Bad Bunny is one of the most popular rappers in the world and was named Billboard’s top artist of 2022. He’s also branching out into film, appearing as an assassin in Bullet Train and will play the lead in Sony’s El Muerto. I don’t know much about him. I can’t say I think much of him, though, after watching this:
Bad Bunny is under fire for throwing away a fan’s phone after they violated his personal space in the Dominican Republic. pic.twitter.com/bz1LsMz8Oz
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 2, 2023
What happened in that video, if you couldn’t play it, is that Monday night, a fan came up to Bad Bunny and tried to get a selfie with him as he was strutting down the street with his entourage. Mid swagger, he grabbed her phone and tossed it into the body of water they were walking beside. The woman is utterly shocked. People reacted to Bad Bunny’s phone toss, most standing with Team Uncool Dude. So Bad Bunny decided to defend himself and justify callously discarding this woman’s expensive electronic device into the drink, rendering it useless.
Bad Bunny appears to have responded to a short video that recently went viral depicting the Puerto Rican rapper grabbing a fan’s phone and chucking it into the water.
“The person who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something, or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect,” Bad Bunny wrote in a tweet, as translated from Spanish via Twitter. “Those who come to put a phone bastard in my face I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect and I will treat it likewise.”
[From Entertainment Weekly via DListed]
I’m not defending the fan per se. Fans need to learn boundaries. Just because they want to get a photo with their favorite does not entitle them to one. She shouldn’t have rushed up to his side nor should she have presumed taking a selfie was okay, even if Bad Bunny did smile for it before destroying her phone. But his was a d*ck move. I might have even defended him taking the phone out of her hand and lecturing her, but tossing it into the water? That’s unwarranted. What if the phone wasn’t paid off? She may have needed that to get home. It was an overreaction on his part. He had an entire entourage that could have closed ranks to protect him from intrusive fans. I can’t make out much, but I don’t see him saying anything to the woman. He doesn’t appear to even tell her no before ripping the phone from her hand.
No one’s a winner here. Again, I’m not martyring the fan but I can’t justify Bad Bunny either.
This isn’t related but CB forwarded me this tweet and it’s really funny. Twitter user @notcapnamerica asks his parents who a bunch of popular celebrities are and they know but can’t name many of them, except for Bad Bunny, about whom they have absolutely no clue.
Photos credit: Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images, BauerGriffin/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images, Getty Images
@notcapnamerica’s tweet and parents are giving me life.
The fan was way out of order. She was in his personal space and making physical contact. He may have over reacted but she was being really obnoxious.
Geez, she wasn’t wielding a knife or a gun.
So what? Nothing gives her the right to make physical contact with a stranger.
Agree. She’s walking right next to him with her camera literally in his face filming him. Absolutely no regards to his personal boundaries. One of his bodyguards should have taken care of the situation but I understand his gesture. It was so easy and spur of the moment and so ‘get the f&ck out of my face!’
People need to learn that celebrities are people too and they owe you absolutely nothing. You wouldn’t get into somebody’s personal space that you didn’t know and celebrities should be treated the same.
Agreed. Bad Bunny is an amazing person and does A LOT of positive things for the Hispanic/Latino Community – especially for our ISLAND giving us free concerts, etc. If you’re in someone’s personal space like that – yeah, this is what happens. She was out of line and she f*cked around and found out.
Are you talking about the same Bad bunny that ripped off Missy Elliott’s song then when she called him out and filed a lawsuit and won. He lied and said she got all the money when she didn’t she split it up with the other people that helped write this song which lead to racist Latinas attacking Missy Elliott.
Shocked at all the people excusing Bad Bunny’s horrendous behavior. If someone gets in your personal space at work and you grab their personal property out of their hand and destroy it, guaranteed that you are getting arrested. That is assault and definitely destruction of property. Point, blank, period. He does not get a pass because he contributes money to the latino community.
Thanks for pointing out that cops only gaf if someone or their property is physically touched and don’t gaf about verbal assault or harassment or stalking. Appreciate you pointing out how fucked up that system is. If someone gets in my face I will push them away. If I get arrested for defending myself that’s a systemic issue.
And thank you for the histrionics. He wasn’t assaulted or harassed or even stalked. He had security; he could have asked them to intervene. Or he could have asked her to please leave, without destroying her personal property. You are not a celebrity, he is. That is purportedly why he has such a large entourage. There is a proper way to do things and this was not it.
The fan was wrong for getting in his face but destroying personal property is against the law and she should press charges. Phones aren’t cheap.
I agree. Bad Bunny had no right to destroy his fan’s personal property. He came across as an entitled bully. He should make his fan whole and replace her destroyed property.
I don’t know any of this jackass’s songs, but I’ve seen the video of him walking through a crowded dance floor while snatching people’s phones out of their hands and then flinging them away.
The name “bad bunny” makes it seem like he lost a bet. But I’m old- his music/persona is not aimed at me.
Certainly he overreacted and was a jerk. Phones are EXPENSIVE.
I would hate being famous. I rarely want to talk to strangers – so I feel sympathy for him for being accosted, even politely.
It would be good PR for him to replace her phone. He overreacted for sure.
As someone on Reddit pointed out, he’s not a *good* bunny.
My old boss refers to some people as “bad bunnies” and thus we had a laugh about this guy also being one previous to this.
How did she even get that close to him? What if she had been a deranged fan? She could’ve killed him! He probably was annoyed at her, but he shouldn’t have thrown her phone into the ocean. We all have lots of info on our phones. I’d sue him!
+1
She was still way out of line. I dont blame him for reacting that way.
+1
Also, @notcapnamerica regularly has hilarious threads.
My phone was pretty expensive. I have lots of important information on my phone. If I’m out on the town like these folks, I can easily use it to call an uber to get home too.
So that’s why I don’t shove it in stranger’s faces.
+1
FAFO.
+1
She did invade his personal space but he should have let his bodyguards handle the situation. Can she sue him for destroying her property?
I hope so. He should buy her an iPhone 14 Pro Max and a Hermes cover encrusted with a diamond.
Yes. Yes, she can and I hope she does.
He overreacted but it’s weird and obnoxious that some fans treat celebrities like property not people. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for her but BB shouldn’t have made the phone useless. Put it on a table or in grass if he wanted to make a statement.
“Those who come to put a phone bastard in my face I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect and I will treat it likewise.”
I’m ignoring his name because it’s ridiculous. I think it’s very interesting how cis men are completely obsessed with “respect” or what they perceive as a lack thereof. And what happens when they don’t get the respect they think they deserve. This fan was rude AF but we can all see that he has a bunch of dudes with him and any one of them could have stopped this young woman at any time. She wasn’t dangerous apparently, she wasn’t antagonizing him. There is no excuse for him acting like a complete jackass. And who’s filming this?
Also, these days people’s entire lives are their phones. You can leave the house with just your phone and keys and have a wallet etc. on your phone. Let’s hope she had friends and/or money with her.
It’s not just a cis men thing. It’s a cultural thing, too, and pretty common within cultures that have been targeted and oppressed under white supremacist structures.
I think it was truly awful fan behaviour and he stooped to her level. He’d be getting worse headlines if he or his entourage had physically pushed her away so the phone throwing was a better choice of two crappy reactions, but she was definitely unlucky to be the 20th person or whatever to do it and cop that reaction.
I find that I have far more sympathy with the uncool dude than the fan. Famous people have a right to personal space, and she knows that: you don’t go up to people and try to take selfies without permission. And if she did get his picture, that is something that has a potential benefit for her. She should have known better.
It sucked for her, but I bet she won’t do it again. And others are less likely to try it with him.
Celebrities aren’t pets.
I’m okay with his actions. Back the f off lady
The fan overstepped. Did she deserve to have her phone thrown in the ocean though? That being said, this isn’t the first time his bad behavior towards fans has been pointed out.
Team no one. It’s gross to violate someone’s personal space because you believe they owe you a photo. Celebrities should be grateful to their fans, but they don’t owe anyone their personal time.
It’s also gross to take someone’s property and destroy it. There’s no excuse for either’s behavior.
Same here, both of them are in the wrong.
He “overreacted” because it was an instinctual response. His fight or flight took over. I don’t even know who this guy is but I do know I would probably have had a very similar reaction. Don’t fuckin get in my face. I don’t know you.
One time over a decade ago I went to a local live music event. Cake was headlining. Some girl in the front row tried to grab his vibraslap and he stopped the song to lecture her, he was LIVID. Just give people space, jfc
Yesss!!!
Is this Reddit? Because ESH.
His reaction was not measured or prudent but a celebrity in the wild is not an animal in a zoo. They don’t owe you their time, image or graciousness. They are human beings and just because they chose a career in the limelight does not mean they deserve to be accosted or “called out” if they aren’t super friendly and doing selfies every second from the minute they leave their front door.
He shouldnt have destroyed her phone but she is absolutely not in the right here. At all.
Agree.
Do you know how many DV cases are legally inactionable for lack of evidence but end up in injunctions anyway because someone seized a phone?
The answer is a lot
You don’t do this.
Ok but I heard what he did is an actual crime. She can go after him for money (the price of the phone) at minimum. He needs to be smarter. Did he say to her “hey respect my space?”. Did he even give her a chance to move away from him? Seems like he smiled, grabbed the phone and threw it into the water. I’m not saying the fan is right, but this was not a good thing for him to do. I’m a big fan of his. He’s very talented, but this is dissappointing.
As was published here, the young woman is depressed and only wants an apology. But it was not clear from the article if she was depressed because she did not take the selfie, or because her phone ended in a bush or because one of the other people (not Bad Bunny) uploaded the video as quickly as he could and then gave an interview.
Personally, I have no doubt in my mind she’s ‘depressed’ over the phone issue. I think she was in the wrong to invade his privacy. Not that I’m famous or anything, but I would have done the same thing Bad Bunny did! Good on him!!!
Also, which has nothing to do with this, but BB is hot AF!!!! OMG!! : – )
Here I am in the Year of the Rabbit defending Bad Bunny, a name I didn’t know belonged to a human being until yesterday. WTF 2023.
This was some misogynistic mess too – if that happened to be a dude’s phone and not a woman’s I’m thinking it would’ve gone down a bit differently. Should she have learned boundaries? Sure. Still doesn’t warrant his disregard for her property – like was stated, that could be her way home. It could be her wallet. It could be a $1k+ piece of electronics that isn’t paid off yet. He thought he’d be cute in the moment and now can’t back his ass off his shoulders. Gross.
I understand that Bad Bunny gets people passionate for different reasons, but 1st if the young woman was a fan, chances are that she would have seen BB talk about not liking when people invaded his space and stick phones on his face, for selfies, without even an introduction. Look it up 2018, El Molusco. 2nd Phone ended up in a bush not the water. 3rd Even the young man that took one of the videos commented to the press that he understood that they were at dinner and that finding all of these people that found out via social media that he was there could have been overwhelming. And, last, if Bad Bunny were a woman and the fan a man we would not be having this conversation. Saw the video all of them are Gen Z, they need to learn about manners, and boundaries for real. And, celebrities don’t teach your kids values, you as a parent do. So stop it with this guya, I mean how about the actors with comments on readdit and how they hook up with fans and such, are those any better? Common now.
That same night he’s in a shoulder-to-shoulder packed night club yet somehow notices people’s phones.
He forces his way through the crowd TO the people with phones, who are a healthy distance AWAY from him, and then proceeds to grab their phones and chunk them.
They were nowhere near him and he deliberately pursued them.
I love his music. Love every song he does, think he’s hot, admire his talent and style. And am so, so proud of his success. But I had zero idea this is who is.
How is it excusable? If he hates people this much why doesn’t he have much better/effective security who keep fans far away or have a VIP room/section roped off.
Although, again… HE made his way to the people with phones so being roped off isn’t going to stop HIM from chasing people with phones.
Doing good things for the community doesn’t clear him.
For all we know all his good deeds are ideas his agent, PR Team, manager come up with and force him to do.
Normally ‘smart’ celebs have security around them who would stop the girl from getting close in the first place. If it was bordering him a simple no, warning or competent security standing between him and her would suffice.
People do need boundaries, but in this case, it’s giving shades of Ezra Miller. Let’s hope it doesn’t continue that way.