The Hidden Struggle Behind the Glamour
Nearly half of Americans harbor some level of anxiety when flying, according to recent CBS News and YouGov polling data. But when you’re a professional singer whose career depends on jetting from city to city, this fear becomes more than just an inconvenience – it becomes a career-threatening nightmare. A 2015 poll found that only 41 percent of Americans reported being “not at all afraid” of boarding an airplane, suggesting that nearly half of the American public harbors some fear of air travel.
Studies estimate that up to 40% of people experience some level of anxiety when flying, with around 6.5% of the population suffering from clinically diagnosed aviophobia. For musicians who must tour globally to maintain their careers, this creates a devastating paradox. They need to fly to succeed, yet their deepest fears make every flight a torturous experience.
Aretha Franklin’s Career-Changing Battle
The living legend of soul music developed a reputation for travel anxiety around 1985 with “Freeway of Love,” which has been responsible for missed opportunities including: performing for the Queen and in the pyramids of Egypt, Prince Albert of Monaco, and cancelling a concert tour half-way through due to aviophobia. Her fear wasn’t just stage fright – it was a genuine phobia that cost her some of the biggest performance opportunities of her lifetime.
Unlike some artists, Franklin was ashamed of her condition and sought help on several occasions, joining a group therapy class called Fearless Flyers in 1986. Despite her efforts to overcome the fear, it continued to plague her throughout her career. The Queen of Soul’s battle with aviophobia demonstrates how even the most powerful performers can be rendered helpless by this common yet debilitating condition.
Travis Barker’s Traumatic Transformation
In 2008, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker survived a horrific plane crash that continues to give him anxiety when he travels, struggling with a fear of flying after the crash. What makes Barker’s case particularly heartbreaking is that he didn’t always fear flying – his aviophobia was born from genuine trauma rather than irrational fear.
Barker said in an open letter to fans: “I’m sorry to announce I won’t be joining Blink-182 on this Australian tour. I still haven’t gotten over the horrific events that took place the last time I flew when my plane crashed and four people were killed, two being my best friends”. His story shows how quickly a musician’s relationship with flying can transform from routine to terrifying.
Miley Cyrus and the Paradox of Success
It may surprise you to see Miley Cyrus at the top of lists of celebrities afraid of flying. The pop sensation is fearless on stage, but flying to each gig pushes her personal limits. This creates an almost cruel irony – the very thing that makes her career possible also becomes her greatest source of anxiety.
Miley Cyrus is known for her bold stage presence and outspoken personality, but the pop star has shared that long flights make her nervous and edgy. Her case exemplifies how aviophobia affects performers regardless of their public persona or apparent fearlessness in other areas of their lives.
Nick Jonas’s Honest Admission
Nick Jonas, musician and actor, has been frank about his fear: “I hate flying. People are shocked by that because I fly all the time, but I think defying gravity is just frightening”. His honesty about the contradiction between his career demands and personal fears resonates with many performers who face similar internal battles.
Jonas represents a new generation of artists who are more open about their mental health struggles. His admission that he finds “defying gravity frightening” speaks to the fundamental human unease with being suspended thousands of feet in the air, regardless of safety statistics.
Ben Affleck’s Lightning-Struck Childhood
Ben Affleck said his fear of flying stems from a childhood experience flying on a plane that was struck by lightning. The fear stems from childhood: the superstar once flew on a plane that was struck by lightning. While Affleck is primarily known as an actor, his phobia demonstrates how early traumatic experiences can shape a person’s relationship with aviation for decades.
His case shows that aviophobia often has roots in specific incidents rather than general anxiety. The vivid memory of lightning striking an aircraft during childhood created a lasting association between flying and danger that continues to affect him as an adult.
Whoopi Goldberg’s Creative Solutions
Her trips from New York to Los Angeles would involve a luxury bus, 2 shifts of drivers, and 24 hours of continuous travel. When she was faced with the idea of staging Sister Act outside of the United States in 2009, she had no choice but to face her concerns. Goldberg’s elaborate travel arrangements show how far some performers will go to avoid flying while still maintaining their careers.
Virgin Airlines CEO Richard Branson persuaded Whoopie to take his company’s “Flying Without Fear” course – on live television. Goldberg later admitted to having aviophobia, saying, “No, I haven’t gotten over it”. Even with professional help and public support, her fear persisted, demonstrating the stubborn nature of this phobia.
The Breaking Benjamin Frontman’s Multiple Fears
The frontman of New Jersey hard rock band Breaking Benjamin has a plethora of phobias that affect his daily life and music career, aviophobia being just one of them, along with achulophobia (fear of the dark), hypochondria (fear of illness), and amaxophobia (fear of being in a car). Benjamin Burnley’s case shows how aviophobia often exists alongside other anxiety disorders.
Instead of shying away from his hindrance, he and his band Breaking Benjamin built an album around the concept entitled “Phobia” (2006). “Phobia” includes air travel-related soundbites that paint a traumatic airplane experience including flight attendant safety announcements and turbulence noise. His artistic approach to processing fear demonstrates how some musicians channel their phobias into creative expression.
Megan Fox’s Twenty-Something Onset
Actress Megan Fox also hates flying. “I developed that when I turned 20,” she said. “All of a sudden I got really afraid to get on airplanes. I had to come up with a way to deal with it because I didn’t want to have panic attacks every time I get on a plane”. Her experience shows that aviophobia can develop suddenly in adulthood, even without traumatic experiences.
Her solution? Listening to Britney Spears – who, coincidentally, also appears on lists of celebrities with flying fears. This coping mechanism highlights how performers often find unique, personal ways to manage their aviation anxiety during necessary flights.
The Silent Epidemic in Entertainment
Intense fear of flying, called aviophobia, is a highly prevalent psychological phenomenon, afflicting (in some estimates) up to 40% of the population of industrialized countries. The entertainment industry, which requires constant travel, likely sees even higher rates due to the frequency of required flights. Yet many performers suffer in silence, afraid that admitting their fear might be seen as weakness or unprofessionalism.
University of Washington psychologist Jonathan Bricker notes that many people hide their flight anxiety, while Dr. Gail Saltz explains that some people have thoughts that become “sticky or obsessive” – they don’t like the thought, but it sticks in their mind and they can’t get it out. This mental trap becomes particularly cruel for touring musicians who must confront their fears repeatedly.
The Statistics Behind the Fear
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2022 there were only 5 fatal accidents out of 32.2 million flights, translating to a minuscule accident rate of 0.000016%. The 2024 IATA press release stated that 2023 was the safest year for flying with no fatal accidents involving passenger jets, with aircraft fatality risk improving from a 0.11 five-year average to 0.03 in 2023.
Despite these reassuring statistics, the fear persists because phobias operate on emotion rather than logic. Todd Farchione, director of Boston University’s Intensive Treatment Program, explains that “a lot of it is the lack of control they have in the situation. When the doors close, they’re in it”. For performers accustomed to controlling their stage environment, the helplessness of flight becomes particularly distressing.
Modern Treatment Success Stories
The best aviophobia programs boast a success rate of 90 percent, with psychiatry professor Barbara Rothbaum pioneering programs using virtual reality to replicate airplane flight – turbulence and all – to help patients conquer their fears. These technological advances offer hope for performing artists who need practical, effective solutions.
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) uses computer technology where the patient virtually experiences flying, including visual, auditory, and motion stimuli to imitate flying in a plane as closely as possible. For musicians with demanding tour schedules, these treatments can be scheduled around their professional obligations while still providing effective relief.
The Career Cost of Fear
The financial and professional impact of aviophobia on musicians’ careers can be staggering. Artists may lose out on lucrative international opportunities, disappoint fans, or damage their professional reputation by canceling shows. Some resort to expensive alternative transportation methods that eat into their profits and create logistical nightmares for their teams.
The psychological burden extends beyond career concerns. Musicians with aviophobia often experience anticipatory anxiety for weeks before scheduled flights, affecting their ability to focus on their craft, enjoy their success, or maintain healthy relationships. The fear becomes a constant shadow over what should be the most exciting aspects of their career – connecting with audiences around the world.
The paradox of singers with aviophobia reveals a deeply human truth about fear and ambition. Despite having careers that depend on global travel, these talented individuals continue to create music that moves millions of people worldwide. Their courage to face their fears, whether through therapy, coping mechanisms, or sheer determination, adds another layer to their artistry. Perhaps knowing that even our most confident performers wrestle with the same anxieties we do makes their music even more relatable and their success even more inspiring.