What It’s Really Like to Have a Celebrity Neighbor

Mario Batali is a renowned American chef, and while he may know how to cook the most delicious Bucatini all' Amatriciana in the world,  he's not a very nice neighbor. Back in 2014, when Batali wanted to open his new "Babbo" restaurant in Manhattan, he promised his neighbor, Nurettin Akgul, that he would soundproof the place. But he never did.

Akgul, a retired oil executive, decided to sue Batali for $10 million! He claimed that, since the restaurant opened, his home now reaks of garlic, food grease, and cleaning chemicals, and the constant noise from guests together with the endless humming of the air conditioners have caused him many sleepless nights. In 2015, the lawsuit was rejected by a Manhattan judge. We can just imagine poor Mr. Akgul waking up to the smell of garlic for the rest of his days.

Famous American singer-songwriter Chris Brown has had his share of run-ins with the law. Dubbed "the neighbor from hell", Brown has had problems everywhere he's lived. In his old apartment, he was accused of holding dog races in the building hallway, constantly parking in handicapped spots, and illegal graffiti artwork.

In 2016, in his new mansion in California, there were endless complaints about him revving his car engines at 12 AM, and most notably, for having a 27-hour standoff with the LAPD after threatening a woman with a gun! Brown was released on a $250,000 bail and said he was innocent of all the charges against him. Should we believe him?

Alan Ball, the brilliant creator of Six Feet Under, True Blood, and American Beauty was sued in 2011 by none other than Oscar-winning director, Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino complained that his neighbors' macaws were too loud to handle, claiming their "obnoxious, blood-curling, pterodactyl-like screams" were disturbing his peace of mind. And honestly, how is someone supposed to focus with a parrot screaming next to you for eight hours a day?

Ironic, considering Tarantino has been making audiences scream in shock since the '90s. Fortunately, the Hollywood stars managed to resolve the issue out of court, and everybody lived happily ever after in their lavish L.A. townhouse. Including the birds.

Somehow we're not surprised to see Justin Bieber on this list. As time goes by, Bieber's career has just gotten bigger, and so has his spoilt-brat attitude. In 2014, Bieber faced vandalism charges after he egged a neighbor's house, which he probably did as a joke while drunk. After a long legal battle, Bieber had to pay $80,000 in damages. But this wasn't his first offense.

Back in 2012, he lived next to celebrity couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, and apparently, he wasn't a very good neighbor either: “the music and the parties and the paparazzi, I mean, it’s like living in Lebanon now", said Bell. Apart from his 15-year old fans, we don't think anybody would be happy to have Bieber as a neighbor.

TV and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer is probably one of the most famous names in Hollywood. He has produced the CSI franchise, Cold Case, Top Gun, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Armageddon, and basically most of the highest-grossing films in history. So, it was no surprise when he bought a very expensive 400-acre ranch in the Ojai Valley.

Unfortunately, he wasn't as good a neighbor as he is a producer, and in 2010, his new Ojai neighbors were less than thrilled with the new tenant. Bruckheimer planted a group of trees on his ranch that directly blocked the stunning view of the Topatopa Mountains from his neighbors living in the houses below. One of those neighbors was an elderly couple that claimed their home-grown produce, which they "subsisted largely" on, had a significantly smaller yield because the trees were blocking the sunlight.

Plaxico Burress is a former football player for the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he got into some serious trouble back in 2013. One day, a neighbor was walking by Burress's New Jersey mansion and got viciously attacked by his pit bull, which somehow managed to get loose.

The neighbor sued for unspecified damages, claiming she had suffered severe and permanent injuries to her entire body, not to mention the medical costs. Sadly, all the calls to Burress's lawyer were never returned. Now, that's not just being a bad neighbor, that's being a bad person. But the most disgusting part is that the woman's husband also went in on the lawsuit, claiming the dog's attack had made his wife unable to perform her usual "services" and "companionship". Double jerk alert!

Any 90's child will remember the Smashing Pumpkins. And if they do, they'll surely remember their lead singer and frontman, Billy Corgan. Back in 2012, Corgan was sued by neighbor and famous "Grey's Anatomy" star, Eric Dane. Allegedly, Corgan had been informed that some trees on his property were shaky and dangerous, but the rockstar ignored the warnings.

Until one day, a fallen tree smashed into Dane's house during a storm, nearly killing his pregnant wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, and their 20-month-old daughter. Corgan denied he was ever warned and had the remaining trees cut down immediately.

Famous rapper Foxy Brown is known for her fiery temper. So it wasn't a total shock when news broke out in 2007 about a dispute she'd had with her neighbor, Arlene Raymond. Brown had a restraining order filed against her after she threw a Blackberry at Raymond. But that's not the end of it.

In 2010, things got heated again. Brown was rehearsing in her Brooklyn apartment, and when she stepped outside, Raymond stared her down due to her making too much noise. Brown lost it and started cursing at Raymond, to the point where she actually bent over, lowered her pants and mooned her! Obviously, Raymond called the police and Foxy is now banned from having any further contact.

Who wouldn't want to find a celebrity, especially one that looks like Robert Downey Jr., sleeping in their house? His neighbors, that's who. As some of you might remember, Robert Downey Jr. spent most of the mid-1990s in a haze of drugs and alcohol.

The bingeing came to a peak when one night in July 1996, he wandered into his neighbor's house by mistake, took off his clothes, and got into their kid's bed. The neighbors called the police, who took him out of the house in handcuffs, as he made funny faces to the neighbors' kids. Downey Jr. spent the night in jail, apologized to the neighbor and went straight to rehab.

When you think of the late Sean Connery, you think of elegance and grace, and definitely imagine him as being one of those incredibly nice neighbors that would bring you a basket of scones to welcome you to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it appears that his neighbors didn't think so.

Back in 2005, Connery's neighbors sued him for $30 million. Why? Well, apparently, his downstairs Townhouse neighbors weren't happy with him renovating and the subsequent noise. Connery obviously countersued, but the litigious game was brought to an end when the judge issued a ruling preventing either party from filing any more lawsuits.

David Fisher, the hunky blue-eyed actor from NCIS, got himself thrown in jail in 2011 after he was accused of choking a neighbor. The whole thing started over an argument about hanging wet towels and escalated when the neighbor, who apparently used to be good friends with Fisher, started mocking his dead mother.

Fisher claimed he acted in self-defense and the battery charges were eventually dropped. Although he probably should've taken the high road and walked away, you never mess with anyone's mother, so we're not entirely against Fisher on this one.

Bone Thugs is an American rap group formed in 1991, and in 1997, a few months after winning a Grammy, one of its members had a serious run-in with the law. Flesh-n-Bone had the police called on him by the neighbors after they claimed they heard gunshots coming from his house.

After the cops arrived, they found a "homemade explosive and shell casings", and some days later, the rapper apparently threatened to kill his neighbor! The rapper was arrested and bail was set for $500,000. We really hope the neighbor ended moving out.

Anthony Michael Hall won our hearts playing a geeky teenager in The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. But alas, Hall is no longer an innocent teenager, and back in 2011 he was arrested after he insulted his neighbor and threatened to “beat him to a pulp”. Allegedly, this happened after the neighbor asked Hall what he was doing when he saw him tear up some plants in the building.

As if that weren't enough, some days later, Hall knocked on the neighbor's door and challenged him to a street fight. The neighbor slammed the door in Hall's face and called the police. Again. Hall was arrested but released shortly after without any charges.

James Franco is one of the most famous Hollywood celebrities to date, but back in 2012, he wasn't so popular amongst his neighbors. As the story goes, Franco bought a house in L.A.'s Silver Lake neighborhood, and as excited as the neighbors initially were, they said it became a nightmare when James literally turned the house into a 24/7 production studio.

The neighbors said they liked his movies, but not so much that they were willing to let him disturb their quiet lives. According to them, Franco and his entourage were constantly blocking the driveways and using common yards for work meetings. We love you James, but that's definitely not cool.

Pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan is a known animal lover, and as endearing as it might be to see such a huge, intimidating guy get all mushy at the sight of little, furry creatures, it's not so appealing if you have to live next to them. Back in 2005, Hogan was living in Belleair, Florida, and, apparently, decided to turn his home into a zoo.

He owned dogs, chickens, ferrets, rabbits, and roosters that were constantly making noise and leaving a disgusting smell. Eventually, he received a complaint from the homeowner's association and the less-than-thrilled neighbors. Hogan ended up moving, and we hope he and his furry friends found a lovely home.

In 2004, gorgeous rockstar Lenny Kravitz was living in his beautiful, $13 million penthouse in Manhattan. One day, he got a call from his neighbor's insurance company to let him know they were suing him for $334,000 in "catastrophic water damages".

The damages had been made to his neighbor's downstairs apartment due to an overflowing toilet that was "clogged and congested with various materials". We hope it was settled quickly because surely nobody was interested in knowing what the "various materials" were.

In what is probably one of the most hilarious (and absurd) stories on this list, award-winning English actor Jude Law wasn't a very nice neighbor when he lived in New York.

It seems that a group of NYU students had a direct view of Law's backyard, and they were constantly spying on him, which, granted, is not OK. However, neither was Law's response when he got fed up and started throwing fruit at them. We're sure the Queen wouldn't approve of such behavior, Jude.

Natasha Lyonne is no stranger to problems with the law. She's been on probation for driving drunk, she's missed court dates, suffice to say she's not your typical "nice" girl. The American Pie and Russian Doll actress had a warrant issued for her arrest back in 2004 after she skipped out on a court hearing. And why did she have a court hearing in the first place? Because miss Lyonne threatened to molest her neighbor's dog!

Apparently, she went into a rage fit, banged on her neighbor's door, burst into the apartment and pulled the mirror off the wall. But she didn't leave before announcing to her neighbor, "I'm going to sexually molest your dog".  We don't know caused the rage fit, but regardless, threatening to molest someone's pet? Crossing the line, Natasha.

It would be hard to imagine the happy-go-lucky Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock causing any problems. But as it turns out, in 2009, there was a malfunctioning light in his shark tank that caused a fire in his Manhattan apartment building. Why he would keep a shark tank in a Manhattan apartment in the first place is beyond us, but hey, to each his own.

Fortunately, the fire was put out quickly enough, but the real damage was caused by the sprinklers it set off. Apparently, a lot of neighbors' apartments were completely flooded!

There are few things worse than living next to constant noise and loud music, and this is why Karen George, Madonna's former neighbor, ended up suing her in 2009. You would expect someone like Madonna to be rehearsing every day, but you wouldn't expect them to use their apartment as a studio.

Even after having the apartment soundproofed and then trying to make the lawsuit go away, the court ruled against her and Madonna had to rent another studio space to keep the peace.

The famous pop icon got into trouble back in 2009 after she and her landlord were sued for trespassing, invasion of privacy and nuisance. Rihanna, who was 22 years old at the time, got accused by neighbor Christian Moeller of constantly having chauffeurs driving and parking around his driveaway, and sometimes even his lawn.

Also, the star seemingly had some very tall bamboo plants that blocked Moeller's view of the city. Rihanna had no choice but to settle.

No one would expect this Guns 'n' Roses bad boy to behave anywhere. Especially not when it came to being a nice and considerate neighbor. And true to form, one night in 1990, Rose was playing very loud music in his L.A. condo. When one of his neighbors asked if he could turn it down, the rockstar grabbed the car keys from the woman's hands and threw them on the ground.

She was carrying a wine bottle in her other hand, which Rose also snatched, emptied, and hit her over the head with! The Guns 'n' Roses frontman was arrested and released a few hours later on a $5,000 bail. There was no further news on the neighbor's condition, although we're assuming she lived, due to Rose's quick release.

Remember the 90s rock band Puddle of Mudd? Wes Scantlin is their frontman. And an awful neighbor, apparently. He was arrested in 2013 when one of his neighbors, Sasha Gradiva, who is also a music artist, called the police after Scantlin destroyed part of her patio with a buzzsaw. Scantlin claimed the patio was encroaching on part of his property.

When asked why he used a buzzsaw, Scantlin replied: "It's called a sledgehammer, dawg". As if that were better somehow. Gradiva got a restraining order and said if the issue wasn't resolved, she'd be forced to move away.

Celebrity TV personality Dr. Oz may be a great surgeon, but he may not be a very nice neighbor. Back in 2010, Dr. Oz was sued by his New Jersey neighbor after claiming some trees planted in the doctor's property were blocking his Manhattan skyline view.

The neighbor also claimed the trees had damaged his property and cost his home to lose value by half a million dollars. Dr. Oz claims he tried to accommodate his neighbor, but he wasn't intending on cutting down his trees anytime soon.

In December 2006, Pauly Shore faced a nightmare in his own garden. The 90s comedian discovered a landslide that had crashed right into his Hollywood Hills estate. The landscaping horror was caused by none other than Wes Craven, the director of A Nightmare of Elm Street and Scream. How fitting! According to court documents, Craven had failed to maintain the vegetation on his property and in turn had inadvertently caused a landslide to plummet down on Shore's property.

In addition to that, the comedian claimed that Craven "changed the geology, topography and drainage," by allowing rodents to burrow his land. The director countered that by claiming that his property had sustained some serious water damage from the comedian's pool and spa renovations. Both cases are still awaiting judgment. Sounds like perfect material for a film, in fact, with Shore's comedic skills and Craven's twisted horror mind, this could be a perfect summer blockbuster.

The iconic New York building, San Remo is home to some serious New York elites. One would think that having a spot there would be the end of pesky neighbors. Not so. U2 frontman Bono got into a dispute with his neighbor, old-timey rocker, Billy Squier. According to the San Remo co-op board, the use of fireplaces in the building is a big no-no. This has, of course, upset many fireplace owners who just want that aromatic burned wood scent filling their homes.

The stubborn Squier insists on lighting up, even with Bono's asthmatic daughter! We sure hope this doesn't turn into the battle of the rockers.

Sean Lennon seems to have inherited his celebrity ego from his parents. As it turns out, Sean's beautiful West Village townhouse was neighboring the home of actress Marisa Tomei's parents, and back in 2015, they sued him for $10 million!

Apparently, there was a tree on Lennon's property whose roots had caused massive damage to the Tomeis's basement and stoop. Lennon seemed to ignore the lawsuit for quite some time, and finally, after a 19th-month legal battle, he was forced to remove the tree.

Here's a weird one. Bob Dylan's Malibu neighbors sniffed out a little bit of a problem that they couldn't quite escape. Dylan's neighbor, Cindy Emminger, complained about the time she would step outside and get an inexplicable sense of nausea. She claimed that there was a terrible odor floating around but she couldn't pin-point where it was.

"I'd go into the front yard and get nauseous. I couldn't figure out at first where the smell was coming from." Then she discovered a portable toilet for his security guards had been placed right on her property. After countless pleas to remove it, Emma used ventilators to redirect the stink. That didn't help. According to her, Malibu city council officials investigated the complaint and even sent out a health and safety officer to inspect the situation. Unfortunately, he was kicked off for trespassing.

In a dispute that got a bit nasty, "The Leftovers" star, Justin Theroux, claimed his neighbor, Norman Resnicow, was constantly harassing him in his Greenwich Village apartment. In a feud that has been going on for years, with Theroux claiming Resnicow ruined his ivy plants, and the latter claiming the actor was neglecting his dogs, Theroux hit his patience limit in October 2017.

Apparently, Resnicow came out in his pajamas and started to hassle some workers that were renovating his roof, while demanding Theroux to pay $30,000 in soundproofing. It doesn't seem these boys will stop bickering and reach a solution anytime soon.

Famous comedian Kathy Griffin has been involved in a neighbors' brawl for years. She and her neighbor, wealthy businessman Jeffrey Metzger, have been in an ongoing ego battle, with Griffin claiming he throws garbage on her property and points speakers in their direction while he blasts loud music.

Things got worse this June 2019, when Griffin and Metzger both got restraining orders against each other after Metzger went on an ugly profanity rant against the actress and her boyfriend when they called the cops about a noise complaint. Yikes!

This one will surely make you laugh, as it did us. Back in 2013, pop star Miley Cyrus thought "The Office" star Steve Carell hated her because she was a bad driver. To be fair, Carell does have a right to be concerned about irresponsible driving, since he's a father of two and it's a quiet suburban neighborhood.

Cyrus said Carrell was always looking at her badly and judging her every move: “The other day I was trying to reverse and I almost hit a thousand things,” she said. “And I was getting nervous because I could see him crossing his arms and sighing. I’m like, oh my God, ‘Dan in Real Life’ is watching me right now!”. Carrell refused to comment on the matter.

It's hard to imagine the classy English actress from "Good Will Hunting" in a heated argument with her 74-year-old neighbor. But that's exactly what happened when Minnie Driver filed a restraining order against Daniel Perelmutter. The year was 2015, and Driver claimed she'd had enough after Perelmutter jumped in front of her car, as her three children were in it, and forced her to hit the brakes.

When she got out of the car, the elderly neighbor started to curse at her and blow cigar smoke in her children's faces. On the other hand, Perelmutter claims Driver ran him over with her car and is very aggressive! We don't know what to believe.

Brandon Jones is the sweet-looking blonde actor from "Pretty Little Liars". Only, in real life, he's not that sweet at all. Back in October 2015, Jones got arrested for pointing a gun at his neighbor while the two were having an argument.

To make things worse, neighbors claimed that in March of the same year, Jones had apparently waved a knife and pointed a handgun at another neighbor, during a different fight. The actor ended up pleading guilty and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, plus 3 years probation. We hope Mr. Jones isn't hiding any more weapons.

Remember when Katy Perry and John Mayer were a thing? Their neighbors surely do. Back in 2012, Perry's neighbors complained that she and Mayer were having very loud intimate relations that kept them from sleeping.

They claimed Perry and Mayer "have very loud encounters, keep very late hours and like to turn up the tunes." It appears that the stage isn't the only place where these lovebirds get along famously. Poor neighbors.

We all remember when Amanda Bynes went from being a sweet Disney actress to an overpaid Hollywood teenager in a nervous wreck. So it's really not surprising to learn she wasn't a model neighbor. Back in 2013, amongst a very public nervous breakdown, Bynes was out of control.

She got arrested for smoking pot in the New York building's lobby and throwing a bong out of her 36th-floor apartment window. Neighbors also claim that Bynes makes everybody very uncomfortable: "She just stares at people. Her eyes look really messed up". We hope the young actress is feeling more balanced nowadays.

Back in 2013, Gwyneth Paltrow erected a massive gate that majorly surpassed the six feet limit. The “eye-sore”, as described by several neighbors, was the cherry on top of her new $10 million-dollar mansion.

It seems only fitting that the Goop founder, of all people, should erect this monstrosity. According to The Sun, Gwyn’s neighborhood pals have some issues with her, saying that in general, she seems “less approachable”. Well, that’s what happens when you’re fenced off by a six-foot-something black metal gate.

Hillary Duff, remember her? Well, she’s back in the news due to some interesting Instagram neighbor shaming. In May 2018, the actress and singer took to Instagram to complain about her neighbor, Dieter Addison, for smoking up the building. Duff shared Addison’s apparently insufferable smoking habits. Who is this guy, you might ask? Well, it seems his only claim to fame is annoying Duff.

Looks as if her comments made little difference as she continued her rant by slamming the guy’s personal life, saying "We know your parents pay your rent. We know you've never worked a day in your life. Must be nice. Have some respect for your neighbors who work hard to live in the building." The post seems to have prompted Addison to file a police report. Easy there, Hillary.

Christina Milian’s dog has come back to bite her. Well, not literally, but according to TMZ, the actress and R&B singer recently had to fork over a $55, 000 settlement to her neighbor, Leo Skolion.

Apparently, Milian’s dog bit "a huge chunk" out of her 81-year-old neighbor, leaving him with some serious injuries. Skolion said that he needed 19 stitches after the attack. Fortunately, he got the treatment he needed. Milian has hopefully learned her lesson.

In 2017, the famous "Jersey Shore" star Vinny Guadagnino got slammed with a lawsuit from his neighbor, Thomas Ryan. Mr. Ryan claims the actor took over some land in between their properties that was still in dispute, with the help of some "biker buddies" and construction workers.

This resulted in a destroyed driveway, damaged cars, and ruining "several 100-year-old Norway Spruce trees". Guadagnino is being sued for $200,000, but his lawyer claims the neighbor's statements are false, with the sole purpose of shaking down his client. Sorry, Vinny, we're rooting for Mr. Ryan.