Famous People Who Stormed Off Stage
Updated September 23, 2021 795 votes 332 voters 40.7k views
By nature, performers are needy, mercurial people who can create magical moments when the elements perfectly align. But when things go wrong in the world of the performer, they go really wrong. Like, smashing-a-hole-in-the-stage wrong. This list is all about famous people who threw fits on stage, from the singer of Smash Mouth to pop megastar Justin Bieber.
The celebrities who threw tantrums on stage aren't just musicians; comedians and actors are among the people who stormed off stage in the past. And you better believe they made sure the audience remembered them. To read all about the craziness of singers who walked off stage, keep scrolling and try to avoid incurring their wrath.
Most of the time, when celebrities walk off stage, their shows end in more of a whimper than a bang. That's not true for the celebrity walks-offs on this list. In fact, at least two of the people on this list caused full-on riots. What can we learn from these stars who got fed up and bailed on their audiences? Nothing really, just don't throw tomatoes at them or heckle them while they're trying to tell jokes – unless of course you want them to end up on this list.
If that's the case, heckle away and vote up the best stories of famous people storming off stage.
Photo: ELOdry / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0
While attempting to play a show in 2010, Kings of Leon had to cut out of a gig after an infestation of pigeons bombarded them with excrement. The band released a statement saying, "Don't take it out on [our bassist], it's the f***ing venue's fault. You may enjoy being s*** on but we don't. Sorry for all who traveled many miles."
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Photo: © Andrzej Liguz / Wikimedia Commons / Attribution
At Brazil's SWU Festival in 2011, Courtney Love freaked the eff out when someone in the audience held up a picture of her late husband Kurt Cobain. The incident lead her down a spiral of yelling about Dave Grohl and some random homophobia.
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At the finale of the Taste of Fort Collins festival in Colorado, Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell wasn't "walking on the sun" when people started throwing bread at him. After threatening members of the audience, he finally stormed off stage.
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Wes Scantlin
At a Puddle of Mudd show in February 2016, frontman Wes Scantlin stormed off stage after yelling at an audience member. He yelled, "This motherf*cker right here stole my motherf*cking house and now he's standing right f*cking in front of me laughing at me. And he f*cking figures I'm a f*cking joke."
The venue (Adelphia Music Hall in Marietta, Ohio) later apologized on their Facebook page and offered fans tickets to another show.