20 Celebrity Phobias That Prove Even the Famous Get Scared
You know that irrational fear you have? The one you're slightly embarrassed about?
Turns out Hollywood's biggest stars, world-class athletes, and tech billionaires have fears just as weird—sometimes weirder.
Here are 20 verified celebrity phobias that prove fear doesn't care how famous you are.
1. Johnny Depp — Fear of Clowns
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The phobia: Coulrophobia
Johnny Depp has been terrified of clowns since childhood. In interviews, he explained why those painted smiles creep him out:
"It's impossible, thanks to their painted-on smiles, to distinguish if they are happy or if they are about to bite your face off."
Fair point, honestly.
How common is it? About 12% of people share this fear. Those exaggerated features and frozen expressions trigger genuine terror in many.
2. Steve Jobs — Fear of Buttons
Photo: Matt Yohe, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The phobia: Koumpounophobia
Yes, buttons. The Apple founder couldn't stand them—not just on clothes, but any buttons.
Here's the wild part: This phobia directly influenced the iPhone. Jobs announced in 2007 that his button aversion sparked the idea for a buttonless phone. His signature black turtleneck? Also button-free.
The takeaway: Sometimes your weirdest quirks lead to revolutionary ideas.
3. Nicole Kidman — Fear of Butterflies
Photo: Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The phobia: Lepidopterophobia
The Oscar winner isn't afraid of snakes. She's fine with cockroaches. But butterflies? Absolutely not.
"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."
She even tried exposure therapy at the American Museum of Natural History's butterfly exhibit. It didn't work.
"I jump out of planes, I could be covered in cockroaches, I do all sorts of things, but I just don't like the feel of butterflies' bodies."
4. Oprah Winfrey — Fear of Chewing Gum
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
This one has a backstory. Young Oprah watched her grandmother store used chewing gum on furniture and in drawers. The trauma stuck.
Today, chewing gum is banned from Oprah's studios. No exceptions.
Sometimes childhood experiences create lifelong aversions. And sometimes you become a billionaire and can enforce a gum-free zone everywhere you go.
5. Alfred Hitchcock — Fear of Eggs
Photo: Jack Mitchell, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The phobia: Ovophobia
The Master of Suspense, who terrified millions with Psycho and The Birds, was himself terrified of... eggs.
In a 1963 interview, Hitchcock declared:
"I'm frightened of eggs. Worse than frightened—they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes, and when you break it, inside there's that yellow thing, round, without any holes... Brr!"
It gets better:
"Have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting."
The irony? Quiche Lorraine was one of his favorite breakfasts. Even he couldn't explain it.
6. Scarlett Johansson — Fear of Birds
Photo: Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The phobia: Ornithophobia
Black Widow herself is scared of birds. Specifically, "the wings and beaks and the flapping."
While filming We Bought a Zoo, she admitted: "I was terrified of the peacocks on set."
How common? About 1-3% of people have ornithophobia. If you're one of them, you're in superhero company.
7. Rafael Nadal — Fear of the Dark
Photo: Yann Caradec, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The phobia: Achluophobia
The tennis legend with 22 Grand Slam titles fears dogs, spiders, storms, and motorbikes. But his strongest fear? Darkness.
His achluophobia is so intense that when he's home alone at night, he sleeps on the sofa because he can't handle walking to the bedroom in the dark.
Prevalence: About 11% of adults share this fear.
8. Michael Jordan — Fear of Water
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
The phobia: Aquaphobia
The greatest basketball player of all time avoids swimming pools. The reason is tragic: as a child, Jordan witnessed a close friend drown after getting caught in an undertow. Shortly after, he nearly drowned himself at baseball camp.
Those experiences created a lifelong fear that no amount of championship rings could erase.
9. David Beckham — Fear of Disorder
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The condition: OCD (Ataxophobia)
In his Netflix documentary, Beckham opened up about his need for everything to be perfectly organized:
"When everyone's in bed, I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy."
His wife Victoria confirmed: "If you open our fridge, it's all coordinated down either side. We've got three fridges—food in one, salad in another, and drinks in the third."
Beckham describes it as "tiring" but accepts it as part of who he is.
10. Adele — Fear of Seagulls
Photo: Marc E., Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
A childhood incident where a seagull swooped down and stole her ice cream traumatized young Adele.
She also battles severe stage fright. In fact, she's thrown up before performances and once escaped out a fire exit before an Amsterdam show.
The voice that moves millions? Also the voice that gets nervous before every single performance.
11. Megan Fox — Fear of Dry Paper
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Yes, really.
Fox cannot touch scripts or newspapers without laminating them first. She keeps water nearby to dip her fingers before turning pages.
"The sensation gives me chillbumps... it's like nails on a chalkboard."
She also fears the dark ("I can't walk through a dark room") and has bathroom bacteria OCD ("Every time someone flushes, all the bacteria is shot into the air").
12. Keanu Reeves — Fear of Darkness (Philosophical Version)
Photo: MIFF, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
In an interview, Reeves admitted:
"I am afraid of the dark, but I mean that in a real philosophical way."
Leave it to Keanu to turn a common fear into an existential reflection.
13. Matthew McConaughey — Fear of Revolving Doors
Photo: Siebbi, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
The phobias: Cleithrophobia (fear of being trapped) + Scotomaphobia (fear of blind spots)
McConaughey explained:
"I don't like revolving doors, and I really don't like that blindspot when you're driving and go into a tunnel. You know that spot where you can't see for about 10 feet. I just get anxious being near them."
Alright, alright, alright... but also, no revolving doors please.
14. Kristen Stewart — Fear of Public Speaking
Photo: Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The phobia: Glossophobia
The Twilight star revealed that between ages 15 and 20, anxiety dominated her life:
"I was constantly anxious. I was kind of a control freak. If I didn't know how something was going to turn out, I would make myself ill, or just be locked up or inhibited in a way that was really debilitating."
She had panic attacks before interviews and "literally always had a stomach ache."
She's grown more comfortable with age but still finds interviews emotionally intense.
15. Madonna — Fear of Thunder
Photo: David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
The phobia: Brontophobia
Madonna's childhood fear of thunderstorms never went away. She's been known to refuse performances if there's a significant chance of lightning.
She takes medication to manage performance anxiety—which gets much worse during storms.
16. Woody Allen — Fear of Almost Everything
Photo: Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The condition: Panophobia
Allen famously suffers from claustrophobia, agoraphobia, stage fright, fear of sunshine, fear of children, fear of hotel bathrooms, fear of cancer, fear of heights, fear of crowds, fear of insects, fear of dogs, and fear of small rooms.
On elevators specifically:
"I don't like to go into elevators. I don't go through tunnels. I'll always go the long way over the George Washington Bridge, even if I'm going to Jersey City."
He might be Hollywood's most phobic celebrity.
17. Elon Musk — Fear of Regret (Not Failure)
Photo: The Royal Society, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Here's a different kind of fear. During Tesla's most difficult times, Musk admitted:
"I feel fear really strongly. It's quite unpleasant."
But he clarified: "I don't have a fear of failure."
His approach? Reframe the fear:
"If I don't do this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
As a child, Musk overcame his fear of the dark by reasoning through it—learning that darkness is just the absence of photons. He uses logic to dismantle fear rather than avoid it.
18. Kendall Jenner — Fear of Tiny Holes
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The phobia: Trypophobia
"Anyone who knows me knows that I have really bad trypophobia."
Trypophobia is the fear of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes. Triggers include pancakes, honeycomb, and lotus seed pods.
Research from the University of Essex suggests this "phobia" might actually be disgust-based rather than fear-based—which somehow makes it even more relatable.
19. Billy Bob Thornton — Fear of Antique Furniture
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The phobia: No official name (but very real)
Thornton refuses to enter rooms with furniture built before 1950. He told Sky News:
"I get creeped out and I can't breathe and I can't eat around it. It's that French/English/Scottish old mildewy stuff—old dusty heavy drapes and big tables with lions' heads carved in it."
He also fears bright colors (chromophobia) and—for unexplained reasons—images of Benjamin Disraeli.
20. Jennifer Aniston — Fear of Flying
Photo: Angela George, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The phobia: Aviophobia
Aniston's fear intensified after a 2019 incident when her private plane blew a tire on takeoff en route to her 50th birthday celebration.
Her coping rituals? She taps the outside of the aircraft with her right palm and steps on with her right foot. Recently, she tried hypnosis:
"I have not been doing the right hand, right foot—and now it's shockingly good!"
She also uses breathwork, meditation, and walking around the cabin during flights.
What This Tells Us About Phobias
Phobias don't discriminate. Wealth, fame, and success don't protect you from irrational fears.
They often have origin stories. Oprah's gum aversion traces back to her grandmother. Michael Jordan's water fear started with trauma. Many phobias begin with specific experiences.
Coping strategies vary. Some celebrities avoid triggers entirely (Oprah bans gum). Others try exposure therapy (Nicole Kidman at the butterfly exhibit). Some reason through fear (Elon Musk). There's no single right approach.
Some phobias accidentally shape the world. Steve Jobs' button phobia gave us the iPhone. Your "weakness" might be hiding a strength.
The Statistics
If you have a phobia, you're far from alone:
- 9.1% of U.S. adults experience a specific phobia each year
- 12.5% experience one at some point in their lives
- Women are twice as likely as men to have specific phobias
- Only 23.1% of people with phobias seek treatment
The most common phobias are animals (zoophobia), heights (acrophobia), and thunderstorms (brontophobia).
The Bottom Line
If the world's most successful people can be terrified of eggs, butterflies, chewing gum, and revolving doors, your fears are valid too.
The difference between you and these celebrities? Their phobias get publicized.
The similarity? The coping strategies—therapy, exposure, breathing techniques, sometimes just avoidance—work the same for everyone.
So the next time you feel embarrassed about your fear of [insert your thing here], remember: somewhere out there, a billionaire is laminating paper before they touch it, and a tennis champion is sleeping on the couch because the bedroom is too dark.
You're in good company.
References
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Specific Phobia Statistics. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/specific-phobia
All celebrity photos sourced from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses. Individual attributions noted under each image.
Interviews and quotes verified through Contact Music, Rolling Stone, Travel + Leisure, Elle UK, Vulture, Sky News, Netflix Documentary "Beckham," and various celebrity press interviews.
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