There aren't many companies within the wide scope of entertainment media that are as brave and daring as Rockstar. They took quite a bit of heat for the Manhunt games, in which we experienced (in glorious detail) some of the most graphic content the world of gaming has ever seen. Bully was another one, and while the actual goal of the game was to clean up a messed up school and take on the bullies, Jack Thompson, quite possibly the stupidest person ever to practice law (and then get disbarred) threw a hissy-fit over the (rather tame) content.

But without any shadow of a doubt, the bravest of their franchises is also Rockstar's largest, and it is none other than Grand Theft Auto. With every new entry in the series they have managed to stir up new controversy, and as gaming tech has improved, Rockstar has been able to not just add more detail, but create a far more impressive and immersive world for players to explore.

Because GTA has always had a heavy parody element in terms of its themes and storytelling, most of the famous people we see in the games are inspired by real celebrities, and given the satirical nature of the games' portrayal of just about everyone, most of the mockery is quite unkind and the parodies wildly unfavorable. While some of these celeb lampoons are blatant and out in the open, especially if the characters are prominent, many others may be missed by some players. Here are twenty famous people you didn't know Grand Theft Auto insults.

20 Bruce Willis (Mark Fostenburg)

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We encountered Mark Fostenburg during a "Strangers and Freaks" mission while playing as Trevor Philips. Nigel and Mrs. Thornhill, the celebrity-crazy Brits for whom Trevor ends up stealing celeb paraphernalia, wanted nothing more than one of Fostenburg's unique and expensive golf clubs for their collection of memorabilia. The resulting mission sees Trevor violently interrupt a golf game.

Fostenburg seems to be loosely based on actor Bruce Willis. Both are bald, and aside from that, Fostenburg is the lead actor in a successful series of films called "Die Already" which sounds very similar to Bruce Willis' Die Hard flicks.

19 Paris Hilton And Nicole Richie (Cloe Parker And Jill Von Crastenburg)

via twitter.com/wikipedia.org

If you watched TV back in the early 2000's, you probably had the unpleasant experience of watching two young socialites act like spoiled brats. The show was called The Simple Life and featured these two ladies doing blue collar things and complaining the whole time. Well, not to be outdone, Rockstar gave these two the mockery treatment with two characters named Cloe Parker and Jill Von Crastenburg.

Born to a billionaire father, Cloe Parker has a foul attitude and multiple arrests for everything from drunk driving to cocaine possession. During the events of GTA IV and V she is in her twenties, but we can't say the same of her friend Jill. Jill Von Crastenburg is another daughter of wealth and luxury, and started partying with Cloe when she was still a preteen (although there is some dispute over her actual age). While Jill and Cloe are very similar to Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, Jill also represents the numerous young (and in some cases underage) female child stars who "grow up too fast."

18 A Couple Of American Presidents (The Lawtons)

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Not much is known of George Lawton. What we do know is that he was once the President of the United States, and his son Joe is the current President as of the events of Grand Theft Auto V. Much more is known about Joe. Joe's policies are all over the place, and based on billboards, radio announcements, emails received and signs in the game, he is against single payer healthcare, but is still considered a socialist by some critics, and supports vast government surveillance programs. The "socialist" reference is a clear jab at Barack Obama, but the fact that Joe and George are father-son Presidents, they are clearly a reference to the George H.W. Bush and his son.

There are rumors in the game about Joe Lawson being a superstitious, paranoid, drug addict; some of which are former critiques of George "Dubya" Bush.

17 Steven Spielberg (Stephen Scott)

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Back in the early 2000s, we all got to meet the Grand Theft Auto equivalent to iconic film director Steven Spielberg. While taking over Vice City as Tommy Vercetti, the player buys InterGlobal Studios, where Steve Scott works, directing mostly garbage movies, many of which include adult star Candy and a massive fake shark.

Throughout that game, Scott becomes one of the people who gives Tommy jobs to do, and most of them have to do with helping him produce his garbage films. Of course, in real life, Steven Spielberg is one of the most respected filmmakers in the business, but Grand Theft Auto's parody of Spielberg is little more than an egotistical smut-peddler, and stands as a caricature of some of the worst elements of show business.

16 90s Boy Bands (Sunshine Shine)

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There was a great deal of good music throughout the 1990s. Grunge was in for the first half, R&B was steadily entertaining throughout the decade, nu-metal was an interesting twist for a couple of years, and there were some very respectable rock acts that got their start in the period. Unfortunately, the 90s also brought some of the most powerfully bad boy bands the world has ever known. N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys were the biggest but there were tons more, and they all sounded and looked roughly the same.

Sunshine Shine is the GTA mockery of this 90s phenomenon of which we didn't need to be reminded. They were first introduced back in Liberty City Stories, but there are a couple of Easter eggs in the HD universe games, including their star on the Vinewood Walk of Fame.

15 50 Cent (Clay Jackson)

via gta.wikia.com/via billboard.com

50 Cent has an impressive story. From his early life, during which he was very poor and started selling drugs at a young age, he has managed to achieve amazing success not only in music, but also with various business ventures. Clay Jackson is a rapper featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony, and has a star on the Vinewood Walk of Fame. While the character has elements of a few different rappers, he is primarily a mockery of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. The character is also implied to be a closeted homosexual, which may be a reference to the rumors that have popped up over the years that "Fiddy" is in the closet. As far as we can tell, he's straight, but in 2015, Vivica Fox once again implied the rapper is gay.

14 Robert Downey Jr (Two actors: Wayne Tearson And Adam Rowney Jr)

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After initial success, Robert Downey Jr. dealt with quite a lot of time during which he was a popular punchline due to his excessive partying and drug use. As we all know, he's returned to his spot at the top of the ladder in Hollywood, having taken on the parts of Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man. There are two characters in the GTA games that seem to refer to him. Adam Rowney Jr. isn't actually seen or heard from in any of the games, but appears only as a star on the Vinewood Walk of Fame. Wayne Tearson on the other hand, kind of resembles a younger Robert Downey Jr, and was a popular actor whose hard partying lifestyle, with ample drugs, alcohol, and "women of the night," ended up killing him at a young age. Thankfully, the real life version got it together before anything like that happened.

13 Psychic Readers Network (Auntie Poulet)

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Miss Cleo, known in real life as Youree Harris, the spokeswoman for a psychic hotline back in the late 1990's and early 2000's, died in 2016 after a battle with colon cancer. Harris, who was famous for portraying this character, was hired by Rockstar to voice the role of Auntie Poulet, the leader of the Hatians, in GTA: ViceCity, for whom player-character Tommy Vercetti carried out several missions.

The portrayal of this character as a drug dealing gang leader is hilarious, and when we played the game back in the early 2000's, we knew we'd heard that voice before. While the game wasn't particularly insulting to Harris herself, they recently took exception to the fact that they think the character looks like their spokeswoman character Miss Cleo, and want to be paid out. The lawsuit was announced last month, and like Lindsay Lohan's, it is ridiculous and will likely be thrown out of court.

12 Howard Stern (Martin Serious)

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One of the most amazing aspects of this magical series of games is that they have created an entire world that almost accurately mimics our own, even down to entertaining tunes and banter to listen to while driving. For any game with as much radio content as these ones do, it would be criminal to leave the king of dirty talk radio out of the game. Of course, Howard Stern has boundaries, while Martin Serious almost seems like he doesn't. Serious has done unspeakable things on his show, including throwing urinal cakes at people and feeding people with mental disabilities street drugs. He's truly hilarious, but we have to wonder, is this insulting to Howard Stern or would he be honored by this brilliant parody?

11 Richard Dawkins (Dale Jenkins)

via richarddawkins.net/via gta.wikia.com

While there is unquestionably plenty of toilet humor in the Grand Theft Auto series and most of the subject matter is somewhat low-brow, many references are downright brilliant, and aimed at the sharp cookies who play the games. Richard Dawkins is one of the most famous scientists out there, and also ranks among the most outspoken. He's a biologist and one of the leading authors on the topic of evolution, and has plenty to say about atheism as well. He is also the founder of the term meme, which he meant to refer to something like a human gene but with regard to behavior, rather than cat picture on the internet.

There is a website in GTA V called acceptthechaos.com, which was started by Dale Jenkins, a prominent British atheist in the GTA world, who looks an awful lot like Mr. Dawkins.

10 Ronald Reagan (Dutch London)

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Another unseen character who is an icon within the world of Grand Theft Auto is Dutch London. Years before any of the games even took place (likely the 1950's), he was the biggest name in Vinewood, having starred in numerous westerns including "Bullwhip Fury", a film that was a hit in it's own time, but is considered misogynistic and racist by modern standards.

Dutch London also has some significant similarities to former President of the United States Ronald Reagan. Both were actors who specialized in westerns, and became outspoken for their conservative values later in life. Both served in World War Two but did not see any actual fighting first hand, and the two of them both left their first wives and married fellow actresses. Ronald Reagan also had the nickname "Dutch", which was started by his father during his childhood.

9 Lindsay Lohan (Poppy Mitchell And Lacey Jones)

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Lindsay Lohan's story is both a great one and a tragic one. Once a gorgeous young starlet and the fantasy of millions of men worldwide, she now stands as an example of why one should not let fame go to their head, and avoid cocaine. Poppy Mitchell appeared first in the GTA IV's add on The Ballad of Gay Tony, and then again in GTA V. In the most recent game, players first took video of her getting down to business with a guy, and then got a few shots of her after a drunken car accident. The sweetheart-turned-party girl story is almost definitely a parody of Lohan's misadventures.

Another reason Lindsay is no fan of this series has to do with the fact that she thinks they used her likeness without her consent. A lawsuit that got thrown out of court last year, she claimed that Rockstar's promotional picture of the blonde in the red bikini is actually based on her.

8 Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone (Jack Howitzer)

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In both the 3D and HD universes, Jack Howitzer is a major action movie star from the 1980's. He's appeared in several games (he's only mentioned in a couple) and while he is recognized as one of the biggest stars of the 1980's, his popularity had begun to wane. By the events of the HD universe games, he's essentially a washed up former actor who is perpetually in trouble with the law. As of the events of GTA V he is probably insane (he talks to a sock puppet) and seems willing to do just about anything for attention, including garbage reality TV.

The titles and themes of his movies are clear references to Schwarzenegger and Stallone films, including "Special Needs Cop" (Kindergarten Cop), "Annihilator" (Terminator), "Push-Up" (Rocky), and "Evacuator" (Rambo).

7 Rush Limbaugh (Richard Bastion)

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Rush Limbaugh is an incredibly polarizing figure within American politics to say the very least. He's a no-nonsense conservative intellectual (if you're a conservative) and if you're a liberal, well, he's Satan-incarnate. Within the realm of the Grand Theft Auto games, there is a radio personality that closely seems like he may be a Limbaugh-inspired character. He appeared in GTA IV and has a star on the Vinewood Walk of Fame, but we never actually encountered him in person.

Richard Bastion is a caricature of right wing media people in the United States. It is suggested that Bastion is a closeted homosexual, despite his strong anti-gay stances. He also holds vicious anti-immigrant views.

6 Sting (Crow)

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Singer Crow, who has been featured in the 3D and HD universes, and primarily through radio stations. Throughout the 1990s, he was one of the highest selling musical acts in the world. Being a singer with a single name, along with these two points, seems to indicate that he is a mockery of former Police frontman and then solo act Sting.

He is portrayed as a drug enthusiast with severe emotional problems, which is somewhat insulting. But more so than that, during an interview in San Andreas, he became enraged and threatened to retire from music. Rather than people being upset, there was great excitement across the United States at the possibility, according to a news report.

5 Courtroom TV Show Host Judges (Judge Grady)

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This is another character we are never fortunate enough to meet, but he's very entertaining nonetheless. While it may have made sense to mock the biggest name in the business of TV courtrooms, Judith Sheindlin (Judge Judy), Rockstar took a different set of judges and created Judge Grady, whose radio show Just or Unjust played in GTA IV back in 2008. The fact that he spoke with an African-American accent, indicates that he may be a parody of Joe Brown or Judge Mathis. Another extremely conservative character, Grady seems to absolutely hate women, and when in doubt, will always side with the man in a given case, no matter how heinous the crime and how obvious their guilt.

4 Tom Cruise (Jimmy Boston)

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There aren't many show business names as big as Tom Cruise. The man has starred in dozens of big-budget flicks, made more money than he likely knows what to do with, but with fame comes plenty of criticism. He's been ridiculed throughout the media for his religious beliefs, and his overall eccentric persona, but he keeps putting out good movies and raking in money.

When Michael De Santa gets involved with the Epsilon Program in GTA V, he encounters Jimmy Boston, an actor who is involved with this quasi-religion. He's an interesting character, to say the least, and he clearly believes in what he's doing, but the use of an obvious Tom Cruise parody as a celebrity shill for a scam has got to be insulting to both Cruise and Scientology.

3 Televangelists (Pastor Richards)

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It really isn't too hard to take pot-shots at televangelists and blatantly fraudulent religious figures (all religious figures if you're of the atheist persuasion), and the crazed televangelist from Vice City, Pastor Richards, is about as brilliant a caricature of these people as we can imagine. His route to salvation lies in a statue of himself that will provide protection to anyone who donates money to the project. He is a known polygamist, is suspected to have embezzled money from his organization to build a mansion for himself, and is a genuinely repulsive person.

He may be a direct mockery of Peter Popoff, a famous televangelist who was prominent back in the 1980's and after some investigation, was found to be a complete fraud.

2 Diego Maradona (The Mendez Brothers, Diego, and Armando)

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This reference is very subtle, and most fans will miss it. If you're a huge sports fan and a soccer fan in particular, you may have caught it. The Mendez brothers, for those who don't recall, are among the antagonists in Vice City Stories, and briefly employ player-character Victor Vance.

Diego Maradona, for the GTA fans who don't watch soccer (football, whatever), is one of the all time greats in Argentine soccer. He's one of those icons in the sports world considered a G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time), and these days he's a respected coach and manager. Around the end of his playing career, he was a heavy cocaine user, and it severely tarnished his reputation. His middle name is Armando, so Rockstar essentially named a couple of drug lords after a troubled soccer player whose amazing career will forever be tainted by cocaine abuse. Savage, but hilarious.

1 Celebrity Republicans (Jock Cranley)

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While there is no question that Rockstar lampoons just about everyone, regardless of race, creed, and other considerations, their mockery of American conservatism is pretty hilarious, if a tad over the top. We already mentioned a Rush Limbaugh parody, and a character loosely based on Ronald Reagan, but there is another character who is a hilarious caricature of various celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, and Ronald Reagan, who have gotten into politics on the Republican side. Jock Cranley was an entertainer and stunt performer in Vice City Stories but by the events of GTA V, Cranley was running for governor of San Andreas with a highly hate-based, anti immigrant, homophobic, and just about anti everything platform. His eye-catching campaign slogan is as follows: "we've cared about you for too long! I'm giving you all the finger!".