Björk's Attack on a Reporter in Bangkok Is Legendary, but Why Did She Do It?

Throughout her career, Björk has never been afraid of making controversial decisions. Even by her standards, though, a 1996 attack on a reporter in Bangkok made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Now, decades later, people might remember the incident but be unclear on exactly what went down. Here's what we know about the incident and specifically about why Björk went after that reporter.

The attack occurred on Feb. 18, 1996, as Björk was arriving at the Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok along with her son, Sindri Eldon Þórsson, who was 9 at the time, per Yahoo!. She had just arrived after a long-haul flight and was about to attend a press conference where she would be speaking with the press. As soon as she landed, though, she was met with a crowd of aggressive reporters.

The reporters continued to hound her as she made her way through the airport in spite of her requests for privacy. Then, one reporter, Julie Kaufman, greeted Sindri with the simple phrase, "Welcome to Bangkok."

When Julie said that, Björk lunged at her and knocked her to the ground, pulling her hair and beating her repeatedly before security was able to intervene and break up the altercation.

Presumably, Björk was acting in defense of her son, but it seems like tempers also flared because of the stress she was under and because of how exhausted she likely was after a long flight.

In the days after the attack, Björk apologized for her actions both in public and directly to Julie, who chose not to press charges. She explained that she was under acute stress and had acted out because she felt her son's personal space was violated.

Björk's decision to lash out sparked a broader conversation about the pressure that celebrities of that era faced, especially when traveling with their children. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the paparazzi really learned their lesson about the pressures of celebrity, and this certainly wasn't the last time that a celebrity got violent with a reporter or photographer who was trying to gain access to them in a delicate moment.

Thankfully, the incident didn't do much to damage Björk's career, in part because she apologized quickly and was honest about what had led to it unfolding. The expectations that come with being famous could put stress on just about anyone, and it's hard to live your entire life under the lens of a camera.

Björk remains an idiosyncratic star even to this day, although she no longer demands the kind of press attention that she did in the mid-'90s. Given how she reacted to that journalist, it seems like she might prefer a life where she can be away from the spotlight at least some of the time. Thankfully, her relationship with the media has been relatively peaceful ever since.