Celebrity bodyguards told the whole truth about their best and worst clients (16 photos)

Bodyguards are an integral part of the lives of everyone who has reached the pinnacle of success and popularity, be it pop stars, actors or public figures. But what is it like working for these famous figures? The answers come from former celebrity bodyguards who shared their experiences on Reddit.





1. “I was Eminem's bodyguard from the spring of 2000 (right before The Marshall Mathers LP came out) until about the fall of 2004 (around the time the Encore album came out).

I could write a book about this. Talking to Eminem, you would never guess that he is a celebrity. He was extremely modest, a little awkward, and almost never acted like an asshole. He treated all of his staff, from the sound engineers to those who prepared the food, very kindly and well. He never used his celebrity status to bully or be rude to people and avoided doing so at all costs. But Eminem's younger half-brother Nate is a completely different case; he used his relationship with Eminem to go to different exclusive parties every day and sleep with girls.

Eminem was also a very big fan of weapons (he always carried a gun with him, even after his arrest :O) and periodically became addicted to heavy prescription drugs. But you, the fans, were his biggest problem. "Eminem couldn't go anywhere, and concerts, tours, and any public appearances (especially in late 2002, when both The Eminem Show and 8 Mile dominated popular culture) were the most chaotic experiences of my life."



2. “When I was young, when I worked as security, I once happened to accompany John Cena somewhere, and I was ordered not to allow fans near him. One fan noticed him and asked for an autograph, after which others noticed him too. Cena allowed them to enter and gave each of them an autograph.

He apologized to me for having to wait for him and bought me a Snickers when we got to his dressing room.

All this happened when he was still new and not very popular, and I always remember it. When people say he's a really nice guy, they're not exaggerating."





3. “Worst: Tony Robbins.” The guy was a real asshole, not to mention the fact that he made his fortune by taking advantage of gullible people, and his behavior only makes his asshole worse. He demanded that his hotel room always be at a certain temperature, and when it dropped a couple of degrees, he lost his temper and started yelling at the staff.

I had to walk him to his room after one of his seminars, and his entourage (fans and parasites) said that I had to stay 6 meters away from him, otherwise I would “disturb his aura.” How the hell am I supposed to protect him while staying at such a distance? He also had some strange contraption that looked like a cross between an automatic enema and a giant dildo. In my heart I don’t know what it was for, and I didn’t ask. Strange guy overall.

Best: Snoop Dogg, aka Snoop Lion. He was completely relaxed. Asked me to play him a Steelers game and gave me a wad of cash to pay for a bunch of Playstation 2s to bring to his room since he and his entourage were going to host a Madden tournament that evening. He also asked me to only allow children near him, since he only signs autographs for them, not adults. He's actually an incredibly eloquent and polite person considering what he's become famous for."



4. “My funniest bodyguard story was with Shaq. He came to the club where I worked, and I was assigned to him. Then I weighed 105 kg and was 195 centimeters tall, but compared to him I was a dwarf. It was just funny that I looked like a child next to him, but my job was to “protect” him. Nothing special, I just had to keep people away from him all night who wanted to get an autograph/take a photo.”



5. Robert Duvall [The Godfather]. A wonderful, amazing person. He carries a notebook with him, and every time he dines at a place, he writes down the name so that he knows whether or not to return there and what to order there. One day he was having lunch in a small establishment and was just about to ask for the bill when someone finally recognized him. There were only about 20 people there, and only 10 wanted an autograph (this was in the days before cell phone cameras), the rest just settled for a handshake.”



6. “Once, to my great pleasure, I had the opportunity to guard Peter Cullen on horseback. For the uninitiated, Peter Cullen is the voice of Optimus Prime and Eeyore [from Winnie the Pooh]. When I arrived, I had no idea what the law was or who I was protecting. I walked in and realized that I was in the company of my own people, and when I found out that I was guarding Peter Cullen, I was delighted.

He turned out to be one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life and he really loves his fans. People told him stories about how he impacted them as Optimus and Eeyore, and he took it really to heart and hugged them when he saw them in need. He looked at all the gifts that were given to him and really appreciated them. While in the dressing room, he ordered milk and food from the Swiss Chalet restaurant - he really loved Swiss Chalet. What came as a surprise to me was that he did not like swearing. He was constantly joking backstage and suggested that I sit down in the lounge and take a break. I ended up staying on the horse for another hour just to listen to him talk about his experience and answer questions from fans.

TLDR: I got paid to hang out with Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime and Eeyore)."



7. “I worked in private security for Cesar Millan (Dog Translator), he is a very hardworking and down to earth guy. He was always the first to arrive at the ranch and the last to leave, and his then-girlfriend was also a very nice and interesting conversationalist.”



8. “I'm not supposed to talk about this, but some [celebrities] really stood out, both for the good and the bad. I will also note that I was not their bodyguard, but was doing a different kind of “work.”

When I talk about the true nature of this celebrity, it breaks the hearts of all my friends - Gwen Steffani. Seriously, I've worked for her three times and I'd rather lie on a bed full of broken syringes from drug addicted prostitutes than deal with her again. But Gavin Rossdale [Bush] is the coolest, most humble and calm guy in the world.

What surprised me most was the Beckhams, both of them. Again, the most polite and down to earth, pleasant and attentive people. Now I can never say bad things about Posh Spice or make fun of David."



9. “I was Fay Wray's bodyguard [King Kong (1933)] during the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. She was incredible. Sweet, elegant and all that.

I was once threatened by a crowd of gay men when I stopped them from approaching her (on her orders) - quite an interesting experience. I had to come into close contact with one of them (no, not **in that** sense).

10/10 would work as a bodyguard again - if she were still alive."



10. “Once, when a certain Die Hard star was filming in our city, he and his demi-star wife stayed at the hotel where I worked. Their armed guards (plural) stood at the door of their room until the end of their shift, after which they went down to have a drink at the bar across the street where all the hotel employees went to "cool off" after work. They were very interesting, generous guys who were well aware that their jobs were stupid, but managed to maintain respect for their "boss" while laughing at the fact that the biggest threat they faced on the job was a turkey sandwich , ordered to the room."



11. “I was injured while serving in the Marine Corps in San Diego in 2009. So we were sent to ComicCon to provide security for the celebrities who were signing autographs and performing. Without a doubt, the best I've worked for were MythBusters Jamie and Adam. Absolutely amazing guys. They signed whatever was asked of them for free and took pictures with everyone.

The worst, and it really upset me, was Adam West [Batman (1966-68)]. He turned out to be a complete idiot. He appeared "undercover", wearing sunglasses and a Sars mask. And when he took it all off and few people were paying attention to him, he got angry and waited until everyone in line applauded him before he sat down. After that, it took him 20 minutes to “get ready,” that is, to yell at his assistant for a bunch of different reasons. When he finally started letting people in, it was announced that each of his autographs cost $40, and he would only sign one of the 4 photos he brought. After an hour, he started signing things that people brought in for double the price. 80 dollars for him to put a squiggle. And he didn't add anything of his own. Just an autograph. He then got angry and left, first yelling at his assistant for about 10 minutes. He left, and more than 150 people remained in the queue, who stood there for about 3 hours. I was very sad. Before that, I always really liked him...”



12. “Not a very interesting story, but I helped keep Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch safe from crazy fans during a show. Essentially, we had to stand in a line and pass the unconscious girls down the chain to the ambulance crew. Of course, there was no place for me there, since I was 14 or 15, and I was quite skinny, but my friend’s father was in charge there. I was lucky enough to hang out with Marky Mark [Mark Wahlberg], who was very friendly and gave me a very cool gangster handshake. We then ate fried chicken with the band backstage. End"



13. “Best: KRS-1, Warren G, Duggie Fresh, Snoop Dogg, Rob Zombie (he turned out to be incredibly cool and humble), Damian Marley, Two Short, Travis Barker, Kid from Kid 'n Play, Jim Belushi, and more all the pornstars I worked with were incredibly hot. And a bunch of others.

Worst: Almost all athletes are assholes, except hockey players. All the hockey players I talked to were very nice!”



14. “Worst: Adam Lambert... I have never met or worked for someone so heartless and rude. One day I was asked to be his personal security as a favor for his tour manager. He literally came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said: “Until you see that thousands of people are getting to me, stay as far away from me as possible.”... I couldn’t believe that someone the person I am supposed to protect will tell me this. I did my best to remain professional and did my best not to kill this guy with my own hands. He deliberately made my night hell."



15. “There's one actress who was the star of a semi-hit horror series on Fox that was somehow already in its 3rd season... and she's honestly the worst star I've ever worked with. I've never seen someone disdain an entire film crew so much for no reason. They had to shut down production for over 2 weeks because her boyfriend broke up with her and she refused to even talk to the white cast members unless they were her bosses. I had never had the urge to call a woman the P-word until I started working with her. Oh, and I almost forgot - she bit her stylist on the hand. Fox had to work hard to keep the case from ending in court.”