Image via Complex Original
Although some have gained Internet notoriety for their antagonistic, bullheaded, audaciously asinine, and all-around attention seeking tweets, no group is better at trolling than celebrities. This list takes a look at the most infamous trolls of Twitter. For some, trolling only serves as a boost to their star power. Others, it's done nothing but soil their names, and, in some cases, their checking accounts. No matter where they fall, though, one thing is certain: they be trolling. Oh, and before you even think to ask, the reason why Chris Brown is not on this list is simple: He trolls himself, which technically doesn't count. Better luck next list, Christopher.
Stacey Dash
Username: @REALStaceyDash
Followers: 401,000 +
Stacey Dash may have a right to her opinion—including the support of racially charged suppression efforts against people who look like her—but at this point, the Clueless star knows that she garners a lot of attention for it, which is more than we can say about her more recent roles. Think I'm wrong, pop quiz: name them. Right. Stacey must be trying to get a gig at FOX News. She ought to be only a few tweets away from making that a reality.
Donald Trump
Username: @realdonaldtrump
Followers: 2.3 million +
What happens when you take an old, conspiracy theory believing, angry white man and put him in a suit? You become a FOX News superstar, of course. But you can also be Donald Trump, one of hell of a troll. Trump has been a cheerleader for birthism and various other contemporary instances of systematic white racism. He's not saying anything of value, but because of the 24-hour cable news and click-happy world we live in, he manages to score headlines all the same. Way to go, wealthy racism!
Joe Budden
Username: @joebudden
Followers: 776,000 +
Even before Love & Hip Hop became a thing, Joe Budden was making the most of Twitter by exposing his private life. Fair enough, but never forget this is the person who told Esther Baxter during their online break up, "Or don't @Esthet_Baxter .. But that mouth get too slick & pics of that hoe a** box of yours will be plastered all over this b*tch, try me." And, you know, continues to tweet controversy for the sake of attention. That said, Hip Hop Hannibal has done quite well for himself...as a TV star.
Miley Cyrus
Username: @mileycyrus
Followers: 13.4 million +
Miley may be getting a lot of attention for showing her ass at the 2013 VMAs, but she shows just as much of it, if not more, on Twitter. She operates under the assumption that all press is good press. It's been reported that Miley and Britney Spears recently collaborated on a track for Miley's forthcoming album, Bangerz. The minute those two meet in person, perhaps Britney could hip her to the reality that attention seeking can ultimately wear on you. If not, she should just DM Christina Aguilera, who seems more her speed when you think about it.
Don Lemon
Username: @DonLemonCNN
Followers: 204,000 +
Don Lemon has categorized his terrific impression of simplistic thoughts derived from white paternalism as "tough love," but the thing is, the only love that comes across from his Twitter rants is the love of sel. When you actually care about the people you're critiquing, you do little things: like actually knowing what you're talking about. Oh well, if you want to go around tweeting like the lovechild of Uncle Ruckus and Bryant Gumble, go right ahead, sir. Just don't come back to black people with some "please, baby, baby please take me back" bull when the folks you're pandering to find a replacement doll.
Perez Hilton
Username: @perezhilton
Followers: 6.1 million +
Perez Hilton is a blogger who managed to become a celebrity based on his absurd actions. Say, outing his gay peers, insulting the children of celebrities, and other grand displays of asshole behavior. Surprise, surprise that he shares this same behavior on Twitter. After all, this is the guy known for mocking Michael Jackson on the day he died. Though he likes to pretend that he's changed, he's still good for a tweet beef, and if you believe Lady Gaga (and I do), even worse actions.
Chad Johnson
Username: @ochocinco
Followers: 7.7 million +
The former NFL star has always used Twitter to gain attention, be it by way of inviting complete strangers from Twitter to a paid dinner on his dime (as he live tweets it) or courting his now ex-wife, reality star Evelyn Lozada for the entire world to see. Chad himself realizes that he is an oversharer, and yet, he keeps doing it. Will he ever stop? No. And I'm sure he'd even admit that.
Plies
Username: @plies
Followers: 464,000 +
I like "Becky" as much as the next southern rap fan, and yet, I can't help but feel like Plies, the self-professed goon who has a nursing degree, only raps and subsequently tweets hoodisms like this to illicit a response. That surely fits into his brand—a word I've come to hate with great intensity—but at the same time, there's always something about Plies that screams, "I wish I got my MBA." Because of that I can never take his "I'm so real, lemme prove it to you with the hood speak I've rehearsed several times over" bit seriously.
Azealia Banks
Username: @azealiabanks
Followers: 354,000 +
This one is tricky. On one end, I maintain that Azealia Banks gets a bad rap. She doesn't actually start many of the Twitter fights she's now notoriously known for. Even so, after your 22nd Twitter fight there has to be a point in which you tell yourself, "You know, if people know me more for my Twitter handle than my rap flow, maybe I need to make my block button as hot as Lil' Wayne's first album lest people think I enjoy this, and am thus, a troll." Any day now, ma'am. I'm rooting for you.
Amanda Bynes
Username: @amandabynes
Followers: 3.1 million
She talks about wanting Drake to annihilate her crotch in a good way or something, routinely calls other celebrities ugly, and, at one point, dressed up like the famous stripper Blac Chyna and put it online. No one has trolled more than Amanda Bynes, though in her defense, she's got some mental health issues going on. Now, for the other stars on the list, one wonders: What is y'all's excuse?