Stars Who (Allegedly) Treat Their Employees Like Dirt

This supermodel has demonstrated diva-ish behaviour for nearly as long as she's been in the public eye, but one incident stands head and shoulders above the rest. Back in 2006, her prima donna demeanour reached an all-time high when she threw her cellphone at a maid, hitting the woman square in the head and sending her to the ER. The staffer received four staples for the gash. Another employee won a case after she complained that Campbell hit her when she could not find a pair of the supermodel's favourite jeans. In a separate incident, Campbell was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work after kicking and spitting at police officers. Turns out beauty really is only skin deep.

We know Russell Crowe as an Australian bad boy with a fair share of hot-heated outbursts under his belt over the years. Still, we'd like to think that it's just a Hollywood persona. Not so. While at a SoHo hotel in NYC in 2005, Crowe threw a fit when he couldn't get through to his wife in Australia and slammed a lobby staffer in the face with a telephone. The hotel employee walked away with a cut below his right eye, while the Cinderella Man was taken away in handcuffs.

Few people would be surprised to learn that former reality TV mom Kate Gosselin is strict with her children. But a former nanny revealed, that demanding behaviour extends to the family's employees, who were obligated to abide by a "rule book." The nanny claims the Kate Plus Eight star has an ACTUAL rule book that not only illustrates her pet peeves, but also instructs employees how to "be Kate." She also made staff eavesdrop on phone calls the kids would have with their estranged dad, Jon Gosselin.

Top TV news anchor and journalist Katie Couric isn't always at the top of her game in the newsroom. Stressed out by ratings in 2006, staffers say she would often blow up at them on set for the smallest of transgressions. In one instance, during a story about tuberculosis, Couric got angry with the news editor for using a word she hated—sputum— and putting it in a story she had to read on the teleprompter. She reportedly slapped him “over and over and over again” on the arm.

Big stars like to spend big money on the finer things in life, like premium booze. And some will go so far as to keep it all to themselves. Handsome movie man George Clooney allegedly takes great care in ensuring his employees steer clear of his high-prized liquor stash. One staffer tattled that Clooney marks his decanters to keep track of the exact amount to make sure none of the help tries to sneak a swig.

Notorious party-girl Lindsay was apparently caught in a revolving door of recovery and her staff said this drunken behaviour left the star particularly nasty at times. According to reports, employees claimed the actress would sleep until late in the day and wake up hungover, in a rotten mood, which she would ultimately take out on whoever happened to be around—which was usually her staff.

A few years back, a tabloid story quoted an anonymous source who claimed the Canadian comedian is, in real life, very much the chameleon he plays on the big screen. The source said Carrey's dramatic mood swings and temper tantrums made it extremely difficult to work with him day to day. At any given time, according to the household employee, you didn't know what guy you would get, the sweet, kind Carrey, or the screaming, raging Carrey.

"Wrecking Ball" singer Miley Cyrus is a noted animal lover, rescuing cats, dogs, and yes, even a pig! But, according to a former employee, the singer's love of pets extends only to couch cuddles and Instagram photos. The source said Cyrus never bothered to housetrain her dogs, which would do their business all over the house—leading Cyrus to then yell at staff to clean up the mess.

Jenny from the block may be loaded these days, but those who work for her claim she's still notoriously thrifty. The former American Idol judge—who, according to Forbes is worth $40 million—is reported to overwork and underpay her staff, who have allegedly altered her nickname from JLo to "Pay-Low."

Domestic diva Martha Stewart admits that she hates the signature red soles of her Christian Louboutin heels, and prefers that they be coloured black with Sharpie. You would think that the mistress of craftiness couldn't wait to get colouring herself, but that's allegedly not the case; according to one of her employees, staff were kept busy colouring in the shoe bottoms for her.

According to the nanny hired to look after Madonna's adopted son, David, she was fired from her job—because she didn't speak French. "All the children go to French school and speak fluent French. David had started school and was speaking to me in French but I don't speak French. Madonna needed to get him a French-speaking nanny," she said in an interview. Perhaps more telling, however, are her Facebook entries—which she says may or may not be about her former employer, with such entries as this: "Not putting up with this **** anymore."

Beyoncé may be adored by millions, but Egypt's former head of antiquities is not one of them. The man they call "Egypt's Indiana Jones" banned the singer from visiting the Pyramids at Giza for what he called "stupid and rude" behaviour. During a visit to the country in 2009, the star showed up late and refused to apologize, reported Britain's Daily Mail. When Beyoncé's guard came close to hitting the other party's photographer, the tour guide had to put his foot down and kicked her out.

Courtney Love is all about making promises that she doesn't follow through on, according to her ex-assistant, who sued the Hole singer in 2012. The former assistant said Love promised promotions, bonuses and a number of other perks, but never delivered and claimed the rocker even asked her to hire a hacker and forge court documents. When she refused, Love withheld her pay. That's some grungy boss behaviour.

The former nanny of actress Sharon Stone took her to court alleging she was verbally abused due to her Filipino ethnicity. The Oscar nominee, claims the nanny, also made derogatory comments about the nanny's accent, telling her not to speak to her children because she didn't want them to talk like her. The nanny also alleged that the Golden Globe winner said Filipino people were “stupid” and wouldn’t allow her to have a Bible in the house. Stone, however, denied those claims. "This is an absurd lawsuit that has been filed by a disgruntled ex-employee who is obviously looking to get money any way she can," Stone's rep said in a statement. "After she was terminated approximately one and a half years ago, she filed claims for alleged disability and workers compensation. Now, she is obviously looking for another opportunity to cash in."

The Queen of Southern cooking found herself embroiled in scandal after a former employee at Deen's restaurant accused her of using racial slurs in the workplace. When her restaurant manager sued over those allegations, Paula admitted in a sworn deposition to using the N-word and telling insensitive racial jokes. She also admitted to wanting black waiters to play the role of slaves for a wedding she was managing. Shortly after, her culinary empire imploded.

With creativity comes at least a little bit of eccentricity, but some stars can be excessive with their demands when it comes to their staff. The former assistant of the "Poker Face" singer recently settled out of court when she sued for $400,000 in overtime pay and said the singer's bizarre obsessive and controlling behaviour drove her to the brink. The assistant was required to sleep in Gaga's bed because she was expected to work 24/7 in order to attend to her every need. During the trial, she provided the example of being woken up in the middle of the night by the singer to go change the DVD in the player because Gaga didn't feel like getting up and walking across the room to do it herself.

Pop princess Rihanna has made quite a name for herself as a demanding diva, with numerous staff revealing her ever-growing list of demands and rude behaviour made their work environment a nightmare. One staffer spoke to a tabloid and revealed her people are sent on ridiculous errands at all hours. Once, the diva demanded a dish that was only available at a restaurant miles away. When her staffer returned and the food was cold, she allegedly had a fit. Staff say she has a history of self-entitlement, refuses to say please or thank you and is constantly in a bad mood which she takes out on the people who work for her.