Taylor Swift (Getty Images)
Trigger warning: This article contains references to murder and sexual assault
In the bright spotlight of fame, celebrities are often the targets of horrific stalking incidents. One such incident involving Taylor Swift happened as recently as Saturday, January 20th. A man was arrested outside her apartment in Tribeca, New York. New York City police have not confirmed whether the person was specifically trying to break into Swift's residence, but multiple witnesses in the neighborhood confirmed it. Taylor Swift's alleged stalker has reportedly been loitering and lurking around the singer's home for at least a month. Taylor, 34, was likely at her home when he tried to break into the apartment building.
Amid Taylor Swift's stalker arrest, we look back at 20 disturbing celebrity stalking incidents
Madonna
Madonna, often referred to as the Queen of Pop, testified against stalker Robert Dewey Hoskins. In court in 1996, she admitted that she had been having nightmares about him after spotting him near her home the year before. That same year, a man breached security at his girlfriend's Hollywood Hills home and jumped into the pool, causing security to shoot him twice to calm him down. For this crime, Hoskins was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Drew Barrymore
In August 2023, Drew Barrymore was at an event on 92nd Street in New York City when a man approached her and she rushed off the stage. Footage from the event shows the daytime TV host speaking with actress Renee Rapp. Both actresses on stage were surprised when a man later identified as Chad Michael Busto shouted Barrymore's name from the audience. “You know who I am,” he cried. “I'd like to meet you sometime while you're in New York.'' Fortunately, a security guard arrived in time to stop the man before he could cause any harm.
emma watson
Chad Michael Busto turned out to be a repeat offender. A month after the aforementioned incident involving Drew Barrymore in August 2023, he quickly moved on to Emma Watson. In September 2023, Busto was arrested on suspicion of breaking into the dressing room of a New York Fashion Week show. He requested to see Watson. “I want to marry Emma Watson. Let me talk to Emma Watson, let me take a picture with Emma Watson,” he repeatedly exclaimed.
rachel bilson
The Last Kiss actress was granted a restraining order against a 40-year-old man who called her his baby and future wife. The man reportedly tried to break into his home in Los Angeles multiple times. Rachel told Metro: “There have been a number of incidents and messages on social media, but the most worrying thing is that there have been multiple attempts to visit and break into my home. .I have never met him and have no intention of meeting him.'' she added.
jodie foster
The Jodie Foster stalking case involving John Hinckley Jr. remains one of the most notorious celebrity stalking cases to date. Hinckley developed unhealthy feelings for Foster after seeing him in Taxi Driver. In order to impress his girlfriend, he attempted to assassinate President Reagan in 1981. He shot President Reagan in the chest, but fortunately President Reagan recovered. Hinckley was sentenced to a lifetime stay in a mental health facility.
gwyneth paltrow
Gweneth Paltrow was stalked and terrorized by Dante Michael Soiu for over a decade. The person reportedly sent her multiple letters and packages of pornography over the years.
selena gomez
In 2014, Selena Gomez dealt with a stalker named Che Cruz who repeatedly broke into the songstress' Calabasas mansion. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail. This was not the only stalking incident involving Selena. In 2011, a man named Thomas Brodnicki traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles with the intention of meeting Selena. He was arrested and given a restraining order.
jennifer lopez
In 2023, Jennifer Lopez let a man live in her $10 million Malibu mansion for a week before she was arrested. The man was identified as 49-year-old John M. Dubis. Fortunately, the incident occurred in Lopez's absence. The singer lives in New York these days. According to TMZ, Dubis had already filed for a restraining order in January due to his contact with J.Lo's mother.
keira knightley
The man, Mark Revill, was given an eight-week suspended prison sentence after terrorizing Knightley and his family. Mark's stalking included sending letters and postcards to the Pride and Prejudice actress. He also reportedly delivered a USB to the actress containing a cat-themed song. Her situation became unbearable when he started meowing through her mailbox, leaving her, her husband James Righton and her daughter Edie terrified.
justin bieber
In November 2012, uncle and nephew duo Mark Stark and Tanner Luan were arrested for plotting to castrate the Baby singer. They were reportedly underlings of Dana Martin. Dana, a convicted rapist and murderer, gives them the order to kill the singer she once had a crush on, but now has grown wary of. [Bieber] changed. ”
kendall jenner
The queen of the runway has many fans around the world, but some have crossed the line. Shaquan King entered Kendall's property, jumped into the pool and was caught by security. Kendall was also being threatened by a stalker named Mike Bowker. A five-year restraining order was issued against him because he threatened to kill the model and commit suicide.
sandra bullock
In 2014, Sandra Bullock woke up in her Los Angeles home to the sound of a loud bang and explosion. Sandra was alone when the terrifying incident happened. She hid in a wardrobe while the stalker, later identified as Joshua Corbett, banged on her bedroom door. The actress managed to call 911 and the stalker was arrested. The investigation uncovered his plans to sexually assault the actress. He committed suicide in 2018. Sandra later revealed that she has been suffering from PTSD since the incident.
Debra Messing
Debra recalled on the podcast that her stalker “showed up at my doorman's building and said I was inviting him over and he was going to spend the day with me and Roman.” [her son]”
The actress revealed that she has reported the incident to the police. “He mentioned my son, and that scared me in a whole other way,” she said.
willow smith
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's daughter revealed in 2021 that a cyberstalker broke into her home while she was away on vacation. Willow, 21 at the time, described her stalker as a pedophile while speaking to her mother, Jada, and her grandmother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris. She said she had a restraining order against him.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid's stalker Marcel Porter was accused of trying to break into her New York City apartment “at least five times” in 2015 and leaving creepy comments about the supermodel on her Facebook page in 2017. was sentenced to up to three years in prison. She said, “I love you. I know everything about you. Please wait for me, soulmate.'' was one of them.
bella hadid
Bella Hadid was dealing with a stalker named Brian Palace, also known as Ryan Palace, in late 2017 and early 2018. He was arrested outside his New York City home in Vera in 2018.
kylie jenner
In 2016, a man calling himself Marvin Magallanes tried to break into Kylie's home multiple times. She even drove a car into her front gate not once but twice. He was tracked down by police and it was later determined that he had killed two homeless men, Saba Alsaad and Onosai Tabita.
lili reinhart
Pizza delivery became a headache for the Riverdale actress. Lili told MTV in 2017 that she saved the pizza delivery person's phone number when she ordered the food herself. he “tried to get” [me] Follow him on Instagram,” she recalled.
rebecca schafer
Rebecca Schaefer's future in show business looked promising after appearing on My Sister Sam and Radio Days in the 1980s. However, her life was cut short when she was shot in the chest in her home by a fanatic named Robert Bardot. She was only 21 years old at the time of her death. Bardo was sentenced to life in prison for his gruesome crime.
britney spears
Britney Spears' ex-husband Jason Alexander almost broke off her wedding to ex-husband Sam Asghari. Alexander livestreamed the bizarre incident on his Instagram. He was taken into police custody and a few days later Britney and Sam were granted a restraining order against him.
Disclaimer: If you know someone who has suffered abuse, please reach out and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.