Even though being a pop star seems like a comfortable job, it takes courage to perform on stage in front of people. Especially when these people become violent.
Just this month, two high-profile singers got into a heated argument during a stage performance, sending their fans into an uproar.
Last week, Ava Max was brutally slapped by a stranger while performing in front of fans in Los Angeles – the singer later revealed her attacker slapped her so hard he “scratched the inside of her eye”.
Shockingly, her attack marks the second time a singer has been physically assaulted by a bystander this month alone.
Days before Ava’s onstage slap, fellow musician Bebe Rexha was thrown in the face with a cellphone by a man in the crowd at a New York concert, an incident that resulted in her having to get three stitches – and suffering a black eye as a result .
‘I’m fine’: Bebe Rexha gave her 10.7 million fans an update after a man threw a phone and punched the singer in the face during a concert in New York City on Sunday
Ouch! Ava Max has revealed she was punched in the face by a fan during a performance in Los Angeles – resulting in a scratch on the inside of her eye
Angry: Ava later shared on Twitter that she sustained an eye injury from the slap. Footage shows the stage intruder being bundled up by security guards offstage
The attacker, 27-year-old New Jersey native Nicolas Malvagna, was later arrested and charged with assault – although he insisted his intention was “to have Ms Rexha photographed with his phone and return it as a souvenir,” according to the statement his attorney Todd A. Spodek told .
Bebe, a Grammy-nominated artist, was on her way to the stage when she was hit in the face by the device.
She posted a video of her injuries on social media, showing her eyebrows requiring stitches as a result.
The singer captioned it, “I’m fine guys,” before singing, “I’m fine yeah I’m fine.”
Unfortunately, Ava and Bebe are far from the first celebrities to be attacked on stage.
Harry Styles was thrown a bizarre array of objects in odd places, from skittles thrown in his eye to a water bottle thrown in his crotch.
Meanwhile, artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce were attacked on stage and others like Justin Bieber and Dave Chappelle were heavily attacked on stage.
Here are some of the most harrowing attacks celebrities have suffered on stage.
Harry Styles had food thrown at him on stage, a water bottle thrown in his crotch and he was groped
Harry has been attacked by many foods and drinks over the years and has even been grabbed in the crotch on stage
Hope you’re okay Harry: The 28-year-old singer covered his eyes as they were thrown at him during a performance of his song ‘Kiwi’ in video captured by a fan
Harry has endured an unfortunate amount of assault at both One Direction and solo concerts.
In November 2022, he was pelted with Skittles while performing his song Kiwi at The Forum in Los Angeles.
At least one of the Skittles appeared to have hit the singer’s eye, as moments later he was clutching his eye in pain.
He seemed to narrow his eyes for the rest of the performance.
This isn’t the first food-related incident the Watermelon Sugar singer has dealt with on stage.
Harry was grabbed in the crotch by a concertgoer during a performance in 2017
A month earlier they had been pelted with chicken nuggets. Luckily, their soft texture made the projectile much more harmless.
In 2017, fans began throwing kiwis on stage for his song “Kiwi.” Though neither hit him, the singer admitted to slipping and falling on the mush they left on stage.
When he was with One Direction in 2015, a can of Red Bull was thrown at his head.
The can hit the side of his face and shortly after the incident the musician could be seen reeling, resting his head on his hands.
A few weeks later he was hit by another drink, albeit in a much more sensitive area.
During one silly moment when Harry was spraying water on his bandmates, a bystander wanted revenge on them.
The viewer threw a water bottle between Harry’s leg, hitting him in the crotch. The singer convulsed in pain upon impact.
Painful revenge: During a silly moment when Harry was spraying water on his bandmates, a bystander wanted revenge on their behalf. The viewer threw a water bottle between Harry’s leg, hitting him in the crotch. The singer convulsed in pain upon impact
Ouch! The pink flowers spattered his face as he hopped down a few steps and turned to greet the crowd on his lap of honor
In another instance in 2017, Harry was groped by a fan in the audience.
As he knelt above the crowd, the fan grabbed his crotch.
Finally, Harry let the audience throw a bouquet of flowers to him.
The flowers hit him visibly in the face. He responded by rubbing his face, but the singer finished like a true artist.
Luckily it was a lot lighter than some of the previous items he was accused of.
Speaking of the unmentionable, a fan got up close and personal when he grabbed Harry’s crotch during CBS Radio’s We Can Survive 2017 benefit at the Hollywood Bowl.
Taylor Swift was grabbed by the leg at a concert and several other close quarters
Taylor was surprised when a viewer grabbed her leg during her performance
Taylor was mugged on stage at the O2 Arena in London. Normally her job is to prevent spectators from entering the stage, but this man was too quick for her. The fan climbed to the top of the stairs where she was standing and handed her a note
A Violent Encounter: A concert-goer who appeared to have a much more violent intent took the stage. Luckily, he managed to get through to security before he got to Taylor. A full-fledged brawl ensued when the concert-goer punched the security guards while Taylor continued to sing
Taylor Swift may be the biggest singer right now, but even she’s not immune to onstage assaults.
During her 1989 tour in 2015, a male fan showed up and grabbed her leg while she was performing Bad Blood.
The singer couldn’t get over her shock at that moment and just stood there for a moment and stared at him in silence.
Finally she started singing again as the man was led out by security.
Taylor still had a few narrow chances on other appearances.
In 2014, Taylor was mugged on stage at the O2 Arena in London. Normally her job is to prevent spectators from entering the stage, but this man was too quick for her.
Luckily he had no intention of hurting her. Instead, he climbed to the top of the stairs where she was standing and handed her a note.
At this point, security forces finally managed to reach him and escort him off the stage.
A year later, in 2015, a concert-goer who appeared to have a much more violent intent took the stage.
Luckily, he managed to get through to security before he got to Taylor. A full-fledged brawl ensued when the concert-goer punched the security guards while Taylor continued to sing.
TMZ alleges Christian Ewing, 26, sneaked into the concert and was later charged with “felony and assault and disability.”
Though Taylor was unaffected by the unplanned event, a security guard fractured his ribs before they could drag him off the stage.
Justin Bieber was attacked at his piano and fled after a water bottle was thrown at him
Beaver out! Justin stormed off the stage after a spectator threw a water bottle at him, hitting him in the head
After a man came on stage to attack Justin, security guards came on stage and he turned over the piano to escape
Justin Bieber has been a polarizing figure in the past, so it’s not too surprising that he was the victim of an onstage attack.
The singer played the piano during a concert in Dubai in 2013. Suddenly a man crept onto the stage.
Shockingly, the man grabbed Bieber from behind, taking him completely by surprise.
Luckily, the baby singer was able to free herself from the man’s grasp.
Eventually, security ran onto the stage to grab the man who was tearing the piano off its hinges and destroying it.
Bieber had quite a bit of bad luck on this tour. While in Brazil later that year, he suffered another seizure that left him angry.
While he was singing his song Boyfriend, someone in the audience threw a water bottle at him.
The bottle hit his hand and nearly threw his microphone onto the stage.
After a moment of shock, Justin stormed off the stage without a word.
Fans waited patiently in their seats for half an hour for his return before the lights went on and they were escorted out of the building.
Beyoncé was dragged off the stage to watch as a man attacked Jay-Z
Sadly, Beyonce and Jay-Z aren’t untouchable as they both endured attacks on stage
Carried away: Beyonce wanted to interact with her fans but was pulled off the stage instead
Another wild attack came on stage in Brazil. This time Beyoncé was the victim.
The Crazy in Love singer was shockingly dragged off stage by a concert-goer in 2013.
Beyonce entered a platform that allowed her to lean into the audience and engage with fans as she sang.
That’s when the crazy fan reached out and managed to grab her with both arms and pull her into the audience.
Security was on the scene quickly and managed to free her from the man’s clutches before she got too far into the audience.
After returning to the stage, she continued to sing and dance as if nothing had happened.
Here Comes Trouble: A man stormed the stage and pushed Jay-Z during his concert with his wife Beyoncé
Five years later, Beyonce had another audience encounter, but this time she was also dating her husband Jay-Z.
“At this time, there was no evidence that Maxwell had contacted Jay-Z,” Atlanta Police spokesman Jarius Daugherty said.
But police later determined that Maxwell had actually “made contact” with the rapper.
“It appears Mr. Maxwell was pushing Jay-Z,” Daugherty said.
Police charged Maxwell with simple battery.
Police also said Maxwell was being treated for minor injuries when “people close to Jay-Z prevented him from making any further contact with the actor.”
A concert-goer jumped at Lana Del Ray as she left the stage
Lana Del Ray had a scary interaction with a fan in Antwerp
Lana Del Ray almost survived a performance in Antwerp unscathed, but was attacked as she left the stage.
A fan captured footage of a man trying to jump on the singer at her concert.
The man jumped into the air and landed on her as she passed.
Luckily, security came quickly and was able to get her to safety.
On Twitter, users expressed their concern for the singer.
“@LanaDelRey I’m so sorry about what happened in the pit last night. Are you okay?’ Has the fan hurt you?’ asked a fan.
Another explained: “I was in Antwerp and saw her, WTF?” You have no respect for her but don’t worry, security is doing a good job getting her to safety straight away.”
Dave Chappelle was attacked with a gun on stage after making an anti-trans joke on his Netflix special
The incident happened during Chappelle’s set on the last day of a four-day performance at the Hollywood Bowl that was part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival
Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage last night while filming a Netflix special in Los Angeles
Chappelle became a controversial figure after making jokes about the LGTBQ+ community in his Netflix special What’s in a Name, which led directly to his stage attack.
During his stand-up set at the Hollywood Bowl in 2022, 24-year-old Isaiah Lee charged Chappelle with a replica handgun that flipped out to reveal a large blade resembling a pocket knife.
The comedian was able to dodge Lee and was unharmed. Security violently subdued Lee, who was later arrested by the LAPD and taken to the hospital with a broken arm.
Lee was charged with two misdemeanors – one for assault and one for entering a restricted area during a live event – and was sentenced to 270 days in prison after pleading no objection.
The next day, Chapelle released a statement describing the event as “disturbing and regrettable.”
“As unfortunate and troubling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,” the statement said.
“Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock used humor to help calm the crowd before Chappelle introduced the last and introduced musical guests for the evening.”
Lee gave an interview in prison where he said he was “triggered” by Chappelle’s jokes about transgender people and the homeless.
Lee told the New York Post that he wasn’t amused by Chappelle’s quick wit.
“I identify as bisexual and I wanted him to know what he thought was the trigger,” Lee said.
Miley Cyrus was grabbed by a fan who jumped onto the stage behind her
Miley was shocked when she felt a fan grab her shoulder from behind on stage
Miley was playing The Climb when a fan climbed onto the stage herself and approached her. The singer was heard saying “Oh my god, oh my god” as the bodyguard pushed the fan off the stage before taking Miley away
In her heyday, Miley Cyrus had her own spooky stage experience when a concert goer jumped onto the stage and grabbed her.
In 2011, Miley was performing “The Climb” when a fan herself climbed onto the stage and approached her.
When the fan grabbed Miley’s shoulder, the then 18-year-old pop star was clearly distraught.
Miley was heard saying “Oh my god, oh my god” as the bodyguard pushed the fan off the stage before taking Miley away.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only unwanted encounter with Cyrus.
In 2014, a fan snuck into her dressing room. Miley wasn’t there at the time, but the fan left a message saying he wanted to meet her. The fan was eventually arrested.
Years later, in 2019, Cyrus was groped by a fan in Barcelona. A man began to feel her hair, then grabbed her and attempted to kiss her forcefully.
Maroon 5’s Adam Levine has been mugged twice on stage
Adam each had two very different reactions when approached by fans during his performance on stage
“You need to calm down”: Adam patiently attended to a fan who came on stage to give him a hug
Adam Levine experienced quite a few stage robberies during his time on Maroon 5.
In 2015, the lead singer recalled a moment during one of his recent concerts when a fan jumped onto the stage and approached him.
“She ran towards me at full speed and I sang,” he recalled in a very serious tone.
“I wasn’t aware of them. The next thing I knew she was charging at me.
“I kind of had to deal with it because nobody was around,” the singer explained.
Shock: Adam Levine was less than impressed when a fan jumped onto the stage during Maroon 5’s concert and tried to hug him
“So I looked at her and kind of held her shoulders. I say, “You need to calm down – please calm down, relax,” he continued.
“And I put my arm around her. And then someone had already managed to get there [and] gently… remove her from the stage.’
Five years later he was mugged on stage by another fan. However, this time he was much less patient.
During the song “Sunday Morning,” a fan jumped onto the stage and laid hands on him.
Levine clearly wasn’t pleased as he mouthed the word “f**k” in frustration before walking to the other end of the stage, with the star skipping a few lines before continuing with the song.
Fifth Harmony’s Ally Brooke has been attacked twice in a matter of days
Ally Brooke was attacked twice in Mexico: once on stage and once at the airport
For the count: Ally was knocked to the ground by a fan who appeared to be trying to hug her
Before Fifth Harmony disbanded, Ally Brooke was the victim of some horrific attacks on stage.
In 2016 the band brought their show to Mexico.
During a performance, a man went through security and jumped onto the stage. Trying to hug Ally, he pulled her to the ground.
Eventually, security arrived, threw the man to the ground and escorted him off the stage.
Ally recovered quickly. Moments later, she jumped up to continue her performance.
Just two days before the concert, Ally was attacked by a fan at the airport.
An over-enthusiastic fan grabbed her as she passed. She later took to social media to reassure fans that she was fine.
She wrote: “Just to let you know I’m fine following the incident at the airport.” Please be careful and gentle so no one gets hurt. That was terrifying. Thank you very much!’