it wasn’t quite who he was expecting. It was actually Rihanna’s assistant, who immediately called the authorities. When they arrived, they tased and detained Leon. When they asked him why he was there, his answer was chilling. He told them he was there to have sleep with the star, adding that he hadn’t planned on using force. As if that’s reassuring.
Ultimately, the court ordered him to stay away from Rihanna for ten years. Well, what happens when you can’t get a court order, because you have to share custody with your stalker? That’s what one Real Housewife had to deal with after a contentious divorce.
10. Bethenny Frankel’s Husband Became Her Stalker
Fans of Real Housewives Of New York City watched through the early seasons of the show as star Bethenny Frankel tried to find love. Eventually, it looked as though she’d met the man of her dreams when pharma exec Jason Hoppy popped the question. But while it seemed like a fairy tale, it was actually more of a horror story.
The couple lasted two years and Frankel gave birth to a daughter, Bryn, before they separated. That was the moment when Hoppy’s sinister side really came out.
11. Their Court Battles Made Him Act Out
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Frankel and Hoppy had one of the most contentious divorces in reality TV history. It took eight years for the courts to finalize. But it was in the middle of it all, in 2017, when Hoppy went over the edge. According to court docs, he sent Frankel unsolicited emails and attempted Facetime calls, “numbering in the hundreds.” And then, it got worse.
12. The Courts Agreed That He Was Stalking Her
After a confrontation at their daughter’s school, authorities ultimately charged Hoppy with one count of harassment in the second degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and one count of stalking in the fourth degree. They also issued a restraining order. When the court documents came out enumerating all of Frankel’s complaints against Hoppy, the details were shocking.
13. He Said He’d Never Stop
In one email, Hoppy told Frankel “I’ll never go away.” Later, he confronted Frankel and her boyfriend on the street, saying, “There’s nothing you can do to stop me. You’ll be sorry. You’ve been warned. I can’t help it. She’s pure evil. You’ve been warned. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Ultimately, the courts finalized their divorce in 2021 and allowed Frankel to stop paying child support to Hoppy, since their daughter spends most of her time with Frankel anyway.
Despite his claims that he’d never stop, it looks like he finally did. Reality star exes and stalking claims seem to go hand in hand, though…
14. The Bachelor Season That Ended With A Stalking Incident
At the end of most seasons of The Bachelor, a couple winds up happily engaged. Or, at the very least, they break up within a few months and go their separate ways. Well, Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor wasn’t like other seasons. For a while, it seemed like it was anyone’s game, but eventually, it became clear that Cassie Randolph was leading the pack of contestants.
However, when she didn’t return Underwood’s affection, it led to what host Chris Harrison insinuated might be “the most dramatic moment in Bachelor history.”
15. He Seemed More Dedicated To Her Than Vice-Versa
After Randolph left the show before the final episode, Underwood dramatically jumped over a fence at the resort the cast was staying at in an attempt to leave the show as well. Ultimately, Randolph and Underwood found their way back to each other and ended the season in a relationship. But then, after a year and a half of dating, the pair broke up—and that’s where the trouble began.
16. He Surprised Everyone
Four months after their breakup, Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood—and the allegations came as a surprise to many fans. Randolph claimed that he’d shown up at her and her parents’ homes, sent creepy texts from an anonymous number, and installed a tracking device on her car. The court granted her request, but the exes later reached a private agreement dissolving the restraining order.
The surprises didn’t end there, though, as Underwood came out as gay in April of 2021. That put a definite end to that saga. Underwood’s outburst was strange—but Keira Knightley’s stalker experience was 100 times weirder.
17. Keira Knightley’s Stalker Had A Feline Bent
Keira Knightley’s stalker Mark Revill was doing the run-of-the-mill stalker stuff—sending handwritten letters, showing up at her house, etc., at first. Then, things took a bizarre turn. Revill showed up at the home Knightley shares with her husband James Righton, opened the mail slot, and began meowing through it.
Righton chased Revill off—but he wasn’t done with his feline antics quite yet.
18. He Was More Than Just An Unwanted Visitor
Revill also sent Knightley a USB drive he’d filled with music about cats. It’s unclear whether it was music he composed himself or if he just did a deep dive and found some feline-fixated folk singer out there. But Revill’s escapades also had a sinister side. He also posted threatening tweets about Knightley and Righton, and had a previous conviction for showing up in the buff to another woman’s home.
Ultimately, the courts sent him to a psychiatric hospital, where he’ll stay indefinitely. It’s a dark end to a creepy tale—but the story of Sarah McLachlan’s stalker has an even more disturbing conclusion.
19. Sarah McLachlan’s Stalker Sued Her
In 1991, a computer programmer named Uwe Vandrei began sending Sarah McLachlan, who was just then becoming a star, a series of letters. Within three years, he’d sent McLachlan thousands of letters, each of which crossed the line from admiring to totally menacing. Often, it’s the stars who take their stalkers to court for a restraining order—but in this case, Vandrei turned the tables on McLachlan.
20. He Thought It Was About Him
In 1993, McLachlan released her third album, which contained a track named “Possession.” The letters that McLachlan had received from a number of overzealous fans—not just Vandrei—had inspired the lyrics of the song. Not long after the release of the song, Vandrei sued McLachlan, claiming that she’d taken lines from his letters and used them as lyrics in the song.
It was quite a surprise—but there was more in store for McLachlan.
21. It All Sparked A Nightmarish Tragedy
Many suspected that the case was just a way for Vandrei to get McLachlan in a room with him. But, before the case could ever make it to court, it took a seriously twisted turn. In November of 1994, someone spotted Vandrei’s truck parked near in a rural area near his home. Upon further inspection, they made a chilling discovery. Vandrei’s body was inside—and he’d taken his own life.
It was a brutal end to a chilling story—and as we’ll see, it bears striking similarities to Sandra Bullock’s story.
22. Katy Perry’s Stalker Had Strange Delusions
Remember the creepy story about the Pete Davidson fan who claimed that she was his wife? Well, Katy Perry had a similar—if not more deranged—experience when dealing her with stalker, a man named William Terry. In a terrifying moment that seems like something out of a horror movie, Perry was at home with her newborn daughter when Terry scaled the fence at her Los Angeles home.
Authorities took him into custody—but he wasn’t ready to let a few officers stop him.
23. He Claimed She Was His Wife
The next morning, when Terry got out of custody, he posted a seriously disturbing message to Twitter that read: “Security guard trying to stop me from seeing my wife and had a gun and all but I wasn’t going down without a fight.” Yup, that’s right, he thought Perry was his wife. I’m sure Orlando Bloom had something to say about that.
Perry got a restraining order against him—but when it comes to utterly far-fetched delusions, the story of Steven Spielberg’s stalker is hard to beat.
24. Spielberg’s Stalker Believed That He Operated A Satanic Cult
Back in the mid-90s, there was a brief overlap between the Satanic Panic craze and early message boards. A former social worker named Diana Napolis found her niche in this bizarre corner of the internet, and began posting under the name “Curio.” There, she began harassing people that she believed were performing satanic ritual abuse—despite the fact that others in her former field of work had rejected the idea that these things were happening.
And then, she got not one, but two celebrities involved…
25. She Thought He Was Controlling Her
Napolis began making threatening phone calls to Spielberg. During the calls, she made some seriously bizarre claims. She said that the director and his wife Kate Capshaw had put a microchip that she called a “Soulcatcher” into her brain. He sought a restraining order, which the court granted—but then, Napolis turned her focus on someone else.
26. She Began Stalking Someone Else
With the law barring her from contacting Spielberg, Napolis shifted her attention to actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. She even got close enough to Hewitt at the Grammys to confront her, and got into a shoving match with the actress’s mother. At a hearing, Napolis claimed that both Spielberg and Hewitt were part of a satanic conspiracy, and that they were performing mind control on her.
When a judge eventually ruled on Napolis’s case, one of the requirements was that she could no longer use computers. While it may seem weird for someone with a fixation on a celebrity to transfer that obsession to another—it’s not entirely uncommon.
27. Winona Ryder’s Superfan Also Gave Up On “Winona Forever”
Johnny Depp famously got a tattoo saying “Winona Forever” when he dated Winona Ryder in the 90s—only to change it to “Wino Forever” when they broke up. Well, one of Ryder’s biggest fans ended up taking a similar journey when it came to his worship of the actress. See, Ryder was making a film when she noticed that an obsessed fan had made it onto the set as an extra.
28. He Moved On To Someone Else
Ryder told the director about it—only to receive an unexpected message from the fan. In a note, he said that he really was on set because he wanted to be an extra—not to see her. He also claimed that he’d gotten over her and had moved onto to Alyssa Milano. It was a pretty hilarious ending to what could’ve been a harrowing tale.
Unfortunately, Sharon Stone didn’t have quite the same luck.
Wikimedia Commons, Larry Richman
29. Sharon Stone’s Stalker Had A Thing For Blondes
You know what they say: If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Well, perhaps that advice shouldn’t actually be applied to stalkers. When Sharon Stone’s #1 admirer popped up in her poolhouse, the courts had him sent back to his home country of Italy. He was a determined little pest, though, and showed back up stateside a year later—but this time, he wasn’t out for Stone.
30. Stone’s Stalker Was Side-Tracked
By the time that Agostino Pomato returned to the US, he had forgotten all about Sharon Stone—and had moved onto another blonde. This time, Pomato approached blonde supermodel Claudia Schiffer to deliver the news that the Pope had ordered them to be married. Sorry Sharon! You snooze, you lose. And for Schiffer, this was just one creepy experience of many…
31. Claudia Schiffer’s Husband Fears For Her Safety
Britain's Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges against Pomato when it came to his unwanted encounter with Schiffer, after deciding that he wasn’t mentally fit to stand trial. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only stalker Schiffer dealt with. In 2004, Schiffer’s husband Matthew Vaughn entered their kitchen only to find an intruder sitting at their table.
Vaughn yelled at the man to get out—only to make a disturbing realization.
32. He Offered Him A Cup Of Tea
Upon noticing that the intruder was carrying a bag—and that both Schiffer and their kids were upstairs asleep—Vaughn thought that the man might have a gun. He backpedaled and decided to offer the man a tea instead. As he set the water the boil, he finally dialed the authorities. After incidents like these, Vaughn confessed that he lives in fear that Schiffer could meet the same fate that John Lennon did.
The story of Lennon’s murder is notorious—but he wasn’t the only Beatle to experience a violent encounter with an obsessed fan.
33. A Man Jumped George Harrison In His Home
On a quiet night between Christmas and New Year’s in 1999, George Harrison was at his Friar Park home with his wife Olivia. That night, the pair faced a terrifying situation. An unknown man was in their home. The intruder, Michael Abram, was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He believed that he was hearing messages from God and the devil.
And then, things escalated.
34. He Nearly Took His Life
Abram, who had been released from a mental health unit just five weeks earlier, came at Harrison with a kitchen knife before Olivia incapacitated him with a fireplace poker. The attack left Harrison with no fewer than 40 stab wounds, including one that pierced his lung, but he survived. Abram spent three years in a mental hospital before he was released.
Abram later apologized to Harrison—but not every story ends with an apology from the guilty party.
35. Jennifer Lopez’s Security Dropped The Ball
Megastars depend heavily on their security teams when dealing with stalkers—but what happens when the people you trust the most mess up? Jennifer Lopez had been dealing with creepy behavior from a man named Tim McLanahan for a while. He’d followed her from Vegas to L.A. and had even shown up at her house with gifts.
Lopez’s team finally applied for a permanent restraining order—but they made one fatal mistake.
36. They Didn’t Realize One Important Thing
When Lopez’s security team went for the permanent restraining order, they had to serve papers to McLanahan to get him to show up to court. When they couldn’t find him, they decided not to show up either. As a result, the judge dismissed the case—but there was one thing they didn’t realize. If they’d showed, they still could’ve taken steps to make sure they got what they wanted.
Since they didn’t bother, they left Lopez vulnerable to her stalker once again. Keanu Reeves knows a thing or two about dealing with a persistent stalker—well, make that stalkers.
37. Keanu Reeves Had A Series Of Stalkers
In September of 2014, Keanu Reeves entered his home to discover an unwanted guest sitting there waiting for him. He was able to quietly call 9-1-1 and the intruder was detained—but Reeves’ nightmare was just beginning. Things took an even weirder turn three days later, when Reeves had another break-in from a different female guest.
This time, the woman took a shower and then skinny-dipped in his pool before the authorities apprehended her. Maybe he should’ve taken Robert Pattinson’s brave approach to dealing with it…
38. Robert Pattinson Took A Different Approach
Robert Pattinson is pretty weird as Hollywood stars go—but nothing could prepare me for the way that he reacted when he came face to face with a stalker while he was filming a movie in Spain. He noticed that a fan was standing outside of his apartment every day for weeks. One night, when he was bored, he went out and asked her if she wanted to get dinner.
She agreed, but at the restaurant, Pattinson complained about his life so much that after they parted ways, she never came back to darken his doorstep. At least he noticed her—Lana Del Rey never saw her stalker coming.
39. Lana Del Rey’s Stalker Nearly Made It To Her
In February of 2014, Lana Del Rey performed a concert in Orlando, Florida. It seemed like any other show—but there was a dangerous man with a chilling plan waiting outside. That night, Michael Hunt showed up to the Amway Center with a concert ticket and a knife. But he’d made one fatal mistake. Authorities had been keeping track of social media and clocked threats that he’d made.
40. They Were One Step Ahead
Law enforcement tracked Hunt down a block from the arena where Del Rey was about to perform. He’s posted about plans to abduct the singer—but luckily, they were one step ahead. It’s actually not that uncommon for the authorities to find out about a potential threat against a celeb before they even know they have a stalker.
However, in Colin Firth’s case, he saw it coming—because he had a personal connection to him.
41. Colin Firth Had A Strange Connection To His Stalker
In 2018, a story broke that Colin Firth was being harassed and frightened by a persistent stalker, and Firth took action against him. However, that's not where the story ends. Leaked court documents showed that the stalker, Marco Brancaccia, allegedly had an affair with Firth's wife Livia Giuggioli. With that news out, Firth had to face up to an unexpected scandal.
42. They Were All In A Tangled Web
Firth's rep later clarified that husband and wife decided to separate a few years before, and that the "affair" happened during this separation. When the pair reconciled, the affair apparently ended, and Brancaccia proceeded to threaten Firth. Brancaccia largely denies these accusations, and says that Giuggioli wanted to leave Firth for him.
It’s quite a complicated little predicament—but the story of Taylor Swift’s stalker is even more twisted.
43. Taylor Swift’s Stalker Grew To Hate Her
We all know that Swifties are one of the most fervent fanbases out there—if not the most fervent. But what happens when someone is equally as passionate about hating her? Well, it leads to some seriously disturbing statements. Swift’s stalker not only had it out for her, but for her family as well—and between 2015 and 2016, he revealed the extent of his feelings in a series of terrifying emails.
44. He Wanted To Take Them All Out
A man named Frank Andrew Hoover emailed Swift’s father Scott multiple times, threatening the entire family. One read "Decided that we are going to end all the Swifts on one day because I can’t stand that virus [….] your daughter spread." Another told Scott Swift to "Enjoy the brain aneurysms and death." Gee, thanks.
But the creepy emails didn’t just come out of nowhere…
45. He Turned On Her
Before he turned on Taylor, Hoover wrote emails that contained more typical stalker fare, expressing his love for her. Despite the fact that she had a protective order against him, he showed up at one of her concerts and then tailed her motorcade before security intercepted him. This incident probably inspired her security team to take some extra steps—some more dramatic than others…
46. Her Security Takes Every Threat Seriously
Did you know that when you walk into a Taylor Swift concert, it’s likely that facial recognition technology is being used to differentiate you from one of her many stalkers? Yup, that’s right, Swift has had so many creepy stalkers that her security team has taken drastic action to keep her safe from them. But it’s not just her team—Swift herself has gone to chilling lengths to protect herself from crazed fans.
Swift revealed that she’s taken to carrying heavy-duty bandages in case there’s a stabbing or shooting incident. Based on her experience, I wonder if she helped her friend Gigi Hadid when Hadid went through a stalking ordeal of her own…
47. Gigi Hadid’s Stalker Made Her Move
Gigi Hadid’s stalker actually involved one of her good friends—and a fellow stalking victim—in his weird little game when he tweeted at Gigi about an outfit she was wearing and told her to say hi to Taylor. But Marcell Porter’s antics went far beyond tweeting about the object of his (creepy) affection. While staying at a nearby YMCA, he tried to break into her Manhattan apartment multiple times—even telling the doorman that she was the one in love with him.
Though law enforcement apprehended him, they weren’t sure they could protect Hadid…
48. She Got Out Of There Quick
Attorneys questioned whether Porter was fit to stand trial. It all left Hadid terrified, especially since he so clearly knew where she lived and what her routine was. Ultimately, the court sentenced Porter to three years in prison—but not before Hadid got the heck out of the building that he’d tried to get into so many times, selling her place for a cool $2.45 million.
Hadid wasn’t the only one who grew to feel unsafe in her home—but luckily, she never had to deal with what Sandra Bullock did.
49. Sandra Bullock Had Multiple Stalkers
By the that Joshua James Corbett began writing Sandra Bullock letters, she’d already dealt with her fair share of stalkers—including at least one who’d shown up at her home. But Corbett would prove to be far more terrifying. It began with letters, including ones where he wrote: "You are my girl!...You are my wife by law, the law of God and you belong to me and me to you." But then…it escalated.
50. He Got Into Her House
On an early morning in June of 2014, Bullock woke up after she heard banging noises in her home. She went to investigate—but when she saw made her blood run cold. There was a black-clad figure moving up the stairs. Bullock quickly locked her bedroom door and called the authorities. Later, the transcripts of her 9-1-1 call from that day came out—and they were absolutely horrifying.
51. She Had To Hide In A Closet
Luckily, Bullock had a safe door in her closet. She hid there as she waited for the authorities to arrive. In the call, Bullock explains that she’s hiding—and in one terrifying moment, you can hear Corbett bang on her bedroom door. Eventually, law enforcement arrived and took Corbett into custody. Soon after, they made a disturbing discovery.
52. He Claimed He Was Helping
As officers arrived, Corbett came down the stairs. He claimed he had been trying to tell Bullock about a lapse in her security. Corbett also yelled, “Sandy, I’m sorry! Don’t press charges” as they took him away. Not only did Corbett have letters on him that described vulgar intimate acts, he also had a trove of armaments at his home.
Ultimately, he pleaded no contest to the charges against him, and the court sentenced him to probation and granted Bullock a restraining order—but the story didn’t end there.
53. It Ended With A Horrible Tragedy
After Corbett missed a court date in 2018, officers went to his house to arrest him. They had no idea what they were walking into. He refused to come out of the guest house that he lived in on his parents’ property and threatened to shoot the officers. This led to a long standoff, and after five hours, a SWAT team entered his home. There, they found Corbett’s body. Sadly, he’d taken his own life.
Corbett’s attorney later explained that his client struggled with mental health issues, but wasn’t getting treatment or taking medication at the time of the standoff.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
.jpg){kind=link}