From Tina Fey to Vanessa Hudgens, these stars revealed that they were actually the instigators and did the bullying — and it’s something they feel deeply remorseful about.
Unfortunately, bullying is an extremely common problem for high school teachers and high school students – and it’s a problem that has been going on for decades. Many celebrities have even spoken out about their experience of being bullied in hopes of using their platform to change the way young people deal with each other.
While these stars have been open about how poorly they’ve been treated so far, it seems some celebrities have been really bullying too. Looking back on their youth, some celebrities have admitted that they were actually the instigators and bullied themselves – and that’s something they deeply regret.
Read on to find out why these celebrities say they were bullies…
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1. Tina Fey
Tina Fey admits that when she was a child she acted like a bully towards some of her classmates. Trying again, she says she realizes her actions have been a coping mechanism – but that doesn’t excuse what she did.
“I was (a bully), I shamelessly admit it,” she told Internet-a-Porter’s The edition. “This was a disease that needed to be defeated. It’s another coping mechanism. It’s a dangerous coping mechanism, but if you feel inferior to… in your mind, it’s a way to level the playing field. Although, in fact, it is not. Saying something horrible about another person doesn’t really represent what the game is about.
two. Demi Lovato
Before Demi Lovato found success as a young actress, she attended a traditional high school, where she says she was bullied and a bully herself. At the time, she says she didn’t realize she was doing things that contributed to intimidating others.
“There were things I did at Central High that probably contributed to why the women treated me so badly,” Demi said. Seventeen. “I didn’t realize I was doing things that were also forms of bullying, like spreading rumors about people and gossip. Gossip is basically character assassination. If you spread rumors about someone, it’s a way to demoralize them.”
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3. Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens admits that there was a time in her life when she didn’t deal with people as well as she should have. Reflecting on the situation, Vanessa says that when she was courting Zac Efron, she found herself being mean to his followers.
“I went through a section when I was really sick because I was so fed up,” Vanessa told New York instances. “The women were working behind him and I was giving them dying looks. Then I realized that’s not what this is about. ‘Extend love, be individual, they help you, be good.’”
4. Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen faced major backlash after Courtney Stodden called her out for bullying them when they were just teenagers. In the screenshots, Courtney shared that Chrissy posted public tweets, wishing she would die to them. After Chrissy saw the resurfaced tweets from a decade ago, she posted an apology.
“Few people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their previous bulls – in front of the entire world. I am mortified and unhappy with who I was. I was insecure, thinking about looking for a troll. I’m embarrassed and completely embarrassed by my behavior, but that’s nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel,” Chrissy he wrote.
She continued: “I have worked so hard to please you and be loved and the feeling of letting you down is almost unbearable, in fact. These were not my only mistakes and they certainly will not be my last, no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I try!! …I’m sorry, Courtney. I hope you can heal now, realizing how deeply sorry I am.”
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5. Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks says that when she was in elementary school, she bullied some of her classmates. She explained that it all started because she was bullied at home, with her brother degrading and calling her names.
“People bully because they need energy again. People bully because they feel powerless and to gain power it is important to take it away from someone else and they usually take it away for a simple reason,” said Tyra. CNN. “I started out as a bully. The reason I was a bully was that my brother used to say I was silly. ‘You are silly, you are stupid, you are this, you are that.’ So here I am at home, being bullied. So what do I do in college? I got my energy again.”
6. Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union admits she was once a mean person and used to gossip about other people. But after her friend AJ confronted her about her actions, she says it changed the way she dealt with other people. Gabrielle later shared that she was able to go from being “mean and vindictive and hateful and disliked by other people” to “really supporting” others.
“It really boiled down to we were in a room, we were at a party, and I was in court… And I was destroying someone, you know, just tearing them to pieces from the head to the toe. And AJ takes me apart and says, ‘Okay, now, how has your life changed? Did you catch the man? Did you get the job? Is your house bigger? The money, you know, just magically got put in your pocket? What positive thing happened in your life after you just knocked that woman down? …You won nothing,’” Gabrielle stated in Oprah’s Subsequent Chapter.
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7. Low Bid
Before Lance Bass felt completely comfortable in his own skin, he says he used to inadvertently bully other people as a child. Lance explained that although he was just trying to fit in, he was participating in bullying his classmates.
“If you’re 13, 14 years old, you just connect with what other people are doing. You just want to fit in. You want to make sure your friends like you. So, yes, you will tell jokes, you will laugh along with it. And if you’re a teenager, you’re probably not thinking, ‘Oh, I’m being a bully by laughing at this.’ …But you are also a bully when you tolerate their habits and make jokes about them,” Lance said in Larry King Stay.
8. Ricky Martin
Once again, when he was a teenager, Ricky Martin admits he was “ashamed” of who he was and took his anger out on other people. He says he actually intimidated people he knew were homosexuals so he could hide his true identity.
“If you are told you are wrong by everyone, from society, from your religion – my superficiality has been crushed. I took my anger out on those around me. I look again now and realize that I intimidated individuals I knew to be homosexual. I internalized homophobia. Appreciating this was confronting for me. I wanted to get away from it,” Ricky shared with GQ Australia.
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9. Jake Paulo
As Jake Paul gained fame on social media, he became a polarizing figure, with many people not appreciating his actions online. Reflecting on his early days at YouTube, Jake says he realized that being an influencer “is extremely conducive to bullying habits that (he) witnessed, was subjected to, and was the instigator of.”
“Essentially, the most important and cathartic lesson that I have learned, and that I have painfully faced, is the fact that I was the bully and that is something that I struggle with and that drives me to be better every day as a human, brother. , son, partner, businessman and boxer,” Jake wrote in an essay for Daily Mail.
He continued: “Bullying and negativity are contagious – they harm individuals, they harm individuals. I am an ideal example of this. I was bullied and I was a bully… Frankly, being a bully and attacking others was easier than letting people see how much their words and opinions affected me. I justified my own actions as “content”; however, at times he has ventured into totally different territory that I don’t like upon reflection.”
10. Gabourey Sidibe
During Gabourey Sidibe’s childhood, she says she was a bully and was also bullied. Trying again, Gabourey explained that she grew up in a troubled neighborhood and often had to resort to bullying to defend herself.
“I grew up in tougher neighborhoods and was bullied, but there were cases where I was a bully to be able to defend myself. Maybe I’ve been a little overzealous in general and been a bully. I feel like these two individuals – the bullied and the bully – reside in all of us,” Gabourey shared with Essence.
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11. Fat Joe
Again, when Fats Joe was in school, he said he was beaten every day for no reason – until he turned the tables on them. He explained that when his best friend ended up joining the bullies, Joe knew he needed to defend himself.
“One day the bullies catch me and ask him, ‘Hey, why are you with this man?’ He says, ‘Well, you know, Joey’s my best friend.’ They declared, ‘If you don’t beat him with us, we will beat you every day.’ And immediately he just started hitting me with them. That was one of the darkest days of my life. So traumatic, I cried and kept saying, ‘If anyone looks at me, anyone talks to me, I’m going to give it to them,’ he said NPR.
He added: “And it’s sad because of the scenario that I became the worst bully in the world and did some horrible things to good and dangerous people that I’m not happy with.”
12. Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart was a bully in his childhood and admits that he is ashamed of what he did when he was young. Trying again, Patrick says that he and several other boys would harm a classmate who had limb distinction.
“I felt like I indirectly needed to feel important and the only way to do that was to control other kids,” he shared during a press conference.