Most of the time celebrities are the ones who get trolled -- their egos often make them easy targets for people with not much to do and a lot of internet savvy. Trolls have provoked celebrities into a running segment on Jimmy Kimmel, mass Onion-related confusion, and an entire bad TV show with an even worse name hosted by Mario Lopez.
Sometimes, people in the public eye have a sense of humor and the capacity for revenge. Often, simple deadpanning and weirdness coming from people you ordinarily wouldn't expect to have a sense of self-awareness is enough to cause mass humor. This is especially potent in sports, with the infection of the entire Kansas City Royals with Fetty Wap-itis, Marshawn Lynch's refusal to answer questions, or the repeated name changes of Chad Ocho Cinco -- sorry, Johnson). But it also happens for artists and actors, who can, if prompted, go troll for troll with the best of them. In their honor, here are some of the best celebrity trolls.
Drake's Lint Roller
Remember when everyone made fun of Drake for using a lint roller at a basketball game? Whatever you think of Aubrey (or his now-insane feud with Meek Mill), it's pretty clear that that kind of low-key presentation is basically what he was born to do -- turning himself into a meme and reaping all of the attention benefits. Also, eventually there were official Drake lint rollers, because of course there were.
Say what you will about her (and you should!), but Taylor Swift is an unbelievably media-savvy pop star, perhaps exemplified by her winking awareness of the "No it's Becky" Tumblr meme, which originally used her image as a stand-in for a girl who died after "snorting marijuana." This is a brilliant troll, Taylor, A+ work.
James Franco Making Out With Himself
James Franco is another dude whose entire life sometimes seems to be a series of trolls, perhaps because it would be impossible for one human being with a coherent sense of self and an established value system to do all of the things that he does. But the most ridiculous example of his Franco-ness is almost certainly that video where he tentatively kisses himself, because it's an "art" piece for The New York Times that is also 100% a thing that "James Franco" as our mortal minds understand him would do.
Kanye changing the title of So Help Me God to SWISH is definitely a troll, right? Like, he doesn't seem to be treating music as his top priority anymore -- it's "just harder" for him now, which is totally okay! -- and the fact that the tossed-off tweet where he says the album is called SWISH has stuck is a pretty good indication that Kanye likes making people think bizarre things about him before he comes back with the real art. Maybe he should just drop this one already, though? (At least give us the "Wolves" CDQ, because come on.)
Everyone Involved With the Hoverboard Thing
What a weird day on the internet it was when, all the way back in the spring of 2014, a video appeared featuring Christopher Lloyd, Schoolboy Q, Terrell Owens, and Moby all testing out fake hoverboard technology. It turned out Funny or Die was ultimately responsible, which helps explain this otherwise mystical troll, but that doesn't make it any less funny.
![shialol.jpg]()
Shia LeBeouf's Existence
There is way, way too much here to boil it down to one story. What would you even pick? The plagiarizing for rap "freestyles"? The weird facial cutting? The green-screened motivational memes? The... threats? Maybe instead of being a troll, Shia LeBeouf is just kind of an asshole.
Sometimes, people in the public eye have a sense of humor and the capacity for revenge. Often, simple deadpanning and weirdness coming from people you ordinarily wouldn't expect to have a sense of self-awareness is enough to cause mass humor. This is especially potent in sports, with the infection of the entire Kansas City Royals with Fetty Wap-itis, Marshawn Lynch's refusal to answer questions, or the repeated name changes of Chad Ocho Cinco -- sorry, Johnson). But it also happens for artists and actors, who can, if prompted, go troll for troll with the best of them. In their honor, here are some of the best celebrity trolls.
Drake's Lint Roller
Remember when everyone made fun of Drake for using a lint roller at a basketball game? Whatever you think of Aubrey (or his now-insane feud with Meek Mill), it's pretty clear that that kind of low-key presentation is basically what he was born to do -- turning himself into a meme and reaping all of the attention benefits. Also, eventually there were official Drake lint rollers, because of course there were.
PEOPLE IN NYC WILL BE CONFUSED THATS BECKY OKAY NOT TAYLOR SWIFT SHES BECKY pic.twitter.com/o566D7fPo1
-- ☁ (@taylorspurr) September 25, 2014Say what you will about her (and you should!), but Taylor Swift is an unbelievably media-savvy pop star, perhaps exemplified by her winking awareness of the "No it's Becky" Tumblr meme, which originally used her image as a stand-in for a girl who died after "snorting marijuana." This is a brilliant troll, Taylor, A+ work.
James Franco Making Out With Himself
James Franco is another dude whose entire life sometimes seems to be a series of trolls, perhaps because it would be impossible for one human being with a coherent sense of self and an established value system to do all of the things that he does. But the most ridiculous example of his Franco-ness is almost certainly that video where he tentatively kisses himself, because it's an "art" piece for The New York Times that is also 100% a thing that "James Franco" as our mortal minds understand him would do.
I'm changing my album name to SWISH
-- KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 3, 2015Kanye changing the title of So Help Me God to SWISH is definitely a troll, right? Like, he doesn't seem to be treating music as his top priority anymore -- it's "just harder" for him now, which is totally okay! -- and the fact that the tossed-off tweet where he says the album is called SWISH has stuck is a pretty good indication that Kanye likes making people think bizarre things about him before he comes back with the real art. Maybe he should just drop this one already, though? (At least give us the "Wolves" CDQ, because come on.)
Everyone Involved With the Hoverboard Thing
What a weird day on the internet it was when, all the way back in the spring of 2014, a video appeared featuring Christopher Lloyd, Schoolboy Q, Terrell Owens, and Moby all testing out fake hoverboard technology. It turned out Funny or Die was ultimately responsible, which helps explain this otherwise mystical troll, but that doesn't make it any less funny.
Shia LeBeouf's ExistenceThere is way, way too much here to boil it down to one story. What would you even pick? The plagiarizing for rap "freestyles"? The weird facial cutting? The green-screened motivational memes? The... threats? Maybe instead of being a troll, Shia LeBeouf is just kind of an asshole.