7 Worst Celebrity Wax Figures Ever

Wax figures, or any other kind of statue, probably feel like a great honor and a recognition of great talent -- until it goes wrong. From feral fans to the artists themselves calling for a redo, many wax figures have been a huge miss. Most recently, Lil Wayne expressed his displeasure at a lookalike statue gone horribly wrong. While some wax statues are done right, such as the recent figure of Takeoff, a lot often earn mixed reviews. There are many unattractive, or downright unrecognizable celebrity wax figures out there. Below, we've ranked seven of the worst ones. 

France's Grevin Museum's recent attempt at a waxen Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson led to an online uproar. They managed to capture basic parts of his physique accurately: bulging biceps and a bald head. However, people were taken aback when the wax figure was revealed. This was due to the uncanny resemblance to another bald icon: Mr. Clean. This went on for so long that Dwayne Johnson himself had to address it. "For the record, I'm going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum in Paris, France, so we can work at 'updating' my wax figure here with some important details and improvements—starting with my skin color," he wrote in response.

Read More: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Teaming Up With Wax Museum To Fix Viral Statue Of Himself

In Lonavala, a small Indian town close to Mumbai, stands a wax statue of Angelina Jolie in the halls of the Celebrity Wax Museum. This wax figure is probably the poorest rendition of Angelina Jolie to ever exist anywhere in the world. A close second would be the one installed in the Hollywood Wax Museum. Like its Indian counterpart, this was also in a bid to recreate the actress’ iconic Tomb Raider character: Lara Croft. Completely devoid of the trademark Jolie cheekbones and standing at an impossible and uncomfortable angle, the wax figure looked a little more similar to a melting giant candle than the Oscar-winning actress.

In December 2021, just a few days before Christmas, the iconic wax sculptor house Madame Tussauds was mocked all across Twitter and beyond. The reason? A new Rihanna figure was unveiled. It was immediately mocked as the “world’s worst” celebrity waxwork. Moreover, the Navy even began to demand for it to be melted immediately. The figure bore absolutely no resemblance to the superstar, and there was also the choice of outfit. The wax statue, decked out in a sexy Christmas outfit in time for the festive season, seemed more creepy than sexy. One Twitter user commented: “So cool that Madame Tussauds included a wax figure for Rihanna’s lesser-known sister, Brianna.” Thankfully, Rihanna’s had much better wax figures in recent times.

Read More: Drake & Rihanna Honored By Madame Tussauds With Wax Figures

Making wax figures of Beyoncé has become a little bit of a delicate affair in pop culture. Why? Because makers seem to always fail to achieve the correct skin tone of the iconic artist. It is hard to know if this is the fault of reference photos, or perhaps a lack of widespread expertise in color theory. In 2017, many people were frustrated by another one of Beyoncé’s wax figures. Not only was it too light-skinned, but it leaned towards the color orange. 

After Madame Tussauds introduced this Nicki statue in Las Vegas, a ton of tourists rushed to take inappropriate pictures with the wax rapper's likeness. The museum ended up adding extra security around the statue. After the initial clamor died down however, everyone agreed the figure looked embarrassingly unlike Nicki Minaj. In January 2020, it was moved to the Madame Tussaud’s outlet in Berlin, Germany. Once again, this artistic take on Nicki Minaj in the "Anaconda" music video went viral for its absurdity. "Does Google not exist?" a fan wrote in shock.

In May 2021, an employee was photographed renovating the head of one of British model Naomi Campbell’s wax figures. This was taken at the Musee Grevin Wax Museum in Paris, ahead of the museum’s reopening. The internet was immediately reminded of the first time the wax figure had gone viral. It was impossible to believe the 2005 installation was that of one of the greatest living supermodels.

One of Celine Dion's wax figures, currently located at the Hollywood Wax Museum, did a great disservice to the legendary singer. In an attempt to replicate her red ensemble at the 1993 American Music Awards red carpet, the Museum installed an entirely different persona with Dion's nametag. The figure had an unnaturally high forehead, an overly wide chin, and a balding head of dusty wig. There was also no resemblance between the figure's bedazzled gown (complete with a red feather boa), and Dion's matte Versace dress from that night. Luckily, subsequent wax figure attempts have been kinder to the legend's legacy.