5 Celebrities Share How They Conquered Their Fear of Flying
Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, recently experienced a terrifying plane ride. The couple were on a Lufthansa flight from Austin, Texas, to Frankfurt, Germany, when severe turbulence shook the cabin and caused the plane to land in Virginia.
McConaughey and Alves are not the only celebrities who have been on scary flights. Some stars even developed a fear of flying after such an ordeal. Here is a list of five celebrities who have talked about overcoming this fear.
DJ Khaled
In the early 2000s, when DJ Khaled was still known as a radio host, he experienced a terrifying flight that left him unable to board a plane for many years. In fact, he exclusively used to tour the country by bus because of this.
After having his son Asahd in 2016, DJ Khaled decided it was time to conquer his fear. He explained to E! News, “Anytime I was on the road, I would fly him and I would take the bus. My son’s on the plane, but I’m driving [and] taking two to three days to get somewhere and I’m saying to myself, ‘My son can fly. I gotta fly.’”
Miley Cyrus
In 2019, Miley Cyrus went to the U.K. to perform at the famous Glastonbury Festival. On the way there, she experienced a frightening flight with her mother, Tish Cyrus, and older sister, Brandi Cyrus. On the podcast Your Favorite Thing, Brandi recalled that the group was “losing their minds” as their plane seemed to be making “crazy” turns in the air.
Although they eventually landed safely, Miley later shared with fans that she had always been scared of flying. However, she was not about to let it stop her from experiencing the skies.
In a tweet, she wrote, “Today: Write down 3 or more things/people/places that make YOU feel strong & I will share! Mine = 1. My MOTHER obvi 2. Flying in the sky (because it’s always been one of my fears & I love conquering anything I’m afraid of) 3. When I have weights in my hand strengthening my body!”
Travis Barker
In 2008, Travis Barker was traveling from South Carolina to California when the private plane he was on suddenly crashed. Only he and Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein survived the incident, though both of them had severe burns and were transported to a hospital in Georgia in critical condition. The other four people onboard, including Barker’s assistant and bodyguard, died.
Even before the event, Barker was already scared to fly. After the event, he developed PTSD and refused to get on a plane for many years.
In 2021, Barker decided to face his fear thanks to the help of his wife, Kourtney Kardashian. He shared with Nylon that he took a two-hour flight from Cabo San Lucas to Los Angeles. To prepare, he did “some breathwork” with a friend the night before the plane ride.
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly admitted that he had a “really crippling fear of flying” for many years before joining the cast of the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick.
During an appearance on the Graham Norton Show to promote the movie, Connelly revealed that her co-star Tom Cruise helped her feel at ease when they had to film a scene on a P-51 plane.
“He’s like, ‘It’s gonna be very graceful. Very elegant. Very elegant rolls. It’s going to be nice and easy,’” Connelly said.
Megan Fox
When visiting The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021, Megan Fox shared that she developed a fear of flying after having to do it so often for her job.
In order to deal with this, Fox would listen to Britney Spears’ music.
“I would throw on certain music that I just knew I wasn’t gonna die to, which, for me, that was Britney Spears. Like, the archives from when I was young, so like the Oops!… album,” she said. “That’s not the soundtrack to my death. So, that always made me feel better.”
