The celebrities cannot thoroughly enjoy doing something outside their jobs without fear of their privacy being violated. The reason is, they are closely monitored by the so-called paparazzi. The actions of paparazzi have resulted in death. A case in point is when the world woke up to the sad news of the death of Princess Diana, who at the time was 36 years old. Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997. The princess’s death was attributed to paparazzi who were chasing her for a photograph.
In the recent past, paparazzi have been accused of targeting the children of celebrities. A good number of celebrities, including Jennifer Garner, came together to condemn the vice.
Celeb–paparazzi clashes.
The celeb versus paparazzi encounters are old news. Nowadays, celebrities have less and less privacy. The paparazzi are all over the place, taking photographs. Some of the pictures taken by the paparazzi are demeaning to the stature of a celebrity. Paparazzi are known for taking nude and embarrassing photographs of celebrities in their homes, streets, among other places. The following are the four most memorable clashes between a celeb and paparazzi.
1. Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton is the Duchess of Cambridge. She is married to Prince William. A French magazine by the name Closer published topless photographs of Kate Middleton. The publication contained five pages of photographs of Kate. At the time, Kate and William were sunbathing on their vacation when the pictures were taken by paparazzi. The headline of the publication was “Oh my God!”
The Royal family, in a statement, said that the publication showed the worst of paparazzi during the life of Diana, and it was distressing for both the prince and Kate Middleton. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge filed a legal suit against St. James Palace, the publishers. The Royal family won the legal battle when the court ordered Close magazine, which was the first to print the photographs, to turn over all these photos. The court further ordered that failure by the French magazine to comply with its order will result in payment of a substantial fine. Interestingly, a day after the royal family sued the French magazine, two other publications published the topless photographs of Kate Middleton. The two publications are: an Italian gossip magazine and the Irish Daily Star.
2. KANYE WEST.
In 2008, at Los Angeles Airport, Kanye West got into a fight with paparazzi. Kanye West was charged with three counts of misdemeanor counts. The charges that Kanye was charged with include battery, grand theft after he broke a camera of a paparazzi, and vandalism. Later, the charges were dropped. Kanye agreed to do 50 hours of community service. The community service was part of the plea deal that Kanye West had agreed to.
3. BRITNEY SPEARS
The relationship between Britney Spears and the paparazzi has been one of love-hate. In 2007, the paparazzi had a field day with the singer’s downward spiral. In the same year, Britney did numerous things, such as jumping into the ocean with only her panties and bra, shaving her head bald, and failing to attend a hearing on her child-custody case with Kevin Federline, her ex-husband. Also, Spears checked herself in and out of rehab and directed the photographers with a 3-foot-long umbrella. What made an instant classic was the photograph of a bald Britney in a sweatshirt and shorts putting a green umbrella against a photographer’s empty SUV.
4. JENNIFER ANISTON
Jennifer Aniston is known for her role in the comedy “Friends.” She filed a suit against two British magazines. The two had published photographs taken by paparazzi over the fence of her house when the actress was sunbathing with only her panties. In the lawsuit that the star filed in court, she argued that the magazines invaded her right to privacy. The matter was finally concluded out of court. Aniston was awarded US$550,000 and also received an apology from the photographer who took the photograph.
The issue of paparazzi interfering with the privacy of celebrities cannot be wished away. The celebrities want to press and publicity. In getting the publicity, many have opened their lives to the public through reality TV shows and social media. The TV reality shows have enabled the public to have unparalleled access to the lives of the celebrities. If the behavior of paparazzi is to be dealt with, people should stop purchasing magazines that report paparazzi work.
