Everybody’s afraid of something.
Although when fans hear that some of our favorite Hollywood celebs have phobias, their reaction
is often “Whaaaaat?
How can they be afraid of anything?
They’re perfect!”.
Well, let’s not forget that although they come from the magical land of fame and fortune,
celebrities are still human, with real fears.
You’ll be shocked to know what some of them are afraid of because we’re not just talking
about your common phobias.
Find out who’s afraid of raccoons, petrified of ostriches and which A-list star struggles
to even leave her house!
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Kim Basinger - Agoraphobia
You might not remember Kim Basinger, and that’s probably because her fear has prevented her
from leaving her home.
That’s right, Kim has “agoraphobia,” which is the fear of places and situations
that might cause feelings of panic.
This can lead to total avoidance of the outside world and prevents those with the fear of
even stepping outside of their house.
The actress’ breakout roles in “9 and a half Weeks” in 1986 and “Batman” in
1989 put her on the path to her Oscar-winning performance in the 1997 noir classic “L.A.
Confidential.”
Despite her fame, Kim has been shy ever since she was a young girl and battled as the spotlight
of fame grew brighter over her life.
Being in the public eye caused her an unimaginable amount of anxiety which often led to panic
attacks.
“My hands were shaking.
I was sweating so profusely, I could not move.
I made it to my car and remember getting the keys in the ignition, cranking the car up,
taking the back roads to my home and parking.
I didn’t leave the house for six months,” She confessed, describing one of her attacks.
Thankfully, Kim sought help for her phobia and has been given the tools she needs to
fight her fear, though her struggle with anxiety in the public eye continues.
Oprah Winfrey — Chewing Gum
Oprah Winfrey has an intense dislike for chewing gum that goes back to her childhood days.
When admitting to her fear, she said that while she was growing up, her grandmother
used to save her gum by sticking it onto the bedpost so that she could go back to chewing
it later.
“As a child, I used to bump into it, and it would rub up against me, and you know what
it’s like when you’ve taken it out of your mouth and it’s been out a couple of
weeks?
It’s bad.
And so I was afraid of it.”
She admits that she has barred gum-chewing in her offices, but still has to confront
it everywhere else.
“When I go out to the world, I can’t bar it.
I have no powers there,” she said.
So if you ever get the chance to meet Oprah, make sure you’re not chewing on gum.
Nicole Kidman - Fear of Butterflies
Nicole Kidman is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful actresses to come across our screens.
Butterflies are also beautiful, but Nicole doesn’t think so.
Why?
Well, she’s afraid of them.
Surprisingly enough, this is actually a pretty common fear.
We’re not sure why, because butterflies are harmless and they just flutter about from
flower to flower, minding their own business.
However, according to Kidman, her phobia began when she was a child growing up in Australia.
“Sometimes when I would come home from school, the biggest butterfly or moth you’d ever
seen would be just sitting on our front gate.
I would climb over the fence, crawl around to the side of the house — anything to avoid
having to go through the front gate.”
Since that time, she attempted to “break her fear” of butterflies by visiting a butterfly
cage at the Museum of Natural History, buuuuuuut it was an unsuccessful attempt.
Billy Bob Thornton — Antique Furniture
Some people would call it vintage, a part of history and a thrift shopper’s dream.
Billy Bob Thornton, however, would call it a nightmare, and he’s long expressed his
serious fear of antiques.
He explained his phobia, saying, “It’s that French/English/Scottish old mildewy stuff.
Old dusty heavy drapes and big tables with lions’ heads carved in them.
Stuff that kings were around.
That’s the stuff I can’t be around.
It was too big to be functional.
It creeps me out.”
Orlando Bloom: – Fear of Pigs
Orlando Bloom, known for his good looks and being king of the Caribbean seas and pirate
fighter, has one weakness and its pigs.
He was doing a good job of keeping his fear to himself until one day on the set of Kingdom
Of Heaven when a pig ran through the set and Bloom went running for the hills.
Scarlett Johansson – Fear of Cockroaches
The ever stunning and talented actress Scarlet Johansson, who is adored for her good humor,
suffers from a fear of cockroaches.
One day, Scarlett woke up to a strange tickling sensation on her face and realized a cockroach
was on it.
AGH!
We can totally stand by this one; they’re revolting.
They’re also impossible to kill, so if you ever find one in your house, we suggest you
pack your bags and leave immediately.
Katie Holmes: Agrizoophobia – Fear of Raccoons
According to Katie Holmes, she has always been afraid of raccoons.
If she’s ever confronted by one, her immediate reaction is to “freak out” or “bark”
to try and scare them away.
We can understand the need to freak out, but maybe she should get a dog so that she doesn’t
have to do the barking herself.
Jake Gyllenhaal - Fear of Ostriches
Okay, so ostriches are pretty intimidating except when they stick their heads in the
ground and pretend like no one can see them.
Then they just seem like toddlers playing peek-a-boo.
According to Gyllenhaal, he developed this fear while acting in Prince of Persia: Sands
of Time, at which time a peer informed him that ostriches would, quote, “tear out your
eyes and rip out your heart.”
Johnny Depp: Fear of Clowns
Johnny Depp has a fear of clowns, and to be frank, who can blame him?
They’re pretty scary, just look at Stephen King’s It . Anyone else just cringed a little?
Who’s idea was to have clowns entertain kids at their birthday parties because it
wasn’t ours.
There is just something about the painted faces, layers of makeup and a creepy artificial
smile that scares the heck out of people.
He’s not the only one who’s scared of the balloon blowing fear mongrels because
Sean Combs and Daniel Radcliffe are petrified of them too.
Woody Allen - Fear of heights
Have you ever climbed a ladder and felt like your knees are trembling as you work your
way up each step?
Yeah, we can totally relate to that.
Fact of the day, did you know that the designer of the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel was afraid
of heights?
Sounds logical, doesn’t it?
Maybe that was his way of conquering his fear.
Woody Allen has a fear of heights too.
Mr. Woody happens to have more phobias than we can count on one hand.
He is also admitted to being afraid of insects, dogs, getting certain diseases, showers having
the drain hole in the middle of the tub, small rooms and crowds of people.
That last one seems tough for someone as famous as Allen, since it inevitably leads to people
crowding around you wherever you go.
We can’t seem to understand the drain hole fear though.
Kristen Stewart - Fear of Horses
Kristen Stewart, who is well-known for her roles in Twilight and Snow White and the Huntsman,
possesses a fear of horses.
According to Stewart, she “hates them.”
Her fear of horses began when she was nine years old after she fell from a horse and
broke her elbow.
She was forced to face her fear of the animal while filming Snow White and the Huntsman
saying, “I was really, really not happy about having to do all that [horseback riding].
I don’t like that — I hate that.”
At least the actress did her best to conquer her fear, even if it was just for a little
bit.
Matt Damon - Fear of Reptiles
Harry Potter had a habit of talking to snakes.
Matt Damon, on the other hand, has a habit of running from them.
Yep, that’s right; Matt is afraid of snakes.
Damon’s fear of these creatures was brought to light on the set of We Bought A Zoo, where
he, quote, “cried like a baby and rocked back and forth when the snakes were spread
all over the set.”
Somehow we can’t help but picture this image in our minds and wish we were there to see
it ourselves.
Britney Spears is also scared of reptiles.
Some might say they “drive her crazy”.
See what we did there?
Although, she admits she’s just afraid of Komodo Dragon and other lizards.
Sarah Paulson — Fear of Clowns, Bees and Tiny Holes
Who would believe that the queen of American Horror story has several phobias that she
carries around?
Paulson revealed that she’s terrified of clowns, bees and clusters of tiny holes, also
known as trypophobia.
“I could be carrying a small child, and if a bee came around, that baby’s getting
dropped.
I can’t manage my feeling about it.”
She also talked about her phobia, saying, “I just think they’re disgusting.
I can’t look at a coral reef or a natural sponge.”
Kendall Jenner has also admitted to having the same fear.
Justin Timberlake – Fear of Spiders
Justin Timberlake is afraid of spiders, and you know what?
We expect no explanation for it.
In fact, we’ll be there with the fire thrower ready to burn down the house if he ever comes
across one.
He’s also afraid of sharks and snakes.
We suggest he stays far away from Australia because everything there comes in the form
of a giant.
La Toya Jackson - Fear of Cats
You get cat people and you get dog people.
La Toya Jackson is definitely not a cat person.
In fact, she’s petrified of them.
She confessed her fear on an episode of American Idol, where she admitted that she’s been
afraid of cats ever since one of her relatives was attacked by one.