Did you know that Octavia Spencer writes books? She writes the Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective tween series. The second book in the series has just been released, and Octavia was apparently doing a book signing at The Grove in LA last week, only it didn’t go so well. Allegedly. Here’s the thing: I’m willing to make the leap and say it’s perfectly possible that Octavia Spencer was a total diva at a book signing. But I cannot sign off on the level of vitriol being leveled at her in this Daily Mail article, even if they are just quoting from named and unnamed sources. Here’s the Mail’s piece on the situation:
Octavia Spencer shocked and angered hundreds of fans at a recent book signing, acting like an ‘ungrateful b****,’ say eyewitnesses who were so incensed with the actress’s behavior they stormed out and demanded refunds. Spencer was at Barnes & Noble bookstore at The Grove in Los Angeles last week to autograph copies of her children’s book ‘Randi Rhodes Ninja Detective — The Sweetest Heist in History.’ But before the night was over people were dragging their kids out of line, demanding refunds on the books and stormed out of the store in disgust.
‘Octavia was mean, rude and horrible to everyone,’ former Octavia fan, Angel Guzman explained to the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview. ‘Initially, there was a Q & A but Octavia acted like she was forced to be there and she took her anger out on all of us, including the kids. Octavia’s answers were short and blunt and there were times she rolled her eyes to the back of her head like she couldn’t believe someone could ask such a stupid question. It quickly became a very uncomfortable situation for all of us. It was clear they just needed to proceed to the autographs because Octavia was not responding well at all to the questions.’
Octavia was scheduled to autograph her books from 7-9 p.m. but she was complaining the moment she arrived about the space they put her in, the ‘tiny glass of water’ she was given, that her feet were hurting so she took a long bathroom break, leaving everyone to wonder if she left or not.
‘Octavia was acting like a diva. She was mad because the event coordinator gave her a small glass of water but she wanted a large liter of ‘good water’ and demanded to know why she was being treated this way,’ Guzman continued. ‘All of this happened in front of everyone who has been standing there for at least an hour, with their restless kids, waiting for her to show up. Octavia didn’t acknowledge the crowd in any way; she just showed up and started to complain. But when the she finally started to sign the books is when things went from bad to worse.’
Ordinarily, celebrities allow their fans to take a picture with them at these book signings, but Octavia said no touching, no coming around the table to take a pic with her and she also refused to have small talk with anyone — just give her the book to sign and keep it moving. And she didn’t even want to ask the customer what was their name, they had to tell the assistant standing nearby their name, she wrote it on a sticky pad and handed it to Octavia, who then signed the book and slid it over to the edge of the table for pickup, like it was a fast food window.
After watching Octavia being abrupt and rude to several people one woman grabbed her 8-year-old and stormed off yelling, ‘This woman is an ungrateful, nasty b****! I’m getting a refund on this stupid book. If she talked to me or my child like that it would get really ugly in here so it’s best we get our money back and go home before something jumps off.’
As I said, I’m willing to travel down this path and say that Octavia was maybe having a bad night, or maybe she was tired of being treated like communal property, or hey, maybe she didn’t want people touching her and she wanted to keep the autograph line moving quickly because she wasn’t expecting so many people. But the level of vitriol is… unsettling. You know who else was reportedly a major diva during her book tour? Lea Michele. But we didn’t have eyewitness accounts calling Lea an “ungrateful, nasty bitch.” That’s really over-the-top, right?
Oh, and Octavia responded to this story on her Twitter, writing:
Gotta laugh when ppl would acutally believe that you were rude to a child… at YOUR CHILDREN'S BOOK SIGNING.
— octavia spencer (@octaviaspencer) April 6, 2015
Huh.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I really just don’t buy it, especially not at this level. Anybody can have a bad day and do one or two of those things, but I just don’t see it all coming from her.
Sidenote, the episode of 30 Rock where Tracy is directing a Harriet Tubman biopic and she’s supposed to be a Tracy-like diva is hilarious. “I don’t like Tubman. How about Tubgirl?” and “I want my character to walk through walls.” totally kill me.
I have been to a few book signings and some of the people waiting to get books signed can be unreal. Bringing half a dozen books to be signed. When it is clearly stated one book per customer, demanding selfies and seeming to think they have the right to take up time by discussing the book with the author like they are at a cocktail party and it goes on.
Octavia may have had a bad day who knows.
Of course it was from The Daily Mail. Because they are a bunch of racist a-holes. The only reason they covered this non-story is because she is a black woman.
Gotta agree with you, Jenns. I find rude behaviour and a diva attitude pretty appalling, but this article is the bigger crime here. The Mail is just the worst.
+2
+3. No one should read that rancid tripe rag.
Well clearly something went down that made a bunch of folks unhappy. What I don’t get re book tours- a certain level of interaction is now expected. If you can’t/won’t have comfortable doing this, then don’t.
I think the insults are extreme, but I believe what happened. Some celebrities are like this, even at signings (anyone ever seen Avril Lavignes meet and greet? Awkward and annoying). Why can’t we assume this is her normal behavior and not a bad day? That’s what we assume with Lea Michelle
Because Octavia Spencer has always had a good reputation and deserves the benefit of the doubt. Lea Michele and Avril are known to be bratty.
I’ve defintely heard other stories about her being rude though.
She has a good reputation, but everyone has a bad day.
People were this pissed off at a book signing??? Relax y’all damn, but I believe I’ve heard stories before about her being not so kind.
Isn’t 7 – 9pm a bit too late for a children’s autograph signing? Something is not right.
good way to push the angry black woman stereotype, i dont buy it.
Then don’t. I never thought about it.
Kara does make a fair point, though, despite your being so dismissive.
Why make it a racial issue?
because it HAS to be about race
hahahaha wow you need to not
I went to a talk and book signing for The Fictional Women by Tara Moss. My name was written on sticky note and put inside the cover; I assume this was to keep the line moving and to make sure names are spelt correctly. (Ashley vs Ashleigh as an example). That signing wasn’t as crowded as Octavia’s so it is most likely just normal procedure.
I’ve been to one with Lisa See and they put out names on sticky note. She held up the line when she found out my 90+ year old grandmother was with us and read her book as a member of a book club. Otherwise, it would it have been sign, say hello, say goodbye and thank you.
If hundreds of people show up and the author wasn’t expecting it, I can see how he or she could be put out. Still, as you’re promoting your book, it seems one would be gracious about it and sign as many as possible without obvious irritation.
If a person can’t be nice, might as well at least be civil.
I’ve worked plenty of in-stores and festivals and we usually use stickies on items, sometimes there’s no photos with the celebrity. there’s only so much time .
Yes, having someone walk down the line and write the fan’s name on a sticky note and put it in the inside cover is par for the course. It keeps the line moving and ensures everyone’s name is spelled correctly.
I’ve never been to a signing but can picture how it works. Does an author ever have someone along who tries to enforce the rules to keep things moving? It doesn’t seem right that the author should be the person who tells people no pictures, only one book, etc. Their sole task should be there to sign and thank folks for buying the book.
I really hate when celebrities are mean to their fans. Maybe she was having a bad day but it only takes a second to sign someone’s photo. I’ll remember this story next time I’m considering seeing one of her movies.
“After watching Octavia being abrupt and rude to several people one woman grabbed her 8-year-old and stormed off yelling, ‘This woman is an ungrateful, nasty b****! I’m getting a refund on this stupid book. If she talked to me or my child like that it would get really ugly in here so it’s best we get our money back and go home before something jumps off.’”
So it sounds like some random woman was shouting and cussing in front of children, yet accusing Octavia of being ungrateful and nasty? I buy that Octavia might have been a little curt with some pushy people, but it sounds like this Angel Guzman person had some sour grapes.
And some of the complaints lodged against her were basically “she asked for water!” “she took a bathroom break!” Get a grip, people.
Yes, I thought that woman’s behavior was inexcusable and really the only shocking thing about the evening. If you’re unhappy, fine, leave, but swearing in front of children and creating such a scene says a lot more about her than it does Olivia. And I’ve been to book signings where the author wanted you to write your name in advance and keep it moving. No big deal.
My thoughts exactly. It seemed the only complaints directly attributed to Octavia were “can I have a bottle of water instead of this glass?”–a rather reasonable request if you have stacks of new books around you, and that she took a long bathroom break. Her only mistake IMO was holding the book signing at the Grove–if you want to see real diva behavior, just take a look at any of the entitled shoppers there. It sounds like the mother of the 8-year old is no exception. If everything is true, you know that poor child was hiding her head in her elbow as she was dragged through the store after mommy’s scene.
I was thinking the exact same thing! I doubt that woman’s child had any problem with Olivia. It sounds like this woman was the one wrecking the event for the kid.
I’m a bit skeptical, especially as I attended a book signing last night where the rules were quite strict. The author will sign the book but no, your name won’t be included and no special requests, no pictures with the author. Those are pretty standard rules for book signings, especially when there are long lines. Nobody wants to be 80th in line while people ahead are making special requests and posing for pictures and the author won’t have much of a hand left otherwise.
So true. And I’ve been behind those people.
+1
I did a huge book festival last year.
Every author has their own rules and more they are famous more there are many fans and more the rules are strict.
It’s why the tiny book festivals are cool. The authors are less famous ,they are happy to talk about their books and promote them
I think she is smart enough not to be rude to a child. I also don’t think she is a rude person. She doesn’t come across as surgary sweet, thank god, but she has always seemed like a genuinely kind person.
I think this story is made up.
I really hope it isn’t true. I’m a huge fan of hers. I would like to point out that her teenage co-stars on Red Band Society have nothing but good things to say about her and the way she treated them on set. I remember reading an article saying that the kids all called her Mama Bear, she didn’t take herself too seriously, she was always lightening the mood on set, especially in between sad scenes and that they had more fun when she was around. So I’m VERY surprised at this Daily Mail article.
I love when you comment. Your hair is so dope in that pic!
Oh wow! Tiffany, you made me smile this a.m. (And I HATE mornings) thank you very much! 😘 trying to grow the fro out, lol
I think it’s either untrue or exaggerated.
GoodNames, I hope you’re right 😔
This is clearly an exaggeration, imo. She might have refused to pose for a photo or maybe didn’t seem ‘warm enough’ – she refused to spend ten minutes on that complaining woman and act like she’s best friends with her. Fans have tendency to forget that authors aren’t their friends all of a sudden, when they get their bok signed.
Very true!
2 years ago,Octavia came at Cannes fest for Fruitvale Station.
She only talked to her publicist or her assistant,ANYONE was authorized to talk her
in first or to have eye contact with her and she was rude with the journalists.
Some journalists complained about her behaviour to the producer (or distributor : someone of powerful for the movie) and she changed her attitude.
Whatever apparently many journalists in France said Kristin Scott Thomas( who was rude in the few interviews she did before to drop every interview ) and Octavia were the worst celebrities of the festival this year
I’m crushed 😔 I’m a huge fan of hers.
If the source for all this is the women who was cursing and storming out in front of people and her kid, then this sounds bogus. You can’tplease everyone and that woman sounds entitled and nasty herself. So team O for me.
I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt but if you are not willing to go through the hassle if interacting with people/kids, don’t do book signings.
I went to a cookbook signing by Stephanie Izzard ( she won Top Chef ) for my 16 yr old’s birthday, she could not have been nicer, she double checked to make sure my 16 year old’s name was spelled right, made small talk with her about their birthdays being a week from each other etc…class act all the way!!
There was a blind about this not long ago for a similar situation, and the common guess was Octavia. Maybe she doesn’t like crowds of people. Can’t blame her, but she should know that as a high-profile actress, she will attract crowds.
Ohhh I recall that one…
And I also recall who was named as the unfriendly author, too.
Molly Ringwald.
Which stunned me.
People are bringing out the racist card rather quickly. Why can’t people believe that the woman was a snotty biotch and apparently not for the first time. Lea Michele has been called out MANY times for rude and diva-like behavior. Oh and another celebrity gets a book deal because she’s famous while anonymous talented authors continue to bang on closed doors. Figures.
The angry black woman stereotype of a very real thing, so it’s possible that it could be at play here. Let’s not reduce racism to a “card.”
*is a very real thing
The stereotype being a real thing isn’t an excuse. You can’t dismiss the possibility of someone behaving badly just because the person might fit a stereotype.
Never once did I say it was an excuse. Other Renee says that racism is being assumed too quickly and I simply said that it could be a factor.
Um, to state the obvious, people are bringing up the fact that it could be a racist angle because of the source, The Daily Mail.
I’m surprised how many of you are unaware of the DM’s bigotry and racist past, but it’s worth noting if you’re going to look to them as some sort of unbiased news source (snort).
From their early pro-Nazi articles in the 1930s (google “The Daily Heil”), their continuously anti-immigration stance, to the racist cartoons, their criticism of the 2012 Olympics for promoting a “left-wing multicultural equality propaganda” (oh noes equality!), and their blatant homophobia, the DM has quite the reputation.
So yeah, when a newsmagazine has a history of being racist, people might draw the conclusion that their articles could be presented through that lens, that they might have an agenda, that they might be a bit tainted.
It’s just common sense, you see.
In this age of social media,I find it interesting that nobody tweeted about this.A tabloid takes the word of one former fan.Well Octavia has denied she was rude and laughed it off on Twitter.
The Daily Mail is the source and they love to exaggerate. Still, I don’t know why Octavia is given the benefit of the doubt. When it’s a beautiful young actress then people WANT to believe it’s true and think she’s a b-word.
Pretty sure the mail also called out Goopy for being an bitch and rude at her cookbook signing
The only narrative here is that when ACTORS are paid for a gig they should put their acting face on and suck it up
THANK YOU for covering this story with some skepticism and respect. Even for the Daily Mail, this was out of line.
Also, this part:
“And she didn’t even want to ask the customer what was their name, they had to tell the assistant standing nearby their name, she wrote it on a sticky pad and handed it to Octavia, who then signed the book”
sounds like it was spoken (and subsequently quoted & approved for publication) by people who have never been to a book signing before.
In my experience, the assistant/sticky pad routine happens at least 95% of the time. It’s not because authors/celebs “can’t be bothered” to ask people’s names; it’s because it moves the line along and guarantees proper spelling. Can you imagine if 200 people had to spell out their names? It would take so long.
And when you add in that some people have bad hearing and that patrons mumble or might not be speaking in their native language, the sticky pad route saves a lot of hassle.
I scrolled down the comments that people wrote in response to her twit and it appears that some of them were at the singing and they are confirming her rude behavior.
Ya just looked on her twitter and there like 5 people who commented that she was rude. Notice how she never denied that she acted that way. Its mind boggling that famous people can be so rude to the fans that made them successful.
I believe she did it. Why would the witnesses lie?