Veteran showbiz reporter Nelson Aspen reveals the rudest star he’s interviewed: ‘It was ridiculous’

Veteran entertainment reporter Nelson Aspen has criticized the rudest star he has ever interviewed.

I spoke to fellow showbiz reporter Kjersti Flaa about her Lame conversation The YouTube series Nelson, 61, revealed that when it comes to celebrity traits that give him the ‘ick’, slowness tops the list.

And the worst perpetrator, according to Nelson, was Fast and Furious actor Vin Diesel.

Nelson revealed that the handsome Hollywood actor, 57, once kept him waiting for several hours.

“I was talking to you last time about lateness — chronic lateness, which was a problem with Vin Diesel,” Nelson told Kjersti.

‘It was ridiculous. It wasn’t just a ten minute or even an hour wait, it would be two hours, five hours, seven hours. I mean, ridiculous.”

Nelson added that when Vin finally graced the reporter with his presence, he used his children Hania, 16, Vincent, 14, and Pauline, nine, as an excuse for his tardiness.

“He pulled the kid card,” Nelson said. “Like, ‘Oh, I had something to do with my kid.’

But Vin’s apology didn’t go well with Nelson, as he said the actor could have called in quite easily.

“Why didn’t you just call us then, instead of making all the crews wait, making all the journalists wait?” he said.

‘That’s money. That’s money Vin Diesel didn’t pay. That’s money the studio paid. And then we would miss our flights and we would have to change flights or hotel rooms and things like that.”

Kjersti also had her own Vin Diesel story to tell, claiming the star also kept her waiting for hours while he enjoyed rides at Universal Studios.

“He was about six hours late and then we were told… you know what he did? He took his children to all the attractions.

Nelson responded that his latest interview experience with the Bloodshot star was also marred by lateness, despite being conducted online.

Nelson revealed that handsome Hollywood actor Vin Diesel, 57, once kept him waiting for several hours

‘It was ridiculous. It wasn’t just a ten minute or even an hour wait, it would be two hours, five hours, seven hours. I mean, ridiculous.”

“The very last interview I did with Vin was a Zoom junket,” he revealed.

“And I said at least he won’t make me wait on a roof, in a parking lot or in a hotel lobby, at least I’ll get home.

Nelson added, “Still, in the Zoom it was two hours. I need to fart in the kitchen.”

It wasn’t all negativity as Nelson revealed his most hush-hush interview moment came when he sat down with Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen.

Nelson revealed that he was so taken with the. star that he had difficulty expressing his questions.

“I could barely formulate my questions,” Nelson revealed. ‘He’s not a scary person, he’s a gentleman and he has charisma. I think he might be used to that.”

US-based Nelson was known to Australian viewers thanks to his long-running role on Channel Seven’s Sunrise.

However, the veteran reporter announced on air that he would be leaving the show in June 2022, much to the shock of his co-hosts and viewers.

“The very last interview I did with Vin was a Zoom junket,” he added. ‘Yet it was two o’clock in the Zoom. I need to fart in the kitchen.”

It wasn’t all negativity as Nelson revealed his most hush-hush interview moment came when he sat down with Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen

Speak with New idea Following his shock dismissal, Nelson pointed to an increased workload during Covid as a deciding factor.

‘I had worked for over a hundred weeks straight without a break [because] The Covid circumstances had essentially converted all of my work to remote/home broadcasts via my phone and Zoom,” Nelson explained.

“It was brutal and for the first time in my life I felt burned out because there was never a break.”

Nelson has been a fixture at Sunrise for the past two decades, reporting to a range of presenters including Natalie, Samantha Armytage and Melissa Doyle.

He was based in Los Angeles when he first joined the team and remained Sunrise’s “man in Hollywood” even after moving to New York City.

Since leaving Sunrise, Nelson has published numerous books, including 2024’s Dancing Between The Raindrops: The Hollywood Years.

He also co-hosts a podcast called Titanic Talk, which is all about James Cameron’s iconic 1997 film.