Throwing Things at Celebrities: A Bizarre New Trend
From Cardi B and Bebe Rexha to Harry Styles and Drake, all have been victims of the bizarre trend. The audience keeps throwing things at the singers on stage.
More and more videos of celebrities being attacked on stage with water bottles, phones, and jewelry are flooding the internet. The most recent occurrence of the phenomenon was in Brazil’s CCXP 2023. A crowd member threw an unidentified object at Florence Pugh while the Dune: Part Two cast was posing for pictures.
Someone threw something at Florence Pugh and hit her in the face at #CCXP23 pic.twitter.com/aWB7J0gOyV
— Timmytea (@timmostea) December 3, 2023
The simplest explanation for this phenomenon would be that the person throwing the object is trying to gain the celebrity’s attention. This may be seen as an opportunity to connect with a celebrity directly. Bebe Rexha was attacked in June this year. The singer was playing at New York’s Pier 17 when a man threw the phone at her, splitting her eyebrow.
The singer later shared an image showing her bandaged eyebrow, captioning it, “I’m good.” Bebe Rexha’s attacker stated he wanted the singer to take a picture with his phone. The attacker later admitted he thought it would also be funny; the man was charged for assault.
However, when an audience member threw a drink at Cardi B, she didn’t hesitate before throwing her mic at them. The attackers seem to be deliberately aiming at these celebrities’ faces to harm them.
Lynn Zubernis, a clinical psychologist, links these incidents to para-social connections between fans and celebrities. According to her, this phenomenon is the primary cause. “Fans may feel more entitled to have the performer’s attention and be willing to go to greater lengths to get it,” she states. “We all have a need to be seen by those we care about, so being noticed by their idol feels validating.” She continues that even a moment of eye contact with the performer can make the fan feel good.
What these fans don’t understand is that their actions can lead to PTSD for these celebrities. Following the incident, Rexha was seen wearing safety goggles for her next concert. The concert is supposed to be enjoyable for the artist and the audience, but some bad apples have been ruining the experience for all.
So, the next time you attend a concert or an event with celebrities, remember the basic etiquette required for such gatherings.
