Quick Links

It isn’t a new concept for celebrities in Hollywood to be considered spiteful and catty towards others in the industry, especially when they’re competing for the same roles or favor with the public. There have been numerous reports of actors backstabbing in order to beat someone else out for a role and there have even been cases of harsh words in order to create a negative reputation. Yet, all of that venomous behavior isn’t specific to actors since music artists are also known for resorting to those kinds of tactics. Rap artists are notorious for their feuds and undermining in their lyrics and, of course, everyone has heard the tales of diva antics surrounding some of the biggest icons in the music industry behind the scenes.

While most pop stars try to maintain a reputation of getting along with everyone in an effort to try and remain in the good favor of the public, there are some that just can’t seem to help themselves from getting their claws out. Sam Smith gave a 2015 interview with V Magazine and opened up about his own experiences as a new artist in the music industry. He was quoted as saying, “Even when you meet them. I won’t name names, but some of these pop stars are just awful.” This has caused many people to speculate as to who he might have been speaking of since he’s been photographed a number of times with Katy Perry. Ever since Katy Perry first “kissed a girl,” there have been reports about her catty behavior behind the scenes. Check out our list of the 15 super shady moments in Katy Perry’s career and see how underhanded this pop star can be.

Disses Fifth Harmony At The VMAs

At the 2014 MTV VMAs, Katy Perry was photographed numerous times while she sat beside Sam Smith. At one point, she was seen posing for a selfie with him and there were a number of times when she propped an arm up by his shoulder. The two seemed to have instantly bonded by the time the award for “Artist to Watch” was being announced. Yet, rather than Sam Smith winning the award, Fifth Harmony wound up taking it home. As they announced the winners, Perry could be seen mouthing out the words, “Who are they?” in what could only be described as the ultimate shade toward this all-girl group. There’s no telling whether she made the comment to try and further endear Sam Smith to her side or if she truly didn’t know who the group was, despite their numerous hit singles and growing international fan base.

Doesn’t Want To Hug Children

Uploading videos to social media and YouTube have become the norm for people looking to express themselves and create a name for themselves on the Internet. It has caused many seemingly ordinary individuals to become instant stars in their own right, which is exactly what happened when Sophia Grace & Rosie was sought out by The Ellen DeGeneres Show. People became completely enthralled with their cute tutu ensembles and performance style and Ellen DeGeneres often had them return as guests to her daytime talk show. She often asked some of their favorite music artists to come and meet the two little British darlings and Katy Perry was one of them. She participated in a Tea Time segment on the show but when the two little girls went to hug the Teenage Dream singer, it was plain to see that the pop star didn’t want to. She made an uncomfortable comment as the girls jumped to give her an embrace and the whole interaction looked strained. How shady does someone have to be to cringe while hugging two little girls in tutus?

Embarrassed By Christian Roots

When Katy Perry was first introduced to the world as the next big pop star, people instantly thought of her as a refreshing new addition to the music industry. Everyone wondered where she came from and thought of her as an innovative new pop star with a completely new style. Yet, Perry had already been featured as a professional music artist long before she first kissed a girl and liked it. Born to two evangelical ministers, Perry began her career in the music industry as a Christian singer. She released a Christian album but it was received poorly. When she reemerged as a pop star, she completely let go of her early career as a Christian singer and even denounced her former religious status. She claimed to no longer be a Christian and doesn’t like to speak about her early life as a Christian singer.

Shades Britney Spears And Mental Health

When Britney Spears went through a complete mental breakdown, the paparazzi made sure to document each and every tumultuous stage of her most difficult time. She was often photographed in a frazzled and disheveled state and then, of course, there was the infamous umbrella scene after she had shaved all of her hair off. This incident became burned into the brains of the public and, apparently, even Katy Perry references it when speaking about mental health issues. On the red carpet at the 2017 Grammy Awards, Perry was being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest when she made a comment about mental health. Afterward, she immediately referenced Britney Spears by saying, “It’s called taking care of your mental health – And I haven’t shaved my head yet.” Spears fans instantly came to her defense and pounced on Perry for her insensitive little red carpet joke.

Demeaning Her Husband On Camera

When Russell Brand and Katy Perry first became a couple, people could definitely see why these two would wind up together. They both had an eccentric style and a tendency to provoke the public. Yet, their marriage didn’t last long after a quick dating session and an even quicker engagement. More details surrounding their failed marriage emerged in the documentary, BRAND, where Perry can be seen struggling to comprehend Brand’s questioning regarding the existential connection to money and fame. She responded by saying, “I think you’re a genius and you make me look good, and that’s why I picked you.” She went on later to turn to the camera and state, “I control the pussy.” Not only did it make it seem like she had no idea how to carry on a conversation about something meaningful in the world but it also made her seem super shady and demeaning towards her own husband.

Making Snoop Dogg Look Undesirable

In March 2015, Katy Perry was interviewed for Elle magazine and made sure to throw some shade towards Snoop Dogg. Perry had created a friendship with the female rapper, Iggy Azalea, and the two even collaborated on writing a song together. Yet, Azalea wasn’t seeming to get along with Snoop Dogg on social media. In the interview, Perry let it slip that the NFL wouldn’t allow Snoop Dogg into her Super Bowl Halftime show because of the feud between him and Azalea. She went on to state, “Not that that was it – that was just the tipping point. You can’t have that kind of hate at the Super Bowl. They already have enough female-hate problems; they don’t need anymore.” This was subtle shade towards Snoop Dogg in a very public way because it showed him in a negative light and it showed that she was taking Azalea’s side in the feud.

Diminishing The Appeal Of Miley Cyrus

When Miley Cyrus started reinventing herself to no longer be thought of as Hannah Montana, she began receiving a huge amount of publicity over her exploits. A number of celebrities were asked to weigh in on their thoughts regarding the outlandish behavior of Cyrus, including Katy Perry. In a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Perry stated, “She’s what, 19 or 20? She’s just living her life. She’s super young, and there’s no directing book on how to do this. Each of us finds our own way, and some of us make it out alive and some of us don’t.” When the two shared a smooch at a Miley Cyrus concert, Perry gave an interview with the Sunrise morning show and claimed that Cyrus was trying to go in too far with the friendly kiss. Perry even went on to state, “God knows where that tongue has been. We don’t know! That tongue is so infamous!”

Paints Ed Sheeran As A Sweaty Nobody

The latest hit single by Ed Sheeran has elevated his fame status by tenfold and it’s caused many to give him a second look due to his incredible talent and success with, “Shape of You.” With the world putting so much attention on Sheeran, Katy Perry couldn’t help but point out Sheeran’s humble beginnings and the way she treated him before he became world famous. Sheeran admitted to BBC Radio 1 in an interview that upon first meeting Perry, she refused to hug him because he was all sweaty. Perry retold the story by saying, “Now that you’re Ed Sheeran it’s like put your ball sack on me. But then he was like Ed Sheeran, this guy with red hair. [His sweat’s] got DNA in it!”

Calls Out Rihanna For Her Life Choices

There was a time when Katy Perry and Rihanna were seen as the best celebrity BFFs in the industry. They were seen at numerous award shows exchanging giggles and playful gestures and by all accounts, they seemed to have a genuine friendship. Yet, they wound up going through a little dry spell when it came to their friendship, which occurred right around the time when Rihanna reportedly went back to dating Chris Brown. This had come after the very public arrest of Brown after his violent altercation with Rihanna. In true Katy Perry fashion, she threw some shade towards Rihanna in an interview with Elle magazine. It sounded very much like she was questioning Rihanna’s life choices when she stated, “I know a lot of people out there with the most detrimental entourages – they are the root of their demise. It’s really unfortunate but you can’t save these people. My days of celebrity saving are over.”

Stealing Dancers From Taylor Swift

Because of the tumultuous times of the music industry, the majority of artists tend to make the bulk of their income through touring. There could not be more importance emphasized in touring and music artists are known for going all out in making sure their concerts are well worth the ticket price. When Katy Perry was working out all of the details for her impending tour, she reportedly sought out some of the best background dancers of fellow pop star, Taylor Swift. There are a few conflicting stories about whether or not Perry truly stole them out from under Swift’s tour but the fact remains that they signed on with Perry and not the “Shake It Off” singer. Swift made a number of comments about the problems she’s had with the “Bad Blood” in the music industry and then she immediately proclaimed that she would no longer be giving out any more comments regarding her friendship split with Katy Perry.

Halftime Show Diss To Taylor Swift

When it was announced that Katy Perry had been asked to perform at the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show, there was a huge amount of buzz over what she was going to do during the performance. So many other iconic music artists had performed during the Halftime Show and it seemed like the bar had constantly been raised. Perry may be an incredible performer but she is by no means on the same level as some of the other iconic artists that have been asked to perform the Halftime Show. Yet, it wasn’t just the level of performance that had people talking since there were rumors that Perry was planning on throwing in a subtle jab at her rival Taylor Swift. Sure enough, the Internet began speaking up once Perry performed and had her backup dancers wearing an exact replica of a swimsuit that Swift had been heavily photographed in. This was definitely a bit shady since it referenced the whole thievery of Swift’s backup dancers, which is what sparked the feud in the first place.

Twitter Weigh In Between Nicki Minaj And Taylor Swift

The best possible way to throw some shade towards your enemy is to weigh in on a spat they’re having with someone else. Not only will it help to gain momentum against your enemy but it will show that you’re not the only one that hates this person. That is exactly what happened when Twitter exploded over a spat between Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. Minaj seemed upset that her “Anaconda” video was snubbed and Swift became defensive that she was talking against her. Perry didn’t hesitate to speak out on Twitter and stated, “Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman…” There have long since been rumors surrounding Taylor Swift’s mean girl tendencies behind-the-scenes, even though she has been repeatedly painted as the country girl next door. Perry weighing in on Swift’s quick to anger personality was a great way to throw some extra shade on her squeaky clean reputation.

Weighs In On Calvin Harris Feud

Taylor Swift is nothing new to the drama surrounding hookups and breakups since the entire world seems to joke about her tendencies to jump from one relationship to the next. Swift seems to be taking all the jest in stride and has even used many of her relationship drama to her advantage. She’s infamously written about a number of her exes in various songs and she doesn’t seem to mind being labeled a serial dater. Yet, her breakup with Calvin Harris was one for the books since the two dated for quite awhile and Harris was extra vocal after their breakup. Harris took to Twitter and said, “I know you’re off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy ETC but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it.” Perry quickly weighed in by posting a hilarious Hillary Clinton gif and then went on to state, “Time, the ultimate truth teller.”

Collaborating With Taylor Swift’s Ex

The old saying of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” has been around for quite some time and it definitely still plays a part in the world of Hollywood. The breakup between Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift was a huge thorn in Swift’s side since Harris went to great lengths to slam Swift all over social media and various interviews. Yet, the real shade came when Katy Perry began working with Harris for his upcoming album. Perry is no stranger to collaborating with other artists. In fact, she even collaborated with Iggy Azalea for a song they co-wrote together. Yet, her collaboration with Calvin Harris seemed more like a way for her to hurt Taylor Swift rather than a way to help out a fellow artist. Proving that she would rather align with Swift’s enemy and ex-boyfriend rather than working things out with the “Shake It Off” artist was a dose of major shade.

No Credit To Miley Cyrus

Oftentimes, women resort to drastic hairstyle changes after a particularly difficult breakup. When Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom ended their relationship after dating for a year, Perry sought out a brand new look. She turned to the same colorists that did the platinum look of Miley Cyrus and it seems like she was trying to go for her same look circa 2013. She posted videos of the entire process to her Instagram page and her end result was almost an exact copy of a look previously donned by Cyrus. People commented that she must be truly angry over her breakup with Bloom, which made her lash out. Yet, the real story here is that she completely copied a look made famous by Cyrus and then denied it afterward. She claimed that she was inspired by Michelle Williams for the look but it’s undeniable how much it was exactly like Miley Cyrus. Not only does it diminish the fact that Cyrus made the look famous but it also threw shade that she wouldn’t want to give credit where credit is due.

Sources: The Daily Beast, CNN, MSN