23 Celebrities People Say They Didn't Like Before Learning More About Them
When it comes to internet culture and social media, everything is about likes. We like Instagram pictures, TikTok videos, and the people in them, usually celebrities. But that also gives us a million opportunities every single day to love them, hate them, and change our minds.
So I asked the BuzzFeed Community, "Which celebrity were you not a fan of in the past that you ARE a fan of now?" Here's what they said:
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1."Taylor Swift."
"I had literally only listened to 'Shake It Off' and got sick of it quickly. I mainly thought she was overrated, overplayed, and got into too much celeb drama, but look at me now. I’m a Swiftie who loves her albums, loves her music, was so sad when I couldn’t get tickets to the Eras Tour, etc. I honestly really like her now!"
2."Khloé Kardashian."
"Say what you will about her family, but this woman is strength personified. She's overcome so much: Body shaming, always feeling like she's the 'odd Kardashian out,' being treated badly by horrible, HORRIBLE men; and also being mom-shamed for wanting to spend time with her family instead of going to parties and fashion shows. The only reason I 'keep up' with the Kardashians is because I root for her happiness."
3."Kamala Harris."
"I never outright disliked her, I just didn't know a lot about her. Now she seems to be the only normal fucking person running for office. She's got my vote!"
4."Pete Davidson."
"I started liking him for being chaotic and open about his mental health. Still, I think his comedy is mixed, but I always give him the benefit of the doubt when he has a new show."
5."Lady Gaga."
"At first I only knew a couple of her songs, but mostly I just knew her as 'that weird lady who wore the meat dress and showed up in an egg.' I thought she was just someone who constantly used gimmicks to cover up her mediocre talent.
But then I watched her as the musical guest on SNL, and when she sat down at the piano to play and sing one of her songs, I realized how wrong I was. She definitely had the talent to back all those gimmicks up. And when she collaborated beautifully with Tony Bennett, and gave that amazing Sound of Music medley performance at the Oscars, it proved how much respect she has for her craft as well as those artists who paved the way for her. I’ve been a fan ever since.
6."Olivia Rodrigo."
"At first I thought she was some copy/paste, 'no one understands me' type of girl. But then I started really listening to her music and I fell in love. She’s just so talented and absolutely hilarious. I own one of the signed Guts records she hid in Third Man Records now!"
7."Bruce Springsteen."
"I was always into punky/indie bands and his Big Anthem style didn’t appeal to me. Plus, I knew nothing about him except he was from Freehold, New Jersey, and was called 'The Boss.' But man, his political activism and presence 'for good' has made me a big fan!"
8."Ryan Gosling."
"I always thought he was an 'eh' kind of actor. I don’t watch love stories and I saw him in First Man as I am an educator at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, and it was kind of required. But, still just ok. Then Barbie came out and WOW. He absolutely deserved that Oscar nomination, and his performance at the Oscars — iconic. I have now started to update my movie knowledge by watching past Gosling performances."
9."Channing Tatum."
"At first, I thought he was all brawn and no brain. However, he really impressed me in Foxcatcher and Hail, Caesar. He seems like a down-to-earth guy, and his love for his daughter is evident. The sweet book he wrote with her in mind is so endearing. I really respect him!"
10."Billie Eilish."
"I absolutely LOVE her now, but when she released her first album I was a Tier 1 hater. It took about two years and the release of Happier Than Ever to convert me, but now I’m a big big fan."—anonymous
11."Pink."
"I always thought of her music as just okay, but I saw her live, and boom. I was obsessed."
12."Selena Gomez."
"I wasn’t a huge fan of her music and saw her as a child star who was trying too hard to grow up. Then I saw her on Only Murders in the Building (which she’s GREAT in), learned about everything she’s doing for mental health awareness, and now I’m a stan!"
13."Naomi Campbell."
"I always thought she was gorgeous, but the media made her out to be horrible. She has always supported independent designers, and today especially African ones that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise. Also, her YouTube channel is my ASMR. She's always spoken openly about mental health, but most of all she has always been real in an industry that is so toxic."
14."Paris Hilton."
"I had long thought she was nothing more than a nepo-baby. But it was an interview she did with Jeremy Clarkson on The Grand Tour where I got a look behind the public facade she usually shows the world. She was sharp, funny, and smart.It was when I learned she'd been swallowed up into the Hoods in the Woods wilderness reform industry that everything clicked... [Allegedly] assaulted, kidnapped, drugged, neglected by the operators of these wilderness outfits...No wonder she wanted everyone to think she was dumb and look at her purse dog instead of getting too close to her. She recently testified in front of Congress about the horrors of wilderness reform schools showing what a strong and resilient person she is. I wish her and her new family the best."—anonymous
15."Miley Cyrus."
"Her musical and performance transformations over her career are truly remarkable...She's so much more mature now and is getting better and better with each single, and each album release. I used to dislike her as a teenager, I thought, 'She's just another nepo baby with a golden ticket to Hollywood who will fail eventually after Hannah Montana and the Miley Stewart persona ended.' Thank God I was wrong. She's written big hits as an adult, and I love them all!"
16."Matthew McConaughey."
"Always thought he was smug and inauthentic. Then, I saw his reaction to the Uvalde school shooting and how he took a public stance on gun control, and I liked him a lot more!"—anonymous
17."Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson."
"Over the past 40 years I’ve seen numerous wrestlers-turned-actors, and it was rarely a good thing, so I avoided any movie starring Dwayne Johnson. It was my sister and our shared love of disaster movies that got me to see San Andreas. To my surprise, I was extremely impressed with his acting skills. I then saw Jumanji and I was even more impressed. Now, I don’t immediately discount a movie that he stars in just because he’s in it."—anonymous
18."Jon Bernthal."
"Used to not want to watch anything he would act in because I hated Shane on The Walking Dead lol. I refused to follow him on Instagram and would cringe whenever I saw him. Then I saw him in an interview and other things, and he seems like a genuinely nice person and now I love him. I guess it just means he played Shane really really well."
19."Sterling K. Brown."
"I hated his acting on This Is Us, but he was great in Black Panther, even though it was a small role. And then he did an episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine and he nailed that too."
20."Lynyrd Skynyrd."
"The only song I knew from them was 'Sweet Home Alabama' and it was so overplayed that I just wasn’t so interested in them. Then I listened to 'Simple Man' for the first time playing Guitar Hero, and then my mom showed me 'Free Bird.' I absolutely loved both of those songs and I’m a huge fan of the band."—anonymous
21."Steve Carell."
"I hated The Office and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, so I basically wrote off everything he was in until I watched The Way Way Back. Now I'm a huge fan and will be watching all of his dramatic roles."
22."Miles Teller."
"Ever since I saw him for the first time in the Divergent series, I hated him more than almost any celebrity out there. It wasn’t until I saw him in the Top Gun sequel that I started to get over that and realized that he’s a pretty great actor."—anonymous
23.And finally, "Jack Black."
"I couldn’t stand his over-the-top, super-exaggerated take on everything until I saw him in The Holiday. His character was so sweet, funny, and endearing. I was converted right then and there."—anonymous
Is there a celebrity you didn't like at first, but now you're a fan of? Let us know in the comments! Or, if you'd like to respond anonymously, you can use this form.
