Being bullied can be one of the most painful and difficult experiences in a person’s life. It often happens during childhood and can leave kids scarred for the rest of their lives. Bullying can still happen to many adults as well. In some cases, it can lead to depression, eating disorders, and suicide. Bullying has even extended to the Internet, and online bullying has become a very prominent issue. It can take several years before an individual is able overcome the feelings associated with bullying.

Several famous celebs have even experienced bullying themselves. They were picked on for their appearance, background, or unique personality. It might even be a bit surprising to find out which celebs were treated this way. Many have grown into incredibly beautiful and powerful people. For some, this experience just made them stronger. However, bullying wouldn’t be possible without the bully. There are many reasons an individual might become a bully and often, they are victims of bullying themselves. There are many world famous celebrities that were the ones doing the bullying. In fact, many celebs have actually admitted to their rude and brash behavior. In many cases, it’s shocking to see some of the celebs that acted this way at a point in their life. However, in many cases, they regret how they behaved. It doesn’t matter how insignificant it might appear on the outside. It’s something that can cause intense anxiety, feelings of shame, and anger. Here is a look at 8 Celebs Who Were Bullied and 8 Who Were The Bullies.

Lily Allen (Bully)

World famous musician Lily Allen has toured the globe, sold out arenas, and released chart-topping singles. She is known for proudly speaking her mind, but this often gets her into a lot of trouble. She created a huge amount of controversy when she made fun of several famous celebs, such as Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, and Amy Winehouse. However, she later admitted to insulting them because of her own insecurities. She has always been an outspoken rebel and this same attitude has been getting her in trouble her whole life. During her childhood, she was expelled from several different high schools. She considers herself a “mean girl” but she appears not to be proud of that fact. She once said, “Men aren’t the enemy, I think women are the enemy.” However, she does appear to want to change as she also said, “We should stop being so horrible to each other.”

Christian Bale (Bullied)

Christian Bale made his major acting debut at the age of 13 in the Steven Spielberg film Empire of the Sun. Prior to that, he had starred in several commercials, but all this fame and attention only made him an easy target for bullies. It wasn’t a very pleasant time of his life. However, at the same time, he learned a lot from those terrible experiences. He once said during an interview, “I was a victim of bullying and had other kids kicking and punching me every day. It was an early lesson in how making a film can set you apart. If you don’t want to live with the consequences, then don’t make the film.” Bale went on to star as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the critically acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, which many of those bullies likely saw. In 2011, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film The Fighter.

Adele (Bully)

To be clear, singer-songwriter Adele wasn’t a full-blown bully that tortured some poor kid’s life. She just had a few moments where she wasn’t the nicest person. It would be pretty difficult to find somebody in this world that would believe that Adele was once a mean-spirited bully. Technically, she just had a difference of opinion with somebody and it resulted in a wild altercation. As evident in her music, she can sometimes be very passionate about certain subjects. During her high school days, she got into a fight after someone insulted her favorite reality show contestant. Apparently, that’s a pretty touchy subject for her because Adele and the fellow student ended up in a nasty brawl. It was so bad that Adele got called into the principal’s office and was suspended. However, Adele accepts full responsibility for the incident and has learned the error of her ways.

Justin Timberlake (Bullied)

When accepting an award at the iHeartRadio Awards show, Justin Timberlake said, “Growing up in school, no one ever called me anything close to an innovator.” Since Justin Timberlake was a child, he could sing and dance better than most people. However, his extraordinary talent made it easy for other kids to mock and humiliate him. During his acceptance speech, he revealed that he was picked on for being “different” and was often called “weird.” He also said, “they called me a couple of other words I can’t say on TV.” It was roughly around this time that he first joined the Mickey Mouse Club, which really didn’t help the situation. However, his mother’s love and support helped him get through it. He said at the end of his speech, “So thankfully, my mother taught me that being different was a good thing, that being different meant you could actually make a difference, so tonight I want to thank my mom.”

Cameron Diaz (Bully)

Once, during a particular intense brawl, a female rival pulled Cameron Diaz viciously by the ponytail. It was one of those great fights she often remembers fondly. When asked why the fight started, Diaz said that she “had to shut her down.” Cameron Diaz wasn’t the type of bully that would mock, tease, or gossip. She was more the hot head that went around getting into fights. She was quite the rebel and always found herself in trouble. During her high school days, she would often end up in fights with her fellow students. It appears she didn’t bother the weak but was looking for the toughest. However, she wasn’t just kicking female butt. It didn’t matter who it was, because she was fearless. Most of the time, she found herself fighting with the guys. She once said, “I used to get into fights with boys more than girls. For some reason, guys liked to fight me. I don’t know why.”

Demi Lovato (Bullied And Bully)

Often, victims of bullying can become bullies themselves. Surprisingly, pop sensation Demi Lovato actually falls in that category, although she clearly regrets her days being “bratty,” as she puts it. During an interview with Seventeen, she revealed that the bullying was so harsh she had to change schools. She said, “no one deserves to be bullied. I ended up leaving public school because the bullying got so bad. I just couldn’t deal with it.” However, she accepts a certain amount of responsibility for being a bully herself and admits she wasn’t “totally innocent.” She owns up to certain things that “probably contributed to why girls treated me so poorly.” She went on to say, “I didn’t realize I was doing things that were also forms of bullying, like spreading rumors about people and gossiping. Gossip is essentially character assassination. When you spread rumors about someone, it’s a way of demoralizing them.”

Vanessa Hudgens (Bully)

Jealousy can often turn very nice and sweet people into vicious mean-spirited jerks. That’s what happened to Vanessa Hudgens. But to be fair, she learned from her mistakes. When she was 16 years old, she was in a high-profile relationship with the equally as dreamy actor Zac Efron for 5 years. Both became worldwide stars after appearing in Disney’s High School Musical. During their relationship, she admits to being very mean towards other girls. She was frustrated that hundreds of girls were pursuing her boyfriend. She once explained, “I went through a phase when I was really mean because I was so fed up. Girls were running after him, and I was giving them death stares.” However, she later regretted that behavior and changed her demeanor. She took on a more positive attitude and reminded herself to “Spread the love, be a good person, they support you, be nice.”

Jason Segel (Bullied)

Even a giant like Jason Segel was picked on when he was a kid. In fact, he was mostly teased and mocked for being so tall at such a young age. By the time Jason was 12 years old, he stood at an impressive 6′4″. However, this gave an abundance of ammunition towards the other kids. Most adults might assume that a kid that tall wouldn’t need to worry about bullies, but that’s not the case. Segel once explained, “I was 6'4", 100 lbs. I looked like Jack Skellington. Kids used to stand around me in a circle and one by one, they would jump on my back and the rest would chant, ‘Ride the oaf! Ride the oaf!’ It’s true.” He was able to turn those negative feelings into something positive through his use of humor. He said, “So you either become funny, which is hopefully what I did, or you become a villain.”

Angelina Jolie (Bully)

Angelina Jolie is an Academy Award-winning actress. She is known for her extensive humanitarian work and tireless dedication to several crucial charities. She has traveled to third world countries helping the poor and less fortunate. However, in her younger days, she was an out-of-control rebel. She claims that she was so bad that she chose to attend a high school for troubled kids. The majority of the students at the school were there because they had history of bad behavior. Angelina was so tough and feared at her high school that none of the troubled kids ever had any altercations with her. Essentially, she was the school bully at a school filled with bullies. In an interview, she said, “It’s where the bad kids go. I chose it. I was the punk outsider who nobody messed with. I was fearless. At 16, I graduated and moved out.”

Megan Fox (Bullied)

During high school, Megan Fox was unpopular and was the target of several bullies. She didn’t have many friends and the ones she did have were all guys. She once said, “I’ve always gotten along better with boys. That rubbed some people the wrong way. Everyone hated me, and I was a total outcast. My friends were always guys. I have a very aggressive personality, and girls didn’t like me for that. I’ve had only one great girlfriend my whole life.” It was known that she had dreams of being an actress and was teased by some “evil girls.” Megan recalls that one Halloween, a mean girl wore a tight black leather cat suit. When asked if she was Catwoman, the girl replied, “No, I’m Megan Fox.” Fox knew they were making fun of her but she never said anything because of her shyness. Of course, Megan has gone on to become one of the most famous and beautiful actresses in the world.

Gabrielle Union (Bully)

Despite her success, Gabrielle Union has openly admitted to being a bully at one time in her life, which she regrets. However, this wasn’t during her high school days, but actually once she entered the cutthroat entertainment business. She also admits that her own insecurities caused her to be a mean girl towards her fellow actresses. In 2013, she received the Fierce & Fearless award at the 6^th annual Essence Magazine Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon. She was praised for her acceptance speech where she said, “I used to revel in gossip and rumors, and I lived for the negativity inflicted upon my sister actresses or anyone who I felt whose shine diminished my own.” The outstanding speech inspired talk show host icon Oprah Winfrey, who said, “(She) had never heard anyone be that honest in public or private about the competition and fierce drive to be seen and succeed in Hollywood.”

Lady Gaga (Bullied)

Lady Gaga is known for her unique personality and fashion sense. She embraces who she is. She loves being different from everyone else. However, her eccentric personality created some problems for her during high school. She was often bullied for being “ugly” and “annoying.” Many of the kids teased her for having a rather large nose. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she said she was often told, “Your laugh is funny, you’re weird, why do you always sing, why are you so into theater, why do you do your make-up like that?” The constant bullying was at times too much for her to handle. She also said, “I used to be called a s**t, be called this, be called that, I didn’t even want to go to school sometimes.” Her inspiring and comforting music has taught her fans of multiple generations to celebrate and be proud of who they are inside and out.

Paris Hilton (Bully)

The most powerful and feared Queen Bee of them all is socialite Paris Hilton. She makes Regina George look like Mother Teresa. She was a mean girl before the term even existed. Paris starred in her own reality series, modeled for the top brands, and tours the world as a DJ. She’s a member of the wealthy Hilton family. Growing up, Paris was friends with other future celebs, including Ivanka Trump, Kim Kardashian, and Nicole Richie. Essentially, Paris and former BFF Nicole had their very own exclusive clique in high school. Nobody in the school would ever cross paths with Paris and her squad. The other students never messed with her because they feared her likely retaliation. In an interview with Seventeen, she said, “People didn’t really start rumors about me in high school because they were scared of me.” She seems quite proud of her status as the school’s resident bully.

Jennifer Lawrence (Bullied)

Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most popular and beloved celebs today. It wasn’t always like this. During her school years, she was the victim of constant bullying. The harshest time for her was during elementary school. She moved around a lot and often changed schools. Being the new kid resulted in being picked on. Middle school wasn’t as bad and the kids were not as mean. There were still some mean girls, but Jennifer would find ways to fight back. She revealed in an interview, “They were less mean in middle school, because I was doing all right, although this one girl gave me invitations to hand out to her birthday party that I wasn’t invited to. I just hocked a loogie on them and threw them in the trashcan. Don’t worry about the b*****s. That could be a good motto, because you come across people like that throughout your life.” The lesson here is don’t mess with Jennifer Lawrence.

Tina Fey (Bully)

Comedian and actress Tina Fey was a cast member and head writer on the popular NBC sketch series Saturday Night Live. She also created and starred in the hit sitcom 30 Rock. She’s most well-known for writing the critically and commercially acclaimed film Mean Girls. Mean Girls starred Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried. The movie introduced the world to the ultimate bully, Queen Bee, Regina George and her clique, The Plastics. The film was based on the self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes. It’s also likely that Regina George is somewhat based on Tina Fey. In fact, Tina Fey was quite the bully back in her heyday. During an interview with The Edit, she revealed, “I was (the Mean Girl), I admit it openly.” It appears that nowadays, Tina is no longer the mean girl she used to be. However, it would still be wise not to cross her.

Jessica Alba (Bullied)

In her middle school days, Jessica Alba was mercilessly bullied and picked on. She was even physically attacked. It happened so much that her dad had to walk her to school for her to feel comfortable. She was teased and mocked for being “ugly” and felt like an outsider. During an interview, she explained, “I’d eat my lunch in the nurses’ office so I didn’t have to sit with the other girls. I’d get beaten up and picked on all the time. It was about being different and not fitting in.” Part of the ridicule was because she is of mixed race but also because her parents didn’t have much money. She never wore “cute clothes” or had the “cool backpack.” She wasn’t rebellious and never stayed out late or went to crazy parties. She comes from a strict family and didn’t have the freedom the other kids experienced. Those bullies probably regret picking on one of the most gorgeous celebrities alive.

Sources: cheatsheet, teen