Top 10 Wholesome Celebs Who Are Secretly Shady

#10: JoJo Siwa

After getting her showbiz start in “Dance Moms,” Siwa burst out on her own with massive, colorful hair bows as she released music and worked with Nickelodeon. Before her 2024 rebrand, she was a child-favourite celebrity who promoted the LGBTQIA+ community she was a part of. However, in 2022, Siwa stripped away the family-friendly fun by starting a public feud with Candace Cameron Bure. She called Bure the rudest celebrity she’d met on a TikTok video after she snubbed her for a photograph years earlier. Bure immediately released a video claiming she was shocked and had contacted Siwa to resolve the issue. However, several months later, Siwa publicly criticized Bure again, this time for defending “traditional marriage.”

#9: Drew Barrymore

With a difficult childhood, Barrymore morphed into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, eventually landing her own talk show in 2020. In a world that often showcases the negatives, Barrymore’s program was a light in the darkness with its feel-good factor. However, in 2023, she showed a much different side to herself. As the WGA strike was taking place, Barrymore announced her show would continue without unionized writers. This resulted in audience members wearing pins supporting the strike being kicked out of the show. Understandably, for crossing the picket line, the backlash was severe as she was dropped from hosting awards ceremonies. Barrymore released an apology video, which was later deleted, and took her show off the air until the strike ended.

#8: Fred Rogers

With his iconic “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,” showcasing his wholesome and calm persona, Rogers was not only educational, but also challenged societal prejudices throughout his career, especially when racial segregation was still in effect. Early in his national career, in 1969, we saw a different side of Rogers as he spoke at the Senate Subcommittee on Communications to oppose a funding cut for PBS’s creation. While still speaking in his soft, lyrical way, Rogers was more stern than usual as he issued facts and discussed his show’s efforts in promoting mental health. Yet, it was his impassioned quoting of his song “What Do You Do with the Mad that You Feel?” that really won people over, both in the testimony and those watching at home.

#7: Simone Biles

Not only is she a trailblazer in the realm of gymnastics, winning medals wherever she competes, but Biles has also been one in many other areas, including promoting mental health and battling stigma against people with ADHD. And, in 2017, we saw her responding to a sexist comment on TV in a brutal fashion. After performing on “Dancing with the Stars” and listening to the judges’ comments, host Tom Bergeron stated to Biles that he was waiting for her to smile during the compliments, but she didn’t. Without missing a beat, Biles took a stand and struck back with the simple phrase “smiling doesn’t win you gold medals.”

#6: Helen Mirren

Long before she was an Oscar winner advocating for people to take vaccines and embrace themselves as they age, Miren was an emerging actor in the industry. In 1975, she appeared on Michael Parkinson’s self-titled UK talk show. However, instead of it being a cosy chat, it took a strange turn as he kept bringing up her appearance. It got worse when Parkinson wondered if her “physical attributes,” alluding to her chest, held Mirren back as a serious performer. Shocked by the line of questioning, the actor took no prisoners as she defined them as “boring” questions. Later, Miren described Parkinson as a “sexist old fart.” In 2019, after the interview went viral again, Parkinson refused to apologize for it.

#5: Tom Hanks

Hollywood made the right decision when they selected the wholesome Hanks to portray the exemplary Fred Rogers in 2019’s “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” After all, he’s well-known for his niceness and activism. However, when it comes to his wife, Rita Wilson, the kind gloves come off. In 2022, the couple were leaving a restaurant in New York City when a bunch of fans descended on them for photos and questions. As a group focused on Hanks, they walked right into Wilson, tripping her up. Hanks stopped immediately, yelled expletives at the fans as he told them to back off. To make it even more intimidating, he then stared daggers at them before walking away.

#4: Anne Hathaway

With a reputation for always being professional and polite, it’s amazing Hathaway is still that way, considering the number of personal questions she gets about her appearance. In 2012, she spoke with Glamour magazine about her body insecurity. A year before, as she was promoting her work in 2011’s “One Day,” Chris Van Vliet chatted to her on the press junket. He brought up the images of her in the suit as Catwoman for “The Dark Knight Rises.” After briefly asking about her exercise routine, Van Vliet bluntly asked how much weight Hathaway had lost for the role. The actor was shocked. Hathaway took away her wholesome image to admonish him for asking that. By the end, she’d become diplomatic again.

#3: Ariana Grande

From child star to pop musician to actor, Grande’s Nonna was there. Even when the singer won at the 2016 AMAs, her speech spoke about her grandmother. On top of that, Grande was praised for helping to raise millions for the victims and families of those who attended her Manchester, England, gig in 2017 that was violently attacked. With that in mind, Grande behaved really out of character in 2015. While at a store in Lake Elsinore, California, she was recorded licking donuts, and didn’t even buy them! Then, when an employee came out with a tray of pastries, Grande dismissed the food and declared she hates Americans and America. After the footage spread, Grande apologized for her behavior in a video.

#2: Queen Elizabeth II

Through most of her long reign as monarch of the UK, especially in the later years, Elizabeth was an honorary grandmother to the world. She took great effort to meet as many people as possible. As such, it's no surprise that in 2018, it was found that a third of Britons had met or seen Elizabeth in person. However, beyond her wholesome, sharing sandwiches with Paddington image, is a dry and cutting sense of humor. While attending the 2021 G7 conference at England’s Eden Project, Elizabeth was having her photo taken with the world leaders. She then mentioned, “Are you supposed to be looking as if you’re enjoying yourself?,” bringing laughter from the leaders and photographers.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Adele

Her Heartfelt Songs Vanished When Adele Yelled at a Fan for Recording Her Gig With a Tripod

Keke Palmer

Teased for Being Wholesome, Palmer Admonished Wendy Williams for Defending Trey Songz

#1: Ian McKellen

Best known for his incredible acting career, promoting and supporting theater, his activism in the LGBTQIA+ community, and his adorable friendship with Patrick Stewart, McKellen is a world treasure. Typically with a happy and friendly nature, it’s shocking that a film franchise nearly broke him and made him quit acting for good. While filming 2012’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” McKellen had to be in front of a green screen, by himself, to show the height difference between his character, Gandalf, and the others, such as the hobbits and dwarves. He burst into tears from the isolation as he uttered that this wasn’t why he became an actor. It’s heartbreaking to know this beloved performer was so upset.

Which wholesome celebrity do you think doesn’t have a shady bone in their body? Let us know below!