Top 10 Celebs Who HATED Being Parodied

#10: Kathie Lee Gifford

Kristen Wiig was a popular SNL cast member, but not everyone seemed to value her efforts. In a satiric version of “The Today Show,” Wiig portrayed Gifford as a bit of a flake with a serious penchant for wine. Though general reception seemed positive, Kathie Lee herself did not enjoy the parody, as is evident in her appearance on “Anderson.” Her reaction was lighter than that of Bobby Brown, who called the SNL parody of him and Whitney Houston “hateful.” The couple’s relationship was volatile, with substance use disorder and infidelity rumors rampant - ripe for parody, but without a doubt a risky joke.

#9: Jennifer Lopez

MTV’s “Celebrity Deathmatch” featured claymation animations of celebrities fighting each other, for those wondering who would win in a hypothetical brawl. Surprisingly, the series saw few complaints. When asked if any celebrities had ever responded negatively, series creator Eric Fogel claimed that the biggest issues were with studio fears. For example, a Captain Kirk vs Captain Picard fight was axed due to the studio not wanting to anger a massive franchise. One celebrity Fogel recalled having an issue was Jennifer Lopez. The match featured J-Lo and Dolly Parton, bearing a bionic rear end and enhanced breasts, respectively. This is not what irked Lopez, however. It was the voice actor choice - Lopez claimed it sounded nothing like her.

#8: Flea

In 1993, Weird Al was in his “revival” period, releasing his 8th studio album “Alapalooza”.

The album itself received mixed reviews, but one musician wasn’t too pleased with one of the tracks. “Bedrock Anthem” was a “Flintstones” themed song written to the tune of two Red Hot Chili Peppers songs. The band members weren’t too impressed with the song, though bassist Flea was the most vocal, claiming he “didn’t think it was very good” and calling it “unimaginative.” The Peppers aren’t always so sensitive - in 2014, a duo of comedians released a “new RHCP song” called “Abracadabralifornia,” fooling many into thinking it was real. The band loved it, with drummer Chad Smith even tweeting about its hilarity.

#7: Bobby Brown

Bobby Brown appears a second time in this list - apparently he isn’t into parodies. Brown didn’t appreciate his SNL doppelganger, but he really didn’t enjoy his MadTV spoof. The skit is a mock “MTV Cribs” episode, in which the couple tours the celebrity couple’s home. In this case, a cartoonishly inebriated Bobby Brown (played by comedian Aries Spears) opens the door to a complete mess of a place: basically, a stereotypical substance use disorder den. He proceeds to urinate in the corner, surrounded by framed gold records. The real Bobby Brown claimed they took it too far and he took much offense. He even went as far as saying he had an urge to deck Aries Spears. Thankfully it didn’t come to that.

#6: Morrissey

Former The Smiths frontman Morrissey isn’t really known for his calm, passive personality. The singer has gotten into more than one verbal scrape over the years, and his response to “The Simpsons” parody was no exception. A season 32 episode saw Lisa get obsessed with a 1980s band known as The Snuffs and fronted by Quilloughby. The latter (1980s version) is cynical, vegan and witty - much like real life Morrissey. However, the present day Quilloughby is an incendiary bigot, a meat eater and a rather large, slobbish man. Morrissey was not silent regarding his reaction - he accused the show of “taunting a lawsuit,” concluding that “in a world obsessed with Hate Laws, there are none that protect me.” Heaven knows he’s definitely miserable now.

#5: Kanye West

Kanye West isn’t known for his gracious acceptance of criticism. In this case, it’s a little difficult to tell if Ye was okay with the parody or not… we’ll stick to our guns and say he didn’t appreciate it. In 2009, “South Park” aired an episode titled “Fishsticks,” in which a joke makes the rounds. The joke consists of a play on words - fish sticks the food sounds exactly like fish… um… private parts. Therefore anyone who likes fish sticks must be a “gay fish.” The joke is said to Kanye, who doesn’t get it. Shenanigans ensue. West himself ranted online in all caps after the episode, oscillating between saying it was funny and saying his feelings were hurt and negatively referenced it in some of his songs. A decade later, he was still bringing up the parody, though he also didn’t seem to understand it either.

#4: Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey went through a very public battle with her weight in the late 80s and early 90s. At the height of her talk show’s fame, Winfrey’s weight would fluctuate and parodies ensued. One particular skit on “In Living Color”may have gone a little too far, however. The skit depicts Winfrey hosting her talk show, gradually eating until her body can no longer handle it. We can’t say we’d react well, either. The sketch starts out funny, with Oprah cradling an upset guest. But then the eating begins, and continues… She pulls food items from her pockets, and even roasts three chickens. The sketch ends with her ballooning and floating upwards. The real Oprah said she felt the audience was laughing hysterically at her.

#3: Donald Trump

“SNL” has parodied Donald Trump a number of times, and none were appreciated by him. In 2016, Lorne Michaels called Trump to reveal that Alec Baldwin would be portraying the latter in upcoming SNL sketches, to which Trump was “tickled.” However, after the first Baldwin sketch, Trump didn’t seem “tickled” at all. He referred to Baldwin’s portrayal as a “hit job” on him, stating that the show should be retired. This isn’t a surprising reaction: Trump doesn’t like to be mocked. A 2017 skit featuring Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump in an ad for perfume “Complicit” managed to seriously ruffle Trump’s daughter’s feathers: she reportedly “couldn’t stop bemoaning it, how offensive it was, how ridiculous it was” in a senior staff meeting.

#2: Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is a superstar and as such has been plagued with criticism, commentary and parody. Cruise has been subject to much debate regarding his sexuality over the years, and “South Park” went there, as well as took liberal jabs at his religion, Scientology. In an episode titled “Trapped in the Closet,” Cruise is depicted literally “coming out of the closet,” which apparently didn’t please the actor so much. The episode featured Stan discovering he’s the reincarnation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and nonsense ensued. Though Cruise didn’t publicly comment, it was reported that he used his influence to have the episode pulled from the airwaves. Barbra Streisand also disapproved of her 1998 portrayal on the series as “Mecha-Streisand,” a giant mechanical dinosaur.

#1: Carol Burnett

In “Family Guy”’s season 4 episode “Peterotica,” Peter visits an adult book shop with the boys. When one remarks how clean the place is, it is pointed out that Carol Burnett works there part time as a janitor. Cue Burnett’s “Charwoman” character cameo, which the real Carol Burnett was not too happy about. She sued the show, claiming that the character and an altered version of “The Carol Burnett Show” theme song were used without permission. It wasn’t directly stated, but it’s possible Burnett also didn’t appreciate the appearance of one of her beloved characters mopping the floor of an ill-reputed store. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, citing “Family Guy”’s right to parodize, and pointing out Burnett’s own history of parody.

Which one of these do you think crossed the line? Let us know in the comments!