10 Celebrities Who Were Rejected by Other Celebrities

Ever wonder if even A-listers get rejected? The truth is, nobody escapes the sting of being shot down, not even celebrities. From hopeful crushes to missed collaborations, here are 10 stars who faced rejection from other famous faces.

1. Niall Horan and Katy Perry

Before Katy Perry was engaged to Orlando Bloom, she crossed paths with a young Niall Horan on the set of The X Factor, where she was a guest judge during his season. One Direction, Niall’s boyband, skyrocketed to fame soon after, and as Perry described on the Fitzy & Wippa morning show, «I see him around all the time.» Apparently, these frequent encounters weren’t entirely coincidental. Perry went on to say, «He’s always trying to, like, get my number, to like, maybe flirt with me,» However, the age gap proved to be a hurdle. Perry jokingly shut down any potential romance, saying, «I’m like, ’I could babysit you. I’m like your mom!’»

2. Emma Watson and Tom Felton

In the world of the beloved Harry Potter films, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were constantly at odds, divided by their Hogwarts houses. But behind the scenes, things were different. Emma Watson, who played Hermione, harbored a real-life crush on co-star Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) since the tender age of 10. Sadly, her feelings weren’t reciprocated.

On The Jonathan Ross Show, Watson revealed, «He was a few years older, and he had a skateboard — and that just did it, really. The thing is that he’d tell everyone, ’I see her in a younger, sisterly way.’ It just broke my heart. It still does.» Thankfully, despite the unrequited feelings, the two remain the best of friends, as evidenced by many of their friendly Instagram posts.

3. Justin Bieber and Rihanna

Pop sensation Justin Bieber once mustered up the courage to ask the iconic Rihanna for her phone number, according to a playful Instagram post by Bieber himself. His attempt, however, was met with a succinct, «Nah» from Rihanna. The age difference might have played a role, with Bieber being a cool six years younger than Rihanna. Despite the rejection, their paths continued to cross, and they eventually struck up a friendship.

4. Drake and Nicki Minaj

The Young Money connection between Drake and Nicki Minaj goes back to 2010. While Drake has been open about his feelings, Nicki Minaj has consistently seen him as a younger sibling. As Drake himself confessed on MTV, «I’ve always really, actually, really had a crush on her, always really loved her, and she’s always just looked at me as, like, her little brother.» Despite the unrequited crush, their friendship has remained strong, filled with good-natured teasing about the past.

5. Harry Styles and Lindsay Lohan

Strangers in the night! Harry Styles and Lindsay Lohan’s paths crossed in an unexpected way, despite not knowing each other beforehand. Unfazed, Styles (according to Lohan) showed up at her hotel room unannounced in the wee hours. Lohan recounted the encounter with amusement, revealing, «I didn’t know it was him... I said, ’Well, you’re very good-looking — can I help you?’» Styles apparently claimed his friends sent him, but Lohan wasn’t interested. She politely declined with a simple, «I’m going to bed, but it was nice to meet you.» While a potential late-night rendezvous wasn’t meant to be, the story became a funny anecdote for both stars, a reminder of a bizarre Hollywood encounter.

6. Nicole Kidman and Jimmy Fallon

Nicole Kidman harbored a secret crush on Jimmy Fallon! The two A-listers met at Fallon’s apartment, set up by a mutual friend. However, Fallon remained oblivious to Kidman’s intentions during their initial encounter. Years later, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Kidman finally confessed her feelings, revealing she’d hoped to spark a connection. Fallon was left speechless, realizing he’d unintentionally rejected her advances. Thankfully, the revelation turned into a hilarious moment, filled with laughter from both parties.

7. Drake and Rihanna

Drake’s romantic history extends beyond Nicki Minaj. His feelings for Rihanna have been well-documented, particularly during his heartfelt speech presenting her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. He attempted a kiss on the cheek, but Rihanna playfully redirected it into a hug. Interestingly, they were reportedly dating less than a week later! While their romantic spark eventually faded, a strong friendship remains.

8. Cara Delevingne and Leonardo DiCaprio

In Cannes, Cara Delevingne reportedly rebuffed Leonardo DiCaprio’s advances. She is said to have snubbed the actor at the after-party for his film The Great Gatsby turning down his invitation to a private bash. A source reported: "Normally all Leo has to do is look at a girl, and they fall at his feet. Though, Cara was having none of it. He spent the night chasing after her, and essentially she blew him out.

«Everyone is howling at the fact she actually knocked back the biggest actor in the world.

«She thought he was too forward and too old.»

9. Shawn Mendes and Billie Eilish

In an interview, Billie revealed she didn’t respond to a text from Shawn. She casually mentioned, «Shawn Mendes texted me, but I didn’t respond.» Shawn seemingly took it in stride. A fan page tweeted a clip of Billie’s interview to Shawn, and he simply replied «LOL wow» on Twitter. This suggests he wasn’t upset and maybe even found it a bit funny.

10. Selena Gomez and George Shelley

Selena Gomez recorded a video message for George Shelley, a member of the boy band Union J. In the message, she expressed she was bummed she missed him in London and invited him to call her next time. George admitted to being a big fan and was surprised to be contacted by Selena. He was flustered and shy. Despite his initial excitement, George never reached out to Selena. She later jokingly mentioned she was «offended» he didn’t call during a radio interview.

Believe it or not, even A-listers get rejected! We just saw 10 examples. But sometimes, rejection leads to something even better, like a strong friendship. Stay tuned for our next story, where we find out how a «no thanks» from Jennifer Aniston to her co-star turned into something that saved his life!