Some of the biggest names in pop music apparently have very different personalities once the cameras stop rolling.
Former BBC producer Gareth Davies spilled some seriously juicy backstage stories in an exclusive Page Six interview, revealing the “biggest divas” he encountered and the “sassiest” celebrities he worked with in the industry.
Highlights
- Former BBC producer Gareth Davies revealed the pop stars whose backstage behavior left the biggest impression on him.
- From Shania Twain’s unusual backstage routine to Jennifer Lopez’s lavish demands, the revelations have fans questioning their “diva” reputations.
- Davies also revealed which major stars were surprisingly sweet and down-to-earth behind the scenes.
Now, fans are weighing in on the revelations, with one bluntly suggesting, “If they started saying no to these spoiled celebrities, [this behavior] would stop.”
Former BBC producer Gareth Davies reveals his most memorable backstage celebrity encounters
Davies recalled being particularly struck by the elaborate routine surrounding Shania Twain when she appeared on Top of the Pops.
“As soon as she was asked to come on stage at ‘Top of the Pops,’ there was this very long line of entourage running one after the other, almost like a conga,” he told the outlet.
According to Gareth, Twain's team would race ahead of her through the BBC corridors, opening doors so that she would never have to stop or slow down.
He recalled, “They were basically all running to the next door, the next door, the next door through the BBC corridors to make sure that when Shania started walking, she didn’t have to slow down at any point.”
Davies said the whole thing appeared so meticulously coordinated that “it was quite fascinating to see … It was sort of like this regimented, rehearsed line that if someone faltered, if someone didn’t get to the door before Shania did, they might be in trouble.”
The latest revelation isn't the first time Shania has been associated with high-maintenance celebrity demands.
A 2015 TMZ report on a leaked hotel rider attributed a lengthy list of requests to the singer, including seven humidifiers, three bouquets of white or cream roses, and specific candle scents.
It also claimed she used a “hotel advance” assistant who would arrive before her to make sure her accommodations were ready.
Gareth had another A-lister in mind when asked about the celebrity with the strongest attitude.
Davies dubbed Shania Twain the “biggest diva” while Jennifer Lopez was the “sassiest”
“I think she’s sort of perhaps built a career on being the queen of sass in a way,” he said of Jennifer Lopez.
His memory of J.Lo's Top of the Pops appearance involved an equally elaborate transformation of the BBC's backstage space.
According to Davies, Lopez's dressing rooms were covered in white plastic film, with an entire corridor taken over for the singer's use.
“She had all her dressing rooms decorated in white,” he recalled. “It was like this white plastic film that went everywhere.”
The Anaconda star also required a white microphone for her performance, with the former producer observing that “a lot of time, money, and effort was spent on making sure that J.Lo perhaps felt as sassy as what she kind of wants to be backstage.”
Jennifer has long been the subject of rumors regarding her treatment of staff, assistants, and service workers.
Multiple reports over the years have claimed Lopez enforces a strict rule forbidding staff from making direct eye contact with her, with some allegedly instructed not to look at or approach her unless spoken to first.
More recently, she faced renewed scrutiny over how she interacted with people away from the stage.
During the 2026 Golden Globes, a viral video sparked accusations that Lopez had been rude to Glambot director Cole Walliser.
Gareth recalled, “I think she’s sort of perhaps built a career on being the queen of sass in a way…”
Many social media users claimed that Jennifer “barely acknowledged” Walliser and appeared to avoid direct eye contact with him for much of the interaction.
Even Meghan McCain has weighed in on Lopez’s reputation, describing her as “deeply unpleasant” and “not very nice” during a 2024 episode of her Citizen McCain podcast.
“She had the biggest entourage I’ve ever seen. More than Kim Kardashian and the president. I just don’t really understand why it was needed,” McCain said.
Gareth’s Page Six revelations prompted some social media users to wonder whether the two pop icons’ demanding reputations had more to them than meets the eye.
“If they started saying no to these spoiled celebrities, it would stop. They are people just like you and me. No better, no worse,” one person wrote.
Another said, “Very disappointing to read this bout Shania Twain. Someone from humble beginnings and open about her relationship struggles. None of it made her kinder.”
A third commenter simply reacted, “None of this surprises me whatsoever...”
Others expressed, “I’m not surprised! They seem to forget that they were once nobodies! Wanting privacy sometimes is understandable, but to forget how you got there is insane!”
Davies also recalled Madonna as the celebrity who arrived with one of the largest entourages he had encountered.
“The only story I can kind of remember, which I suppose is quite a funny story to share, was Madonna had a really big entourage when she arrived,” he said. “Everyone’s got their very specific role within quite a big machine.”
Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and Kylie Minogue proved not every superstar is a “diva”
But the massive operation suffered one rather basic failure when Madonna's stylist accidentally left all of the singer's outfits at the hotel.
“She kind of had that one job just to bring the outfits, but didn’t bring them,” Davies recalled. “But I didn’t see any fireworks off the back of that, and certainly the fireworks would have been hidden from Madonna.”
For Davies, the episode illustrated how even the most carefully managed celebrity operation can fall apart over something incredibly simple.
Not every celebrity story Gareth shared involved diva behavior.
Janet Jackson gave him almost the opposite experience.
Davies said the production team had been waiting for Jackson and assumed she was running late.
“Everyone was just assuming that Janet was going to be late until someone pointed out that Janet Jackson had been there the whole time and was just sitting on the studio floor just waiting for us rather than it being the other way around,” he recalled.
“So that was really sweet to see that sometimes you expect someone to be this huge diva and to make an entrance and actually she’s just been waiting there for us the whole time, which I thought was really lovely.”
Beyond Janet, he also remembered Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, and Kylie Minogue fondly.
After years spent working around some of the biggest names in entertainment, he suggested that celebrity status doesn't necessarily tell you how someone will behave backstage.
Davies ultimately stressed that, “I think so many of the stories that I have are about [famous] people being really normal, nice and sweet.”
“They should be treated the same as spoiled children. Force them to grow up. Stop these nightmare behavior!” one critic wrote
