History Main / CelebrityIsOverrated

* Music/KurtCobain probably wanted to be famous in the same way that most previous alternative rockers had been "famous" ie; well-known in the music scene but not in any way mainstream. [[Music/{{Nirvana}} His band's]] huge success, way above what any other similar bands had reached, caused a lot of stress in his life, and it's believed to be a big part of why he [[DrivenToSuicide killed himself]]. Although the fact he repeatedly went on Creator/{{MTV}} to decry the mainstream undercut his point slightly.

** And when others students started to be the target of gossip for similar reasons (their relatives being killed by Death Eaters), one of them (Susan Bones) lampshaded to Harry how horrible she finds the whole thing.

* [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]] has never hidden his hatred of the paparazzi that has hounded him all of his life, blaming them--not unjustifiably--for his mother's death, a hatred that ramped up even more when their harassment of his wife made her suicidal. This ended up being one of the main reasons for them stepping down from their royal status in 2020, instead opting for a much quieter and private life in Southern California.

* Najimi from ''Manga/DoujinWork'' decides to delay being published commercially when she finds out that she will not be allowed to make {{doujinshi}} anymore. She'd hate to give up the friendship, competition and the fun of doing what you really love, which is [[CharacterDevelopment very different from the money-grubbing attitude she had at first]].

* ''ComicBook/DeathTheTimeOfYourLife'': Hazel is cynical about her girlfriend Foxglove's quick rise to fame, commenting that it changed Foxglove and deeply strained their relationship. Foxglove's bodyguard Boris even says that the rock-and-roll lifestyle is no fit life. Foxglove eventually agrees by the end, and gives it up to be with Hazel.
* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': Mary Jane, after hearing that he's Spider-Man, points that Peter is now like a rockstar. And yes, he is... except for the money, fame, and everything good that would come from such a thing.

* ''ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician'': Mandrake's sidekick Lothar becomes a champion wrestler in one story, surrounded with riches and glory. When he realizes that this means he cannot go on adventures with Mandrake and friends any longer, he decides to abandon it all and rejoin his old friend.

* ''[[https://mcheang.tumblr.com/post/646697149241982976/dangerous-fan-club Dangerous Fan Club]]'' reveals that Marinette used to be Cheng Hua, arguably China's most famous actress who starred in many popular movies and tv shows. She eventually retired of her own free will and moved to Paris where no one would recognize her because her fame (and LoonyFan club) made it impossible to have have a normal life.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ResurrectedMemories'': Danny Fenton has come to believe this as due to his worldwide fame from having saved the world and revealing his secret identity as after several months of being subjected to having to deal with the {{Paparazzi}} and people obsessing over him, he ends up greatly missing his privacy.

* ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'': Seen as a local hero and role model, Shrek finds himself constantly pestered by tour groups and villagers, to the extent [[WeWantOurJerkBack he actually wishes humans were still afraid of him]] so he could have peace. He [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor gets his wish]] thanks to Rumpelstiltskin, but soon [[GrassIsGreener realizes what exactly he gave up]] and comes out of the misadventure with newfound appreciation for his life.

* ''Film/SpiceWorld'': When the Spice Girls have threatened not to turn up for their first ever live gig, their personal assistant Deborah tries to comfort their manager Clifford by saying she is glad they themselves are not famous.
--> '''Deborah:''' If it makes you feel any better, I have a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, and I spend my entire life worrying about whether Mel C is wearing the right [[ProductPlacement Nike Air Max]]. Mind you, I'd rather be us than the girls. Fame is such a fickle thing.

* In direct contrast to the damned sodomites of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', a proud soul in Purgatory, Oderisi da Gubbio, rants that worldly fame changes with the breeze and that every person who has had fame has lost it and every person who gets it must lose it to another. Dante, who aspires to artistic greatness, is greatly affected by this advise and spends the rest of Purgatory identifying himself with the sin of {{Pride}}.
* Creator/KnutHamsun, as portrayed in the novel ''Literature/{{Gog}}'', believes so, as people constantly pester him for money, critiques, good words or even things that he cannot provide. That is why he became a recluse.
* ''Literature/GoodInBed'' has Cannie Shapiro getting tastes of the Hollywood life after her screenplay is approved by a major studio. But, gradually, she really starts to become homesick for her (comparatively) simpler life in Philadelphia. (It also doesn't help that, as a pregnant woman, she feels self-conscious about sticking out among the thin, fit celebrities like her friend, Maxi Ryder.)

* In the ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' web serial ''Literature/SquidSistersStories'', many of Callie and Marie's worries about their relationship surround how their increased popularity and fame following the final Splatfest they hosted has pulled them in different life directions, to the point that they [[LonelyAtTheTop barely even see each other]] despite being roommates. Callie in particular gets the brunt of it, becoming a major television and film star, which causes her so much stress that she eventually skips town without telling anyone. The game itself dedicates a Sunken Scroll to this as well, showing her being incredibly uncomfortable around the paparazzi.

* In the kids' book, ''Thelma the Unicorn'', a horse named Thelma dreams of being a unicorn, and after attaching a carrot on her head, and a truck full of glitter accidentally spill some on her, some passerbys assume she's a unicorn, and relishes in the fame she immediately gains. However she discovers that celebrity has it's downsides as she's hounded by paparazzi and obsessed fans everywhere she goes, and also has to worry about people who start and spread smear campaigns against her just for the hell of it. Eventually she washes off the glitter, and decides to go back to her far and be a regular horse.

* An episode of ''Series/BlackBooks'' has Bernard and Manny writing the worlds greatest children's book, which initially ends up being a quite good adult book and then rewritten as a somewhat average children's book. They eventually burn it while drunk due to the fact they can't handle the fame it will no doubt bring them. When they sober up, they can't remember what the book was about or why they burned it.

* Explored in ''Series/CSIMiami''[='=]s episode "Cyber-lebrity" in which an average swimmer ended up becoming a web celebrity as a result of a photo of her and now she had all these cyberstalkers who updates her location wherever she is. She ended up getting threatened for her life as a result of all this. She was thankful when people stopped stalking her.

* ''Series/MimpiMetropolitan'': Although it's not his dream job, Bambang at first takes interest in becoming a famous ''selebgram''. When he gets to be viral in the Internet for a while, he concludes that being a celebrity is tiring, choosing something as basic as a manager is too hard for him, and entertainment industry is full of lying to the audience.

* b.O.b.'s "Airplanes" is about a rap artist tired of all the posturing and [[MusicIsPolitics politics]], who wishes he could go back to the simple days where it was just about the music.
* Music/MarilynManson has never been a big fan of his fame, especially thanks to the numerous death threats, bomb threats, arrests, [[MisBlamed misblaming]] and other problems it's brought him. Two albums of the Triptych, ''Mechanical Animals'' and ''Holy Wood (In The Shadow of The Valley of Death)'' are dedicated to this, and it's come up again and again in songs from other albums and interviews, as well as his Celebritarian Art Movement, a movement based around mocking the religion society has made out of celebrities. Ironically, he started out wanting to be a rock star, only to get there and hate it.

* "Lonely" by Music/JustinBieber is a short, somber song about how Bieber became '''very''' famous while he was still a [[ChildPopstar teenager]]. Jacob Tremblay plays a teenaged Bieber in the music video.

*** The song that made him famous, "The Simple Things", counts as one too, as it extols the simple pleasures of life over the glitz and glamor of stardon.

** "Stinky Goes Hollywood": Stinky has been selected to do a commercial campaign for Yahoo Soda. After filming several ads, Stinky's family and friends want him to sign a $1m commercial contract, but Stinky has found out that why he was picked ([[ExactEavesdropping having overheard an executive mocking his name]]), and, presumably fearing that the commercials will be mocking his hayseed image (and other personal inferiorities), decides that his pride is more important… and ends up being mocked as an idiot by Helga for not signing.

* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', "Sweet Stench of Success": Bloo gains fame as spokesperson for Deo deodorant, but when he notices that his producer is overworking him (and won't let him have time with his pals, natch), Bloo goes on a live variety show and chews out the producer real hard, opening with a [[SuspiciouslyAproposMusic suspiciously apropos song]].

--->'''Homer:''' I'll miss you, [[Music/TheSmashingPumpkins Pumpkins]], but I just can't share your bleak world view. I've got too much to live for.\\

* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' (several years before the live-action sitcom) has an episode where Sabrina, Hilda, Zelda and Chloe form a GirlGroup for a talent show. They cast a spell to become famous pop stars, but fame ends up driving a wedge between the best friends Sabrina and Chloe - and Harvey turns his back on them after finding them too boring and self-interested. The witches in the group then discover that as a side effect of the spell, they lost their magic in exchange for fame. Everyone of course patches things up just in time for the spell to end.

* Music/KurtCobain probably wanted to be famous in the same way that most previous alternative rockers had been "famous" ie; well known in the music scene but not in any way mainstream. [[Music/{{Nirvana}} His band's]] huge success, way above what any other similar bands had reached, caused a lot of stress in his life, and it's believed to be a big part of why he [[DrivenToSuicide killed himself]]. Although the fact he repeatedly went on Creator/{{MTV}} to decry the mainstream undercut his point slightly.

* UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington is an interesting example of this trope. As a young man, he hungered for military glory but eventually matured and settled for life as a gentleman planter. Then, of course, he got involved in politics, emerged from the Revolution and found it almost more than he could handle.

* Music/EltonJohn is an interesting case. As reflected in an example above, he was an emotionally suppressed boy with an [[WellDoneSonGuy emotionally distant, strict father]] and a doting mother. The two parents divorced, but the effects of such a childhood scarred him for life. He was encouraged to only wear conservative clothing and be a banker and was discouraged from pursuing a career in rock and roll. Elton was shy, overweight, gap-toothed, played the relatively unhip instrument of piano, wore glasses (he didn't need them at first, but he idolized Music/BuddyHolly and wanted to wear glasses like Buddy, to the point that it damaged his vision) and was [[AmbiguouslyGay struggling with his homosexuality]]. Because of this, when he took on the "Elton" persona, he wore increasingly [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes flamboyant clothing]] and [[MakingASpectacleOfYourself glasses]] and acted outrageously, [[FreudianExcuse partly as a riposte to what his dad wanted him to be]], and to hide his insecurities. He took [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll cocaine, marijuana and alcohol]] to feel a part of the scene and open up, and because it felt good to him at first, they also fueled his sex drive. Later, the drugs, alcohol, depression, promiscuity, and bulimia caught up with him and nearly killed him. He enjoyed the celebrity, but could not cope with life away from celebrity, and often his being busy with albums and touring would, by WordOfGod, keep him from overdosing in his room alone and dying young. He cleaned up by the end of TheEighties and got his life back on track. He still, however, is very self-conscious about his looks [[WordOfGod and claims]] he hates having his picture taken and hates to make music videos, which might explain why by the beginning of TheOughties, he stopped appearing in them (or appears in a limited amount).

* Creator/PaulScofield generally refused press interviews and rarely made public appearances off-stage (though he enjoyed meeting individual fans). When Scofield received an Oscar for ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'', he refused to accept it in-person. Nor did it change his attitude, as he turned down many of the resulting film offers that he felt were too high-profile.

* After his wife died, Creator/RickMoranis retired acting in 1997 to raise his kids, who were then toddlers. He also expressed his discontentment with Hollywood.

* Dong Nguyen, creator of ''VideoGame/FlappyBird'', only created the game to be as simple as possible, but the game turned out to be a massive hit and addictive game, topping the charts and bringing a lot of press to Nguyen's home. Unable to take the pressure of being the famed creator of such game, Dong Nguyen then made the decision to pull ''Flappy Bird'' from the stores and not bask in the popularity and riches he could get just so he could resume his simple life of an indie game developer with his family again. He still makes games, but he makes sure that they won't end up as addictive as ''Flappy Bird'' again.

* Many people who [[FifteenMinutesOfFame who find themselves in the spotlight suddenly]] have this reaction, often being seriously uncomfortable with the attention even if they may have enjoyed it at first. It can be because they are known for something they aren't very proud of or want to be associated with (as has been the experience of many survivors of traumatic incidents such as mass shootings or natural disasters), because they did something noble or heroic but [[HumbleHero don't think they deserve praise for what they feel anyone would've done]], because they find themselves the victim of conspiracy theories or online hatred or simply because they're private people who don't like others digging into their lives nor do they like being the centre of attention in general. Many experience a sense of deep relief when everyone stops paying attention to them and they can return to their normal lives without the intense scrutiny.

* One of the main Aesops of ''VideoGame/NeedyStreamerOverload'' is that internet fame is not worth one's sanity. Ame, who moonlights as internet streamer [=OMGKawaiiAngel=], spends the game trying to become the biggest and most popular streamer in the world. But it is gradually made clear that this desire is simply a way to [[DesperatelyCravesAffection get external validation]] to stave off her self-hatred and [[spoiler:replace the love [[ParentalNeglect her parents never gave her]]]], yet the more she pursues this goal, the more Stress and Mental Darkness she undergoes. Becoming famous also means she gains a lot of haters, trolls, and outright cyberbullies who do things like doxx her in one route, while many of her actual fans scrutinize every facet of her. It is all too easy to end up driving her into a live, on-stream CreatorBreakdown [[invoked]] that, at minimum permanently ruins her reputation while rendering her a subject of ridicule, and potentially even [[DrivenToSuicide drives her to suicide]] or [[AxCrazy violent madness]]. By contrast, many of the happier [[MultipleEndings endings]] are those where she quits streaming entirely to focus on bettering herself and her own life instead of seeking the approval of complete strangers.

* One of the main Aesops of ''VideoGame/NeedyStreamerOverload'' is that internet fame is not worth one's sanity. Ame, who moonlights as internet streamer [=OMGKawaiiAngel=], spends the game trying to become the biggest and most popular streamer in the world. But it is gradually made clear that this desire is simply a way to [[DesperatelyCravesAffection get the external validation she craves]] in order to stave off her self-hatred, and yet the more she pursues this goal, the more Stress and Mental Darkness she undergoes. Becoming famous also means she gains a lot of haters, trolls, and outright cyberbullies who do things like doxx her in one route, and many of her actual fans scrutinize every facet of her. It is all too easy to end up driving her into a live, on-stream CreatorBreakdown [[invoked]] that at minimum permanently ruins her reputation and renders her a subject of ridicule, and potentially even [[DrivenToSuicide drives her to suicide]] or [[AxCrazy violent madness]]. By contrast, many of the happier [[MultipleEndings endings]] are those where she quits streaming entirely to focus on bettering herself and her own life instead of seeking the approval of complete strangers.

* "Limelight" by Music/{{Rush}} touches on this theme, with lyrics about a "gilded cage" and such.

* Many people who [[FifteenMinutesOfFame who find themselves in the spotlight suddenly]] have this reaction, often being seriously uncomfortable with the attention even if they may have enjoyed it at first. It can be because they are known for something they aren't very proud of or want to be associated with (as has been the experience of many survivors of traumatic incidents such as mass shootings or natural disasters), because they did something noble or heroic but [[HumbleHero don't think they deserve praise for what they feel anyone would've done]] or simply because they're private people who don't like others digging into their lives nor do they like being the centre of attention in general. Many experience a sense of deep relief when everyone stops paying attention to them and they can return to their normal lives without the intense scrutiny.

* Music/PinkFloyd had entire '''albums''' dedicated to this trope: ''Music/WishYouWereHere'' (fame brings pressure from the industry higher-ups and makes you yearn for old friends) and ''Music/TheWall'' (fame isolates akin to a wall between artist and audience, and [[CreatorBreakdown terrible breakdowns might ensue]]).

* Many people who [[FifteenMinutesOfFame who find themselves in the spotlight suddenly]] have this reaction, often being seriously struggling with the attention even if they may have enjoyed it at first. It can be because they are known for something they aren't very proud of, because they did something noble or heroic but [[HumbleHero don't think they deserve praise for what they feel anyone would've done]] or simply because they're private people who don't like others digging into their lives or being the centre of attention. Many experience a sense of deep relief when everyone stops paying attention to them and they can return to their normal lives without the intense scrutiny.

* [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]] has never hidden his hatred of the paparazzi that has hounded him all of his life, blaming them--not unjustifiably--for his mother's death, a hatred that ramped up even more when their harassment of his wife made her suicidal, resulting in them leaving the royal life for a much quieter and private one thousands of miles away in California.

* This trope was one of the primary reasons for Creator/LindsayEllis' retirement in 2021, explaining that the success she brought herself as a longtime content creator wasn't worth all the harassment and general negativity she had to endure.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' web serial ''Literature/SquidSistersStories'', many of Callie and Marie's worries about their relationship surround how their increased popularity and fame following the final Splatfest they hosted has pulled them in different life directions, to the point that they [[LonelyAtTheTop barely even see each other]] despite being roommates. Callie in particular gets the brunt of it, becoming a major television and film star, which causes her so much stress that she eventually skips town without telling anyone. The game itself dedicates a Sunken Scroll to this as well, showing her being incredibly uncomfortable around the paparazzi.

* Yang Wen-li from ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' refused to capitalize on his new-found fame as "Hero of El Facil"[[note]] where he successfully evacuated 3 million civilians from a planet that faced an Imperial invasion[[/note]] and allowed himself to lapse into (relative) obscurity. Eight years later, after he became a national hero again by successfully capturing the strategically vital Iserlohn Fortress[[note]] using only half a fleet and succeeding where his predecessors had failed with much larger forces for six times[[/note]], he again did nothing about his fame and even contemplated retiring because he hoped that capturing the fortress will create favorable conditions to conclude a peace treaty and end the war.

** Happens to Milhouse Van Houten in "Radioactive Man". He didn't really want to be Fallout Boy in the first place and simply got forced into it. As the episode goes on, Milhouse is just further and further disillusioned no matter how much Bart or anyone else tries to spin being a celebrity to him.

* Dong Nguyen, creator of ''VideoGame/FlappyBird'', only created the game to be as simple as possible, but the game turned out to be a massive hit and addictive game, topping the charts and bringing a lot of press to Nguyen's home. Unable to take the pressure of being the famed creator of such game, Dong Nguyen then made the decision to pull ''Flappy Bird'' fron the stores and not bask in the popularity and riches he could get just so he could resume his simple life of an indie game developer with his family again. He still makes games, but he makes sure that they won't end up as addictive as ''Flappy Bird'' again.

* Creator/JakeLloyd, known as Anakin Skywalker from ''[[Film/ThePhantomMenace Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace]]'', retired from acting in 2002, saying that he suffered constant bullying from his classmates.

* This trope was one of the primary reasons for Creator/LindsayEllis' retirement in 2021, explaining that the fame she brought herself as a longtime content creator wasn't worth all the harassment and general negativity she had to endure.

* This trope was one of the primary reasons for Creator/LindsayEllis' retirement in 2021, claiming that her longtime career as a content creator and the fame it brought her wasn't worth all the harassment and general negativity she had to endure.

* Creator/StephenKing has stated that he hates being famous due to his nervousness with crowds and a genuine lack of understanding of why people care about what he views as an uninteresting life. He even refuses to sign autographs (Though he does participate in book signings). Given that he has often had people camping outside of his house and once had a mentally unstable woman break into his home and threaten his wife (this incident was one of the things that inspired ''Literature/{{Misery}}''), one can understand his unhappiness.

* Creator/PaulScofield generally refused press interviews and rarely made public appearances off-stage (though he enjoyed meeting individual fans). When he received an Oscar for ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'' Scofield refused to accept it in-person. Nor did it change Scofield's attitude, as he turned down many of the resulting film offers he felt were too high-profile.