Tuna Sandwiches, Losing to Women, and More Reasons Why Famous Men Have Meltdowns

Although there are an infinite number of instigating scenarios for male tantrums, a common cause is the megalomaniacal belief in the man's power, influence, and overall importance compared to that of the plebes surrounding him. Consider the Kanye, for example: Although he often goes viral, the rapper's recent refrain of "Don't fuck with me!" in response to an SNL production manager's failure to do…something…was a particularly potent example of the type of hissy fit prominent men throw. In the audio of the tantrum posted by Page Six, West inexplicably claims to be "50 percent more influential" than Stanley Kubrick, the Apostle Paul, Picasso, and all other humans dead or alive, also debunking the myth that men are better at math.

Perhaps it is because we have been conditioned to believe that men are level-headed and not given to tantrums, but in the wake of the Kanye outburst, we at Broadly were inspired to remember, from our lofty vantage of feminine superiority and experience with strong emotion, some other famous masculine meltdowns. Below are some of our favorites.

An important facet of Aubrey Graham's personal brand is his precious love for his tiny mother, but even Drake occasionally slips into bratty teen mode when his highly anticipated lunch plans are foiled. In a clip from 2004, the young Aubrey, then a whipper-snapped 18-year-old starring on Degrassi: The Next Generation, rushes into the kitchen to greet his mother, who has just been to the grocery store. With a one-track mind that will be familiar to anyone who has watched, horrified, a teenage brother devour a second or third dinner, baby Drake rifles through the grocery bags looking for an apparently requested "nice tuna sandwich on a bagel." When his mother breaks the news that she didn't get him the sandwich, his voice cracks in despair. "I clearly said, 'Hey can you please get me a tuna sandwich?'" he says; when his mother replies that she had thought he was kidding, his tone turns from disproportionately letdown to passive aggressive angst.

"Oh, yeah, because I'd definitely pull a joke, joking about a sandwich that I wanted. I'm just a regular comedian over here."

Don't get me wrong; frequently I too fall victim to the oscillating rage and hopelessness of food disappointment. Just yesterday, I ventured to a new, Yelp-regarded restaurant for a delicious-seeming lunch special, only to get back to my desk, open my biodegradable container, and discover a small portion of lackluster eggplant with pork, in boring sauce. I was devastated! But here lies the difference between men and women: Instead of being mean to my mom, I bought two cookies and gave one to my boyfriend.

Sometimes food tantrums are about food; other times the food is just representative of the hell of other people. For the late master filmmaker and actor Orson Welles, frozen peas were but an emblem of the pathetic mediocrity he had to endure as a genius existing in the world. In an infamous audio outtake, an increasingly aggressive Welles derides the director of a commercial he's filming for the Swedish frozen food brand Findus. At first, the discussion seems to be about minor issues in the script; soon enough, though, Welles is calling the script—or perhaps the director—"idiotic," "just stupid," and "a lot of shit." His monologue reaches his climax with Welles saying, "I wouldn't direct any living actor like this in Shakespeare; the way you do this is impossible," and "You are such pests!" Ultimately, the director acquiesces that Welles did fine, but it's too late. As he apparently storms out of the recording studio, Welles can be heard muttering, "No money is worth this."

Earlier this year, a contestant on Britain's long-running competitive cooking show Come Dine With Me had an even-toned but nevertheless malicious reaction to discovering he had come in last place in the frankly low-stakes game. Peter had expected to emerge victorious for the five-course meal he prepared; instead, he emerged deeply resentful and embarrassing. Per the show's setup, after reading out the verdict, Peter gracefully launches into a quiet tirade against the winner, Jane: "Enjoy the money," Peter says. "I hope it makes you very happy. Dear lord, what a sad little life, Jane….I hope now you spend it on getting some lessons in grace and decorum. You have all the grace of a reversing dump track without any tires on." I have a feeling Orson Welles would have been proud; the performance was fairly Shakespearean.

Above all, it seems the root of the masculine rage outburst is often arrogance—the belief that one's talent, skill, or intellect is so great that becoming infuriated is the only response to another individual's failure to align with or appreciate it. In a behind-the-scenes clip from the set of I Heart Huckabees, director David O. Russell berates and nitpicks the much more beloved Lily Tomlin, who, unlike Russell, somehow manages not to turn to babyish insults and ridiculous yelling during the argument. After Russell becomes incensed, Tomlin hedges with a compliment—"I'm not as brilliant as you; I can't keep up with you"—but like countless others who have tried to calm men down with overstated praises, she fails. After an interlude, Russell screams, "Fuck you! I'm just trying to fucking help you—do you understand me? I'm being a fucking collaborator." He then sweeps a bunch of books off a table, hitting a young person cowering in the corner, calls her a bitch a few times, and tells her to fuck herself. From her lofty vantage of feminine superiority, Tomlin replies with a wisdom typical to our gender. "Why don't you fuck your whole movie? Because that's what you're doing."

I Heart Huckabees has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 62 percent.