8 scary celebrity home burglary stories: besides Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun’s recent ‘ransacking’, Taylor Swift and the Beckhams had intruders, while Sandra Bullock’s ordeal left her with PTSD

Feb 5 , 2024

David Beckham, Paris Hilton, Lee Byung-hun, Kendall Jenner and Taylor Swift have all had unwanted intruders in their homes. Photos: WireImage; @parishilton, @byunghun0712/Instagram; Getty Images; FilmMagic

Squid Game actor Lee Byung-hun is the latest celebrity to be targeted in a home burglary, according to TMZ.

Luckily Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun wasn’t home when thieves ransacked his LA property recently. Photo: @byunghun0712/Instagram

The Netflix star’s Los Angeles home was “ransacked”, the publication reported on January 29, with thieves smashing through a glass door to get inside the property. TMZ added that Lee was thankfully out of town at the time, but it’s unclear how much was taken during the burglary.

Sadly, being so high-profile can make celebrities obvious targets for home invasions, as burglars know they can get their hands on some of their pricey possessions. So which other famous people have experienced home burglaries in the past?

1. Paris Hilton

The multiple burglaries that took place at Paris Hilton’s Malibu home were made into a film. Photo: GC Images

From 2008 to 2009, Paris Hilton’s Malibu home was burgled multiple times by a group of teenagers known as “the bling ring”. They allegedly stole US$2 million worth of jewellery from the socialite, per Us Weekly. Their crimes were later chronicled in the 2013 film The Bling Ring by director Sofia Coppola, starring actresses Emma Watson and Taissa Farmiga, and in a Netflix documentary called The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist in 2022.

2. Keanu Reeves

US actor Keanu Reeves’ home was broken into by criminals in ski masks at the end of last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Last December, the John Wick actor’s LA home was burglarised by criminals who wore ski masks when they broke in, per TMZ. They fled the scene before the police arrived.

3. Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell lived in “constant fear” in his London home. Photo: Handout/NBC

As previously reported, the America’s Got Talent judge’s time living in his luxurious London home was marred by burglaries and attempted break-ins. In 2015, a thief stole jewellery worth about US$1.3 million from the residence in an incident that left Cowell in “constant fear” for his safety, a court heard two years later. Last June, Cowell thanked UK tabloid The Sun after it alerted him to an alleged plot to break into his home using a lock decoder.

4. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s father had to intervene when he found a man in his daughter’s house in 2020. Photo: FilmMagic

In a 2019 interview with Elle, the “Anti-Hero” singer said that “every home address I’ve ever had” has been shared online.

One of the most terrifying incidents that took place was in 2020, when the singer’s dad Scott Swift was reportedly confronted by a man who he found inside his daughter’s home, per J-14. They got into an altercation before the suspect escaped but was later found and arrested, states the source.

5 and 6. David and Victoria Beckham

David and Victoria Beckham were at home with Harper when someone burgled their London home in 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE

In 2022, it was revealed that David and Victoria Beckham’s Kensington mansion had been burgled while the pair were at home with their then-10-year-old daughter Harper, per The Guardian. A room in the house was reportedly “ransacked” with “thousands of pounds” worth of items being stolen by the culprit.

7. Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock says she “wasn’t the same” after an intruder broke into her home and she was forced to hide in a wardrobe. Photo: Reuters

In 2021, The Lost City actress opened up to Jada Pinkett Smith about a burglary at her home in 2014, saying that the trauma left her with PTSD.

“I’m in the closet going, ‘This doesn’t end well,’” she recalled, explaining how she was alone when the intruder came into the house. “I wasn’t the same after that. I was unravelling.”

The man was later identified as Joshua James Corbett, who had been stalking Bullock for several days before the break-in and had eight firearms registered to his name, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

8. Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner, like her famous sisters, has amassed an enormous wealth. Photo: Handout

According to TMZ, The Kardashians reality TV star was having a party at her house on the evening her valuables, which included a Rolex and Cartier watch, were allegedly taken from her jewellery box. Per the source, Jenner ended up firing her security guard one day after the incident.

Fame and celebrity

Lee Byung-hun is the latest celebrity to be targeted by burglars, joining a long list of high-profile stars – including the Beckhams and Keanu Reeves – who’ve had valuables stolen from their homes
Simon Cowell was in ‘constant fear’ while living in his London mansion; Taylor Swift’s dad Scott confronted a man at his daughter’s home; and Kendall Jenner had Cartier and Rolex watches taken