Coco Chanel
It’s safe to say that most of us have wondered why the Kardashians, or the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (or Atlanta, or New York) are so famous. They don’t do much besides fight with their families on TV, and sell detox teas on Instagram. Yet we’re so keyed in on them that we don’t think back to the people who came before…
We’re taught from a young age about these “historical” figures, their accomplishments, and the impact they’ve had on society. But as it turns out, not everybody’s all that impressed. We took a trip down the Reddit hole to discover who people thought were the most overrated figures in history, and the answers ranged from intriguing to shocking. You’re telling us that there are people who DON’T love Keanu Reeves…?
Beyoncé
I have recently found out that Coco Chanel was apparently a Nazi agent who went under the code name “Westminster.” She spent most of WW2 in Paris in the Ritz sleeping with Nazi officers and had direct contact with Himmler and Goebbels. She even insisted all Jewish directors of her brand be removed.
There’s no denying the French fashion designer was an icon. She originated the little black dress, and if you say you haven’t worn Chanel No. 5 at least once, you’re probably lying. But as a human being… overrated probably doesn’t even begin to cut it. Reddit user: peachy-tree
Henry VIII
Beyonce. Yes, I said it. Queen B is a crazy talented artist and icon in the entertainment industry, but not everything she touches turns to gold (records) like Midas on a field trip. Just most things. Though to be honest, it may be her fan base that overrates her more than anybody.
Is Beyoncé talented and gorgeous? Yes. Is she the queen and epitome of perfection? No. Take a break, guys. Reddit user: oooriole09
King Tut
Let’s be honest: all Henry VIII did was strong-arm the church so he could marry another woman, the fat greedy sod. Plus he had children with two sisters, had lavish parties for no reason, and nearly broke the entire country. It’s even worse if everything they acted out in the Boleyn movie was true.
When your greatest claim to fame is multiple divorces and constantly beheading your wives and subjects, chances are you’re pretty problematic. Reddit user: Dynwynn
Christopher Columbus
Tut was a boy Pharoah that only reached the age of maybe 18, born from incest, and suffered scoliosis as well as a bad foot (he walked with a cane). He contracted malaria and likely died from an infection from a broken leg. Also, when he came to power, he married his sister and had two miscarriages.
This poor boy had lots of power but was sick all his life, and likely his advisors made all decisions for him. He also had a very short reign that ended with Egypt at war. It’s crazy that he’s being seen as such a great king. Reddit user: [redacted]
Ronald Reagan
So basically, Columbus sails to “India” with his crew of mates he found on 1400s Craigslist. Not only does this dude take the native “Indians” as slaves, but he and his crew actually test the sharpness of their cutlasses on their skin. And we have a holiday for this dude? He didn’t even succeed!
Not to mention the Vikings explored North America way before him. History books paint him as an inquisitive explorer who discovered the new world. Reddit user: FujiFruit
Charles Lindbergh
Reagan was the meshing of social conservatism and free-market capitalism, spiced with a dash of patriotism and a former film career thrown in just to make him ultra American. I just don’t understand how this man rose to the presidency in the first place, let alone is seen as one of the best in our history.
A pop culture icon who rose to the absolute top of the US government with little political experience…. Sound familiar? Reddit user: OLookItsThatGuyAgain
Steve Jobs
Alcock & Brown had the first non-stop transatlantic flight eight years before Lindbergh’s, yet he got the credit for it. When you factor in all the Nazi shenanigans, the dude is definitely overrated. Lots of other historical people changed the world; all Lindberg did was pull an all-nighter in an airplane.
Honestly, flying all night couldn’t have been that hard in those times. It’s not like he was doing long-haul flights like we do now. Reddit user: laterdude
John Lennon
Steve Jobs is falsely credited with the invention of the iPod and iPhones. He is only the salesman, but he stole all the credit. Yes, I said what I said. If you didn’t know, this man wasn’t quite the genius he pretended to be. The people who really created those items were cheated out of the fame Jobs got.
He was a showman but had help behind the scenes. We’re still reading this on our iPhones, Macbooks, and Apple toys, but come on, Jobs. Reddit user: WeaponOfWar
Andrew Jackson
John Lennon was a wife-beater and an arrogant idiot to everyone. Pretty much the entire reason why the Beatles broke up. People like to blame Yoko Ono, but I’m pretty sure she would’ve been happier with him gone all the time and not at home, waiting to see what stunt he’d pull next.
Lennon was an iconic musician and genius of his time. But he was also a very (as the kids say) problematic person. Reddit user: Fredfredbug4
Marilyn Monroe
Andrew Jackson is a typical answer, that’s true, but anyone who marches an entire race thousands of miles to their deaths with no mercy at all…well, that’s a pretty bad thing. He was an idiot who had no right ruling this country to begin with. I still hate him to this day.
You see his face every time you pull out a $20 bill, but the 7th president also sent thousands of natives off to die on the Trail of Tears. Reddit user: super_sayanything
Tupac Shakur
Back then, if you were attractive enough, you could climb the ladder in entertainment very quickly. And that’s what Monroe did. She didn’t want to be poor, so she used her looks to get money. Her biggest accomplishment was being the only person to sleep with Joe DiMaggio and John F Kennedy.
Was she a great actress? No. Did she change the history of film as we know it? Also no. Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous faces in cinema, but we’ve never really been able to understand why. Reddit: deplorablecrayon
Paul Revere
He was a good actor and writer, but in an era of everyone keeping it real in hip-hop, Tupac Shakur was as fake as they come. He went to private school and got his start as a back-up dancer in Digital Underground; he was a happy, well-adjusted guy dancing in a video.
He may not have been as legit as everybody thought, but his music was still pretty amazing. Reddit user: stahnsfield
Henry Ford
Paul isn’t the most overrated, but he’s the first guy that comes to mind in terms of people who supposedly did things for America. Don’t get me wrong, yes he was a good guy, and he played a role in our nation’s fate that night. But did you know he wasn’t the only man on the Midnight Ride?
The famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is called “Paul Revere’s Ride,” but Samuel Prescott and William Dawes were there too! Reddit user: coldcurru
Walt Disney
Ford wrote and published a wildly anti-Semitic newspaper, which was spread around the Ford Motors facilities. Those papers were republished in Germany and became incredibly popular with the Third Reich. Heinrich Himmler described Ford as “one of our most valuable, important, and witty fighters.” Hitler praised Ford in Mein Kampf and referred to Ford as an “inspiration.”
On his 75th birthday, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, the highest medal Nazi Germany could bestow on an American. Reddit user: ContraltofDanger
Mother Teresa
Most of Disney’s ideas were taken from the public domain (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, just to name a few). I mean, he didn’t even come up with Mickey Mouse, it was one of his animators who came up with the idea. Basically a rip-off of Max Fleischer, who was better at marketing himself.
Walt Disney is the man responsible for making people’s dreams come true, but it seems like he destroyed just as many. Reddit user: [redacted]
Douglas MacArthur
Mother Teresa didn’t help anyone. She felt that the only way to get to heaven was to suffer on earth, so she deliberately made people’s lives miserable. Especially the ones that she was supposed to be taking care of. If you do the research, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
She also once said that she believed the suffering of the poor was “beautiful.” What a thing to say. Reddit user: DFuhbree
Amelia Earheart
MacArthur obsessed with his legacy while being a far less capable leader than many of the other overlooked commanders in the Pacific theater. He spent thousands of lives in battles on islands that had little strategic significance, declared the battle for the Philippines over while intense fighting raged on, and was disliked by many serving under him.
Go listen to/read Max Hastings’ Retribution: The Battle for Japan for a great deep dive into the Pacific War. Reddit user: fushiao
Ted Bundy
You’ve got to give her credit for stepping up, but those who read up on her aren’t amused. Yes, I would definitely say the famous female pilot is overrated. There were plenty of trailblazing and better women pilots, yet Amelia is a household name because she attempted something she died while trying.
Did she really die though? There are dozens of theories that she changed her name and lived on or was abducted by aliens. Reddit user: YouEnjoyMyself84
Garfield
People claim that in terms of serial killers, he had high intelligence. He didn’t. He dropped out of law school because he couldn’t keep up with his peers. So he was of average intelligence; he’s just being compared with other serial killers who overall skew lower in terms of IQ.
It’s weird to see a serial killer on a list of overrated people, but very few criminals have the Netflix documentary and cult following that Bundy has. Reddit user: beepborpimajorp
Mahatma Gandhi
The grouchy cat is a little outdated these days, with a real-life Grumpy Cat (RIP) becoming a meme icon and a ton of other cartoons coming out in the past 40 years. But if there’s one thing Garfield is, it’s relatability. We all hate Mondays, you ain’t special.
Of course, it probably doesn’t help that Garfield originated as a comic strip, and lots of us don’t read newspapers anymore. Reddit user: Trans_am1978
Keanu Reeves
What words come to mind when you think of Gandhi? Wise, enlightened, peaceful? Maybe not. There is definitely another side to this iconic figure. He was awful to his wife and kids, anti-education, thought certain races were primitive savages, and said resisting the Nazis was wrong and that the Brits should surrender to them.
And yet he’s known for starving himself and being a stand-up guy? He’s not as peaceful as people think. Reddit user: badgerssprite
Alexander The Great
That’s right. Turns out that not everybody is a fan of the internet’s boyfriend, no matter how many memes and voice acting roles he has. Like yeah, he’s a nice guy and all, but the populace is just absolutely obsessed with him. Then again, just Google “why Keanu Reeves is the nicest guy ever” and you may just change your mind.
He’s not the best actor ever, but a pretty incredible person. So I guess I have to admit he’s overrated, but not by much. Reddit user: IdkTbhSmh
John F. Kennedy
Definitely Alexander the Great. Oh and also every other conquerer ever. Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, etc. Basically every conqueror whose name we know or that we ever learned about in a history class. All those guys did was just murder a bunch of people. Oh, but they were great strategists!
They brought civilization to barbarians! Yeah NO. They just killed people to feed their own ego. Reddit user: DarthFikus
Winston Churchill
If he had survived to the next election, he probably would have gone down as one of the worst US presidents of all time. Just look at Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the escalation in Vietnam…all him. But oh, he gave a speech where he literally promised the moon.
Rest in Peace, JFK. He’s remembered for a lot of good things, but he definitely had his shortcomings as president. Reddit user: SYLOH
Queen Elizabeth
The subject of countless American history papers? Overrated? It can’t be! Believe it, because it seems the high school history books only tell you the good stuff. Winston Churchill was an alcoholic, sexist, racist buffoon, and his contribution to the war wasn’t as significant as people are led to believe.
He was also classist and fed information to the Germans so they would attack the less wealthy. Not okay. Reddit user: queenjulian97
George Washington Carver
The newspapers built Elizabeth up out of very ordinary humanity from day one. Great Britain effectively lost its empire fighting an expensive war. Significant rationing was still going on when her father died. It was the most absurd moment in history to continue having this family living in obscene luxury from the taxpayers.
I don’t even see the symbolic benefit of having a queen, king, prince, or princess. It seems to me it falsely paints the nation as more wealthy than most of them are. Reddit user: contrarian1970
Leonardo Da Vinci
Have you EVER had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup? Carver didn’t exactly cure a deadly disease, but he did invent one of the best snack foods ever. But it is worth noting that Carver also created over 50 ways to use peanuts, so I just want to sit down and share a PB&J with this guy.
Wait, that means he’s underrated, not overrated. I think honestly people don’t like him because of the color of his skin, as sad as it is. Reddit user: [redacted]
Taylor Swift
Even when you create one of the most iconic paintings of all time, you’re still going to have a few haters. Da Vinci was super overrated. I get that he thought of the principles behind the helicopter and things, but people still act like he invented the airplane. I can design a plane that doesn’t work, I ain’t Da Vinci.
His house was full of all sorts of seemingly impressive sketches, but none of them were even close to working. Reddit user: mechasmurf
Julius Caesar
I think at this point everyone is just a little fed up with Taylor Swift and her “swifties.” Yeah, those are her fans. To be fair, who wouldn’t annoy you after you’ve heard their songs on the radio and television all day, every day for over a decade? Yeah, she’s a multi-millionaire artist, businesswoman, and musical icon.
Somehow, she has stayed relevant since 2008. But I think we’re all just getting tired of hearing her voice. Reddit user: turn_A
Thomas Midgley Jr.
Caesar is a hugely overrated figure. Julius Caesar, I mean, not the political title. To be blunt, Augustus is the real reason Julius Caesar is so famous. Without his “son,” Caesar would have just been another flash in the pan dictator. And we all know that dictators get hyped up stories.
You can’t claim to be one of the most impactful people in history when really it was all thanks to your son, my dude. Reddit user: darkness_is_dancing
Che Guevara
Midgley was an award-winning inventor and scientist. His work probably caused more to damage our environment than any other person. He invented leaded gasoline. Made engines run more smoothly. Also polluted our air with toxic lead and gave himself lead poisoning. The product was outlawed in the 1970s. Invented the use of freon. It used to be used in air conditioning, refrigeration units, and aerosol cans.
That is, until it was discovered to be a serious danger to Earth’s ozone layer. It was outlawed in the 1980s. He died by accidentally getting tangled up in one of his own inventions. Reddit user: zipadeedodog
Tom Hanks
Yes, I get that Cuba wasn’t a happy place before Fidel Castro took over. Fulgencio Batista was a brutal dictator, and American mobsters had free reign over the island. But aside from being far from a good person himself, Che Guevara also wasn’t such a particularly good commander compared to guys like Fidel and Raul Castro.
Yet it’s Che Guevara’s face on millions of posters and T-shirts, not Raul Castro, not Ho Chi Minh, not Leon Trotsky or any of the other hundreds of commanders from communist revolutions during the 20th century. Reddit user: plusoneforautism
Kurt Cobain
As an entertainment industry insider, I want to take one iconic actor down a few pegs. Keanu is great and deserves all the love. Even in the gossipy places, I haven’t heard even a smidge of negativity about him. But I HAVE heard some really shady things about Tom Hanks. And the vibes he gives me, ew.
He’s known for playing icons like Mr. Rogers and Walt Disney, but the actor has a shady side. Reddit user: PruRay2
Pewdiepie
The Nirvana frontman was a major player in the ’90s grunge movement before his death in 1994, but the dude was a musician, not a hero. He would most likely agree if he were still alive. Of course, every musician is a hero to their fans, but Cobain was definitely troubled.
Cobain was even envious of his former bandmate, Foo Fighter’s frontman Dave Grohl, for his voice and musical skills. Reddit user: Boukish
Tim Burton
If somebody had told us 30 years ago that you could make millions and millions per year just by playing video games on YouTube and screaming profanities, we’d have a lot of questions. First, what is YouTube? And second, why is Pewdiepie a thing? He’s extremely overrated.
I literally have no idea how someone like him got so big on YouTube. I guess it appeals to the little children, because it’s literally him just screaming. Reddit user: Gre3nArr0w
Barack Obama
I know I won’t get much love with this sentiment, but it’s what I honestly think. I think he made some really great movies in his beginnings, but it’s been years, and I haven’t seen something worthy of Edward Scissorhands. I’d even say that everything after Mars Attacks went from dull to bad….
Yes, I’m prepared for a hoard of emo kids with Jack Skellington tattoos and merch coming my way with pitchforks. Reddit user: UltraChilly
Kim Kardashian
He’s the president all the millennials grew up with, and his legacy made it into countless history books, but not everybody agrees with Obama’s body of work (especially Lin-Manuel Miranda and all his celebrity supporters!). He received a Nobel prize and is widely respected and admired, but if you really look at what he accomplished, it’s pretty lackluster.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion, so I’m going to go out there and say that Obama is super overrated. Reddit user: [redacted]
Waldo
Come on, you all knew this one was coming. The queen of selfies was cleaning Paris Hilton’s closet ten years ago, but she is now one of the most-followed people on Instagram, has a rapper husband, and lives in a multimillion-dollar mansion that could pass for a museum. She’s super famous.
But that doesn’t mean she deserves the hype. I guess you gotta admire her hustle? She’s the original “influencer.” But still… what does she do of value to the world? Reddit user: [redacted]
Richard The Lionheart
Why should anyone even care to search for that man, teenager, guy, or whatever Waldo is? He’s done nothing that people should even care about him in the first place. The fact that he’s always hiding is probably because he’s done something wrong. Plus that idiot only has one shirt.
For a character that’s been around for over 30 years, we know surprisingly little about Waldo…and why exactly we should care where he is all the time. Reddit user: TwistedBlister
A frenchman who hated England and just used his bad attitude as a tax-raising opportunity so he could fund his bloodlust in the Middle East. He got himself captured, and his people were bled while raising the ransom for his sorry butt. Shortly afterward, he got himself killed in a pointless little battle.
He only engaged in the battle because he wasn’t happy unless he was warring. What a loser. Reddit user: Szwehjkowski