We Have Compiled a Super List of Famous People and Their Fears/Phobias, Some are Strange and Some are Common Fears we all have.
Everyone is afraid of something, however, there are some really strange and weird phobias that many of us cannot even imagine being afraid of at all. We have scoured the internet and publications for famous people with some of the most bizarre fears and listed them here.
Some of the phobias such as fear of flying or fear of snakes are shared among some very famous individuals, but then you will find a fear of pork or getting pregnant by an alien and you stop in your tracks and wonder where this fear originated. Do you happen to share a fear with someone famous? Check out the list below and see. Lets Go!
Adele-Famous Singer
• Seagulls
• Stage Fright
Alexander The Great
• Cats
Augustus Caesar
•The Dark – needed people around and awake during the night
• Storms (mainly thunder and lightning) – saw a slave struck and killed by lightning only a few feet in front of him
Alice Cooper-Singer
•Needles – becomes faint if he has to get a blood test
Aretha Franklin-The Queen of Soul
•Flying
Alfred Hitchcock
•Chicken eggs – The egg yolk he explained would breathe and spill yellow liquid
• Sex
• Heights
• Authority
• Being arrested and placed in jail
Adolf Hitler
•Dentists – So fearful it took 8 trips to the dentist to finish a root canal treatment
• Cats
• Blades – would not allow a barber to shave him – if a barber came close he would scream
Abraham Lincoln
• Fear of being touched or touching another
Alfred Nobel
• Being buried alive
Alex Pettyfer-Actor
• Flying
• Ceiling fans
Andy Roddick-Tennis Pro
• Rabbits – had to run out of a Texas hotel due to the Easter display that had several bunny mascots
Axl Rose-Singer
• Anthropophobia – fear of people
• Women – sexually abused as a child by his father
Arthur Schopenhauer-Philosipher
• Being buried alive
Bobby Brown-Pop Star
• Dogs
Brandon Flowers-Musicians
• Fear of the number 621 – His birthday
• Flying
Bela Lugosi-Actor Dracula
• Blood
Britney Spears-Singer
• Snakes
• Large reptiles
Barbra Streisand
• Stage fright
Cheryl Cole-Singer Dancer
•Cotton – cannot touch it without having anxiety
•Wool
Chris Cornell-Musician
•Flying
Charles Darwin-Theory of Evolution
•Agoraphobia – only going outside with wife or others
• Crowds
• Anxiety
Cameron Diaz-Actress
• Germs – she cleaned her doorknobs in her home so much that the paint was removed
Carmen Elektra-Actress
• Water
Chris Hemsworth-Actor
• Being boring – he is afraid the media and his fans will think he is boring
Christine McVie-Musician
•Flying
Christina Ricci-Actress
•Being alone in a pool
• Sharks
• Indoor plants
Channing Tatum-Actor
• Porcelain dolls
David Bowie-Singer Performer
• Flying
• A wizard stealing his urine – during a time he suffered from emotional problems and drug addiction
Dave Davies-The Kinks
• Clowns
Dave Grohl-Musician Foo Fighters
• Small spaces
•Private planes
• Getting stuck in an elevator – had a panic attack stuck on the 38th floor in an elevator
Danielle Jonas-Reality TV
• Balloons – She feels like the movement of balloons is out of control
DJ Khaled-DJ
• Heights
Donnie Osmond-Singer
• Shopping malls
Daniel Radcliffe-Actor
• Clowns
• Losing his movie career
• Yellowstone volcano – it could go off anytime
• Being mobbed by fans – will not use the London Underground
David Lee Roth-Singer
• Flying
Donald Trump
• Germs – shaking hands makes him anxious
• Falling down stairs/slopes
Eminem-Rapper
• Giraffes – their long necks freak him out
• Owls
Eva Mendes-Actress
• Water
Edvard Munch-Painter “The Scream”
• Agoraphobia – afraid to go outside alone
Elliot Page-Actor
• Tennis balls – must leave the room if tennis comes on the television
Elvis Presley
• Flying
Eric Prydz-Record Producer
• Flying
Frederic Chopin-Composer
• Buried alive – wanted his heart removed at the time of death so he would not be buried alive
Freddie Mercury-Singer
• Spiders
Gustave Eiffel
•Heights
Genghis Khan
•Dogs – during his attacks on villages, he would tell his men to kill all dogs and cats
• Cats
Gene Simmons-Musician
•Flying
Honore de Balzac- French Novelist
• Sun
• Daylight
Hilary Duff-Actess Singer
• Dirt – cleans her room every night to ensure there is no dirt
Heraclius
• Water
Howie Mandel-Actor Comedian
• Germs – will not shake hands
• Dirt
Harry Styles-Singer
• The dark – uses a night light
• Dentists
Isadora Duncan-Dancer
•Cats
Julius Caesar
•Cats
• Fire
Johnny Cash
• Fear of flying
• Fear of snakes
Johnny Depp-Actor
• Spiders
• Clowns
Joe Elliot-Singer Def Leppard
• Thanking the wrong city on stage
James Hetfield-Musician
• Responsibility
• Failure
• Turning 50
John Lennon
• His legacy – how he would be remembered
John Madden
• Flying – more claustrophobic than actually the fear of flying
Joe Perry-Musician
• Needles
Jerry Seinfeld
• Germs
Jessica Simpson-Singer
• Slippery teeth – she only brushes 3 times each week
• Dolphins
Joseph Stalin
• Flying
Justin Timberlake-Actor Singer
• Spiders
• Snakes
• Sharks
• Dying unloved
• His mother
Kim Basinger-Actress
• Public spaces – shopping malls bring on anxiety
• Open spaces
Kristen Bell-Actress
• Pruney fingers – wears gloves in the pool so she does not have to feel pruney fingers
Katie Holmes-Actress
•Raccoons – while sitting outdoors a raccoon came up to her and stared at her and did not move – she stood up and barked at it to scare it away
Kendall Jenner-Personality
• Holes – she is afraid of what might be in the small holes in a pancake
Kylie Jenner-Personality
• Dust in a cup
• Butterflies
Kim Jong-II
• Flying – no matter the distance he would only travel by train or vehicles
Khloé Kardashian-TV Personality
• Belly Buttons – She is even afraid of her own belly button and must use a mitten to wash it while screaming
Kelly Osbourne-Singer TV Personality
• Being touched
• Hearing others making sounds with their mouth like chewing and slurping
Katy Perry-Singer
• The dark – she believes evil lurks in the darkness
Keanu Reeves-Actor
• Being alone in the dark
Kyra Sedgwick-Actress
• Talking food – food talking on commercials make her leave the room like the California Raisins
Kayne West-Rapper
• Spiders – Kim has to get rid of them
Lance Bass-Singer Backstreet Boys
• Items that buzz
LaToya Jackson-Singer
• Cats
Louis XIV
• Cats
Lyle Lovett-Country Singer
• Cows
Liam Payne-Singer
• Spoons
Muhammad Ali- The “Greatest”
• Flying – brought his own parachute on flights
Matt Bellamy-Musician
• Getting impregnated by an alien and giving birth
• World Apocalypse
Matt Damon-Actor
• Snakes – Scarlett Johansson said he cried when they brought out snakes during a scene of We Bought a Zoo
Megan Fox-Actress
• The dark – she is afraid of what she can’t see
• Dry paper – she cannot read a script without having a cup of water to dip her fingers in to turn pages
• Flying
• Germs
Martin Freeman-Actor
• Choking – when he cuts an avocado and sees the seed he envisions the seed getting lodged in his windpipe
Muammar Gadhafi-Lybian Leader
• Long flights
• Heights
Michael Jackson
• Germs – chose to wear a mask at all times when not at home
• Dogs
• Flying
Madonna
Marilyn Manson-Musician
• Sleeping naked – has a dream will wake up in front of the police
• Afraid the house will catch fire – during sex, lights must be on and underwear at his ankles
Matthew McConaughey-Actor
• Revolving doors
• Tunnels
Marilyn Monroe
• Disappointing those she loved
• Losing her mind
• Stage fright
Marcel Proust-French Novialist
• Agoraphobia – had cork walls to keep out sounds and thick curtains that stayed shut
Meryl Streep-Actress
•Helicopters
Nikolai Gogol- Russian Novelist
• Being buried alive
Nick Jonas-Singer
• Flying – he does take planes but feels like defying gravity is terrifying
Nicole Kidman-Actress
• Butterflies – as a child, a butterfly or large moth was on the gate to her home, she would climb over the fence instead of going near the gate
• The sudden death of family or friends
Nicki Minaj-Pop Star
• Escalators – In 2011, she refused to use a moving staircase that was part of the red carpet
Napoleon III
• Cats – would get on furniture and stay until someone removed the feline
Nikki Sixx-Musician
• Snakes
Nikola Tesla-Inventor
• Germs – would not shake hands
• Jewelry
Natalie Wood-Actree
• Water
Orlando Bloom-Actor
• Pigs
Ozzy Osbourne-Singer
• Rats
Oprah Winfrey
• Balloons
• Chewing gum – her grandmother would save chewed gum and stick it places which brought on the fear. No one is allowed to chew gum on her set.
Pamela Anderson-Actress
• Mirrors
• Can’t watch herself on television – she turns the television or she leaves the room
Paul Cezanne-Painter
• Fear of being touched
P Diddy-Pop Star Producer
• Clowns – asked for a no clown clause to be placed in his contract for Fear Factor and since the producers would not add the clause, he chose to forget the gig
• Long second toes
Pablo Picasso
• Getting a haircut
Pythagoras
•Beans – even though he was a vegetarian he would not touch or eat beans and forbid his followers from doing so
Paul Stanley-Singer KISS
• Bullying
• Being ostracized
President George Washington
• Being buried alive – ordered that his body was to lay untouched for 2 days after his death to ensure he was dead
Richard Branson-Businessman
Robert De Niro-Actor
• Dentists – believes dental equipment carries disease
Ranbir Kapoor-Indian Actor
• Spiders
Roger Moore-Actor
• Heights
• Water
• Guns
Richard Nixon
• Hospitals – so afraid that if he were admitted he would never be released
Rita Ora-Singer
• Toilets – afraid something will come out of it
Robert Pattinson-Actor
• The dark – must have a light on to go to sleep
• Driving
• Clowns
• Getting stabbed
• Fame
• Horses
• Getting shot
• Dating
• Death threats
• Buying a house
• HIV – people want him to bite them and he is afraid they might have a needle and stab him
Rihanna-Singer Actress
• Fish – had a panic attack when in water and small fish were swimming around her feet
Ringo Starr
• Germs – would bump elbows instead of shaking hands
• Stage fright
Sheryl Crow-Musician
• Heights
Salvador Dali-Painter
•Grasshoppers – The fear came from childhood when bullies would throw these insects at him
• Ekbom’s Syndrome – a condition that caused him to feel and even see bugs crawling on his body
Snoop Dog-Rapper
• Water
Shannon Elizabeth-Actress
• Chickens
Sigmund Freud- Psychiatrist
• Guns
• Ferns
• Traveling by train
Sarah Michelle Gellar-Actress
•Cemeteries – when shooting Buffy the Vampire in a cemetery she would break down crying
• Being buried alive
Scarlett Johansson-Actress
• Cockroaches
• Birds
Sonam Kapoor-Indian Actress
• Elevators
• Heights
Stephen King
• Writer’s block
• Angry spirits
• Evil cars
• Larger than life rats
Sarah Paulson-Actress
• Clowns
• Heights
• Holes
• Bees
Slash-Musician
• Hand injuries – will not put his hand outside of a car window while riding
Steven Spielberg-Director
• Furniture that has feet
• Cats
• Insects
Tyra Banks-Model
• Dolphins
Travis Barker-Drummer
• Flying – after a plane crash that killed his assistant and bodyguard
Tom Cruise
• Going bald
Tony Curtis-Actor
• Flying – tried hypnosis to cure his fear
Thomas Edison
• The dark
Tyrese Gibson-Actor
• Owls – will not even watch Harry Potter as there is an owl in the movie
Thomas Jefferson
• Social anxiety
• Public speaking – would say he was ill when invited to give a speech
• Talking about himself – even in his own autobiography, he was worried he was talking about himself too much
Timothy Leary-60’s Icon
• Barbers
Tennessee Williams-Writter
• Serious illness
Thom Yorke-Musician
• Cars
• Loneliness – due to being bullied as a child
• Flying
• Technology
Uma Thurman-Actress
• Confined spaces
Woody Allen-Actor Director
• Heights (acrophobia)
• Sharp objects (aichmphobia)
• Aliens
• Fear of a place that was not Manhattan
• Peanut butter – that would stick to the roof of his mouth
• Spiders
Winston Churchill
• Public Speaking
Walt Disney
• Mice
Will Smith-Actor Singer
• Water
Zach Galifianakis-Actor
• Heights
As you can see, there are all kinds of fears and phobias. Some phobias may be shared by others while others may only be found with one person. Fears and phobias both are often developed during childhood. Everyone has fears, however, if the fear is stopping a person from handling day to day activities, then the fear may have turned into a phobia. A fear of water, may not actually be a fear as the person may only be afraid because they do not know how to swim.
Did you find a fear that you have? Do you have a phobia? Many of the phobias can be conquered with the right therapies. This does not mean every person with a phobia will get completely over their fear, but they will learn how to manage the fear without running in terror.
Can you imagine, going out on stage when you have stage fright? Some of the famous people above are doing just that. They are conquering their fears and doing a great job. Look at Uma Thurman. She is terrified of confined spaces, however, she was placed in a coffin and dirt thrown on her for a scene in Kill Bill. Now, that took more than guts!
Notice:
“Famous People with Unique Fears and Phobias” is presented for illustrative purposes only. It is not intended to abase or demean any individual listed.
The material presented is sourced through public outlets and is public knowledge.
The information is offered in support of those suffering with similar fears and phobias.
The knowledge that one is not alone in their fear may help them overcome these struggles, and promote a happier, more productive life.