There’s nothing worse than being in constant fear for your safety. Unfortunately, that is something that many celebrities know all too well. Due to the nature of publicity that is associated with being famous, many celebrities often unknowingly put themselves at risk to the threat of potential stalkers and all around creeps. Almost ever year, there seems to be more stories involving celebrities who are being stalked and harassed by someone who claims to be a fan. Luckily, many of these situations are handled before anyone is physically hurt. However, the emotional scars continue to run deep. Here are 10 celebrities who were victim to crazy stalkers.
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Jennifer Lopez
In 2013, news broke that a man who had been stalking Jennifer Lopez was found living in her pool house. John Dubis, a retired firefighter, had been living on Lopez’ property for six days before he was finally discovered by her security. It was later revealed that Dubis had a long running obsession with Lopez and had been posting about her on the Internet under a fake name.
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Rihanna
Rihanna is one of the hottest artists in the industry, and as a result, she often receives a lot of unwanted attention. In 2014, a judge compared Rihanna’s stalker to the man who killed John Lennon. Feeling that Rihanna’s life could be in grave danger if the man, Kevin McGlynn was allowed to roam free, the judge stated: “He appears to be a ticking time bomb who is wholly fixated on (Rihanna), and poses a direct threat of serious physical harm or death to her and anyone around her.”
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
In 2012, Ben Affleck shared a story in which a deranged stalker came close to causing physical harm to Affleck’s children by pretending to be part of the paparazzi. According to Affleck “The stalker had been to our house many times and ultimately came to my children’s school and was arrested.” Affleck also said that the incident prompted him to buy a gun. Affleck’s wife, actress Jennifer Garner, was also extremely upset by the incident, stating: “There are violent, mentally ill stalkers, who can now get close to my kids by simply following mobs of photographers and blending in. Like the very man who threatened to cut the babies out of my belly, who was arrested, waiting behind our daughter’s preschool, standing among the throng of paparazzi. That man is still in prison but I have no doubt there are others like him still out there and I don’t want to make it any easier for them to find and reach my children.”
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Justin Timberlake
Sure, lots of people dream of getting close to Justin Timberlake, but most people wouldn’t go as far as stalking him to do it. Unfortunately; however, the same can’t be said for Karen McNeil, a woman who was stalking Timberlake and showed up out his house on several occasions. In 2009, a judge granted Timberlake a protective order against O’Neil, which helped to ease Timberlake’s mind.
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Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman’s stalker, Jack Jordan proved to be relents over the years. After being convicted of stalking the actress in 2008, Jordan continued to pursue and harass Thurman. In 2010, he was arrested again; however, he was released from prison in 2011.
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Halle Berry
In 2012 Academy Award winning actress, Halle Berry, realized that one of her fans had officially taken things too far. Berry’s stalker, Richard Franco, had gained access to Berry’s property several times, once even getting within feet of her. After alerting authorities, Franco was arrested and sentenced to 386 days in jail. During Franco’s trial, Berry stated: “This person has invaded and trampled upon the most fundamental sense of security I have and I am extremely frightened of him and what he might do to me and those I love.”
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Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson has had a lot of crazy experiences throughout her career; however, none were crazier than her experience with a stalker named Robert Gardner. According to reports, Gardner had been stalking Jackson for nearly a decade before he was brought to trial in 1995. It was clear that Gardner posed a serious threat to Jackson’s safety when he followed her to the set Saturday Night Live while carrying a knife. Jackson expressed fear regarding the situation, stating: “It is only a matter of time before he has the opportunity to harm me.”
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Kim Kardashian
Reality TV star and business woman Kim Kardashian is certainly not camera-shy. As a result, many of her fans feel as though they know her on a personal level. This is especially true for her stalker, who tried several ways to get close to the star. According to reports, the man even showed up at Kardashian’s mother’s house.
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Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber isn’t the most well-like celebrity, but that doesn’t mean anyone wants to see him actually get hurt. Unfortunately for Bieber, his stalkers wanted to do much more than just hurt him. In 2013, two male stalkers were arrested for plotting to castrate and kill the young star. According to one of the men, his hatred for Bieber stemmed from the fact that he felt that Bieber had changed since becoming famous.
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Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis’ stalker, Stuart Dunn, is one of the bravest of them all. In 2012, Dunn (who had previously been arrested for attempting to break into Kunis’ home) followed Kunis to the gym three days in a row. On the third day, Kunis was so scared that she hid in her SUV until police arrived on the scene.
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