Advertisement

Brad Pitt attack: Other celebrity ambushes, pranks and assaults

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the 'Maleficent' red carpet
(Jason Merritt / Getty Images)
Share

On Wednesday night, Brad Pitt was accosted at the glitzy premiere of “Maleficent,” allegedly by the notorious red-carpet attacker Vitalii Sediuk. Pitt wasn’t hurt in the incident and continued on the carpet before heading into the theater.

This was hardly the first such time a celebrity has been ambushed in public and not always by Sediuk, either. Celebrities usually maintain their poise, though a few of these instances have not always ended as well.

Here are nine more high-profile public figures who have been subjected to rabid fans, flying footwear and weaponized pantry items.

Advertisement

Tom Cruise: Back in 2005 while doing press interviews at the London premiere of “War of the Worlds,” Cruise was squirted in the face by a man posing as a reporter, who had disguised a water pistol as a microphone.

Cruise asked the prankster, “Why would you do that?” and went on to say, “That’s incredibly rude. I’m here giving you an interview and you do that. … It’s incredibly rude.”

Police detained the man who squirted Cruise; as it turned out he was working on a comedy show for British TV.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: While on the campaign trail for the California governorship in 2003, the Terminator himself was pelted with an egg at Cal State Long Beach. His jacket took the brunt of the mess, which he removed without breaking stride before delivering his stump speech.

Always handy with a one-liner, Schwarzenegger later joked to the TV cameras, “This guy owes me bacon now.”

President George W. Bush: Schwarzenegger’s fellow politician found himself dodging — successfully — a pair of shoes hurled at his head (one after the other) in 2008. The incident occurred while Bush was in the middle of a news conference with then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Advertisement

The assailant was later identified as television correspondent Muntadar al-Zeidi. Bush later joked about the incident, “”If you want the facts, it was a size 10.”

Beyonce: Another prominent world leader — Queen B — had a close call in Brazil last September when a too-excited fan nearly pulled her offstage and into the crowd.

While performing her song “Irreplaceable,” the singer leaned down to shake hands with fans in the front row and got more than she bargained for. Security then rushed to her aid, and she continued performing with her usual poise.

Justin Bieber: Weeks after Beyonce’s incident, another pop star had an onstage incident in Brazil, and this one didn’t end so well. After taking a water bottle to the face in Sao Paolo, Bieber glared at the audience and stormed offstage. He did not return.

Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Linday Lohan: The tabloid mainstays are among the numerous celebs who have been “flour-bombed” — that is, pelted with flour. Kardashian was hit on the red carpet while launching a new fragrance in 2012, Lohan was doused by anti-fur activists in 2008, and Hilton was also floured by anti-fur activists in 2006. (Lohan has also been glitter-bombed.)

Anna Wintour: The imperious Vogue editor who inspired Meryl Streep’s character in “The Devil Wears Prada” has also been repeatedly targeted by animal-rights activists. She was hit with tofu pies twice in 2005.

Advertisement

After the second incident, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals vice president Dan Mathews said the pie attack was retaliation for Vogue’s decision to run fur ads while refusing to use PETA’s anti-fur messages.

Advertisement