Kylie Jenner – butterflies
During an episode of Life of Kylie, Kylie Jenner revealed that she suffers from lepidopterophobia, otherwise known as the fear of butterflies. Rationalizing her phobia, Jenner said, “cut the wings off, and if you just look at their bodies, they’re not that pretty,” a statement which suggests that butterflies probably have a lot more to fear from Jenner than she does from them.
Tyra Banks – dolphins
Tyra Banks’ fear of dolphins isn’t actually that unfounded, considering the marine mammals have been documented engaging in some pretty depraved behavior. During an episode of her talk show, Banks revealed, “I feel anxiety and I feel panic whenever I’m confronting or even thinking about or talking about a dolphin,” which begs the question of exactly how many dolphins she’s confronted.
Liam Payne – spoons
In a 2015 interview with MTV, Liam Payne revealed that he has a phobia of spoons. When pressed about the origins of his fear, the singer revealed that whenever he acted up at school he was made to do the washing up as punishment, which often involved handling “nasty spoons.” Payne also added, “I don’t know what people are doing with their spoons, I don’t want to know!”
Channing Tatum – porcelain dolls
While many people find porcelain dolls a touch unnerving, Channing Tatum is genuinely horrified by them. During a 2014 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Tatum stated, “I just think they’re really super freaky. They have, like, real eyes and they look real,” adding that the fear might have its roots in a Friday the 13th episode he watched as a child.
Kendall Jenner – trypophobia
The scientific community is divided on whether or not trypophobia – a self-diagnosed fear of clusters of small holes – is actually a real phobia. Either way, a growing number of people are reporting that they suffer from the condition, including Kendall Jenner, who has revealed that she gets profound anxiety from anything with small holes, including pancakes and honeycomb.
Johnny Depp – clowns
Clowns are creepy at the best of times, but – for sufferers of coulrophobia – they’re literal nightmare fuel. In an interview with the Daily Star, Johnny Depp stated that he’s had a lifelong fear of clowns, stating, “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.”
Kristen Bell – wrinkled fingers
This one is so niche that there isn’t even a name for it. In 2018, Kristen Bell’s husband Dax Shepard uploaded a photo to Instagram of the actress wearing special gloves in the pool. It subsequently transpired that Bell has a severe fear of what she describes as “pruney fingers,” although the scientific term is “water-immersion wrinkling.”
Martin Freeman – avocados
Technically, Martin Freeman has a phobia of choking, not avocados specifically. However, the actor has revealed that he’s unable to eat the green-fleshed fruit without envisioning the stone lodging in his throat. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Freeman confessed that even the sight of an avocado is enough to make him “physically cringe.”
Danielle Jonas – balloons
During an episode of Married to Jonas, Danielle Jonas revealed that she has a phobia of balloons, stating: “It’s the movement of the balloons and the hitting things. It just feels like it’s out of control.” Her phobia proved to be something of a problem during the episode, as she had to help set up the decorations for a party.
Christina Ricci – houseplants
In a 2022 interview with Esquire, Christina Ricci confessed that she has an irrational fear of houseplants. While plants outside don’t trigger her phobia, the actress isn’t a fan of anything growing inside a home, stating: “If I have to touch one, after already being repulsed by the fact that there is a plant indoors, then it just freaks me out.”
David Beckham – being attacked by birds in public
Ornithophobia – an irrational fear of birds – isn’t a particularly unusual phobia, a fact for which Alfred Hitchcock might bear some responsibility. Former England soccer captain David Beckham is a self-confessed sufferer of the disorder, revealing that he has a very specific fear of being attacked by a flock of birds while in public.
Katie Holmes – raccoons
During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Katie Holmes revealed her greatest fear: raccoons. In the same interview, the actress also recounted a harrowing experience she’d had with one. “I was recently sitting outside and this raccoon comes right up,” Holmes shared, “and it’s staring right back like he’s gonna kick my butt. I didn’t know what to do so I just stood up and barked at it and he just ran away.”
Rita Ora – toilets
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Rita Ora revealed that she has a fear of toilets, stating, “I have this thing where I think this tunnel must start from somewhere,” which is actually a somewhat unnerving point. The singer added that she’s terrified of something emerging from the toilet while she’s using it, which is why she never uses the bathroom with the lights off.
Alfred Hitchcock – eggs
Alfred Hitchcock was responsible for terrifying a whole generation of moviegoers, but the legendary director wasn’t without his own fears. Specifically – and somewhat bizarrely – Hitchcock was petrified of eggs, once asking an interviewer, “Have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid?”
Khloé Kardashian – belly buttons
When asked about her greatest fear on her app, Khloé Kardashian revealed that she has a deep-seated fear of belly buttons. The model and influencer claimed to wear mitts in the shower, although apparently this still isn’t enough to stop her from screaming every time she washes her belly button.
DJ Khaled – flying
During an episode of YouTube interview show Hot Ones, DJ Khaled famously bowed out after eating only three of the show’s spicy chicken wings. As well as spice, Khaled is also terrified of heights, revealing on social media that he avoided traveling by plane for ten years, although he now seems to have somewhat overcome his fear.
Matthew McConaughey – revolving doors
Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he gets incredibly nervous and uncomfortable when confronted with a revolving door. The actor apparently gets anxious “just being near them,” with the anxiety stemming from a fear of getting stuck inside the endlessly revolving mechanism. A fear of doors in general – known as entamaphobia – is actually a relatively common disorder.
Sarah Paulson – clowns and bees
In a 2017 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Sarah Paulson revealed that she’s been deathly afraid of both clowns and bees since she was a child. The actress had to face one of these fears during the production of American Horror Story’s fourth season – Freak Show – which heavily focussed on the character of Twisty the Clown.
Nicole Kidman – butterflies
Just like Kylie Jenner, Nicole Kidman has a phobia of butterflies. In a 2005 interview, the actress explained that her fear stems from her childhood in Australia, recalling, “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.”
Jennifer Aniston – being underwater
During a screening of 2015’s Cake, Jennifer Aniston revealed that the movie’s swimming pool scene was incredibly difficult for her to film due to an intense fear of being underwater. Explaining the phobia, Aniston told the audience that she’d nearly drowned as a child after accidentally riding a tricycle into a swimming pool.
Billy Bob Thornton – antique furniture
In an interview with The New York Times, Billy Bob Thornton stated that he has a completely irrational fear of antique furniture. The actor revealed that the phobia is so strong that he struggles to be around “old, dusty heavy drapes and big tables with lions’ heads carved in it. Stuff that kings were around.”
Oprah Winfrey – chewing gum
In 2018, Oprah Winfrey told Stephen Colbert that she has such a severe fear of chewing gum she’s banned it from her offices. The phobia has its origins in Winfrey’s childhood, as her grandmother would stick chewed pieces of gum to bedposts and cabinets to be reused later.
Kristen Stewart – horses
Kristen Stewart developed equinophobia – more commonly referred to as a fear of horses – after she was badly injured in a riding accident at the age of nine. The actress was forced to confront her fear of horses during the production of Snow White and the Huntsman, later confessing that she absolutely hated the experience.
Kyra Sedgwick – talking food
Kyra Sedgwick’s fear of talking food is so debilitating that she banned her husband – actor Kevin Bacon – from appearing in an M&M commercial. Sedgwick is physically unable to stand the sight of talking food, meaning she has to leave the room every time it appears on TV.
Megan Fox – paper
During an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Megan Fox revealed that the feeling of dry paper has a similar effect on her as the sound of nails being scraped down a chalkboard. This is presumably quite challenging for the actress, as a large part of her job involves reading scripts.
Kylie Minogue – clothes hangers
In a 2010 interview with The Telegraph, Kylie Minogue revealed that she stores her clothes by laying them flat to prevent triggering her phobia of clothes hangers. “I don’t like the way they sound when you put them in the wardrobe,” the singer revealed, although she didn’t explain where this particular fear comes from.
Jake Gyllenhaal – ostriches
During the premiere of 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Jake Gyllenhaal explained that he had developed a phobia of ostriches during the movie’s production, stating, “They look like they’re innocent, but they’re really not.” To be fair, it’s debatable whether this is a phobia or a completely rational fear of a patently terrifying animal.
Helen Mirren – phones
In a 2012 interview with The Daily Mirror, Dame Helen Mirren confided that she almost never answers the phone, adding “I never, ever return calls. I’m definitely very frightened of the phone. It makes me so nervous.” Instead, Mirren relies on her answering machine to capture important messages, which she usually replies to by text or email.
Alex Pettyfer – elevators
Claustrophobia – the fear of being enclosed in tight spaces – is completely normal, and most people have probably felt claustrophobic at some point or another. However, for some people – including Alex Pettyfer – claustrophobia can become so extreme that it interferes with daily life. The actor has revealed that he can’t stand being in elevators, forcing him to always take the stairs.
Tyrese Gibson – owls
Actor Tyrese Gibson suffers from a severe case of strigiformophobia, otherwise known as a fear of owls. The phobia is so strong that Gibson can’t even look at an image of owl, and one consequence is that he’s never watched the Harry Potter movies. The actor has stated that he’s been afraid of owls since childhood, although the phobia seemingly isn’t linked to a bad experience.
Rebecca Adlington – the ocean
While Rebecca Adlington is certainly no stranger to being in the water, the Olympic swimmer strictly trains in pools. In a 2012 interview with The Mirror, Adlington revealed that she suffers from thalassophobia, which is an intense fear of the ocean and deep water in general.
Adele – seagulls
As anyone who’s ever lived in a coastal area knows, seagulls can be vicious creatures. In an interview with CelebNow, Adele revealed that one swooped down and stole an ice cream from her when she was a child, leaving her with a scar on her shoulder and a lifelong fear of the birds.
Matt Damon – snakes
Since a phobia is defined as an irrational fear, Matt Damon’s intense aversion to snakes doesn’t technically qualify. Given that snakes kill an estimated 100,000 people a year, being afraid of them is most definitely not irrational. Still, the actor’s fear of the slithering creatures is particularly acute, which makes it all the more impressive that he interacted with them during the production of We Bought a Zoo.
P Diddy – long second toes
Morton’s toe is a common condition in which the second toe is longer than the big toe, and P Diddy is absolutely terrified of it. In a 2008 interview with Jay Leno, the rapper and music mogul admitted that he has to check toe-length on the first date, because if a woman has a longer second toe there’s no point moving forwards.
Elliot Page – tennis balls
Elliot Page has such a strong fear of tennis balls that he can’t be in the room if the sport is on TV. This phobia has actually helped his acting career, however. Since tennis balls are often used to help actors direct their gaze during scenes that will be filled in with CGI, it makes it easy for Page to realistically convey fear.
Katy Perry – the dark
A fear of the dark is hardwired into our DNA, but for some people, this fear can become debilitating, at which point it turns into nyctophobia. Katy Perry has confessed to suffering from this disorder, admitting that she sleeps with the lights on because “a lot of evil things go on in the dark.”
Britney Spears – reptiles
Pop superstar Britney Spears has a debilitating fear of reptiles, which is technically known as herpetophobia. The singer gets incredibly uncomfortable at the mere sight of anything reptilian and refuses to get close to them. While Spears isn’t a fan of any reptiles, she is particularly petrified of Komodo dragons.
Natalie Wood – water
Natalie Wood’s drowning in 1981 remains highly suspicious, and the event gets even bleaker in light of the fact that the actress had a deep-seated fear of water. The phobia began when Wood was a child, after her mother tricked her into standing on a bridge that was designed to drop her into a lake as a cruel practical joke.
Damian Lillard – wax statues
Objects that closely resemble humans are known to induce a feeling of unease, an effect known as the “uncanny valley.” For NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, however, humanlike objects – specifically realistic wax statues – induce a genuine sense of panic. Probably safe to assume he’s not a fan of Madame Tussauds, then.
Scarlett Johansson – birds
Scarlett Johansson is another celebrity who suffers from ornithophobia, explaining that her fear has to do with “something about wings and beaks and the flapping.” Her phobia caused problems during the production of 2011’s We Bought a Zoo, with Johansson revealing that she was terrified of the peacocks, which she described as “mean.”
