Tara Reid on Overcoming Bullying from Trolls, the Media and Even Hollywood Peers (Exclusive)

With over 20 years in the business, Tara Reid has certainly had her moments as a Hollywood punching bag, taking hits from the public, the media and even her celebrity counterparts.

In that time, she's also seen a shift in how that negative feedback has manifested itself, as it's moved from the press and blogs to social media, where Instagram and Twitter have made it easier than ever for haters to have their voices heard.

Ahead of her appearance on Hollywood Disclosure with Serena DC -- where she'll speak about bullying in depth -- Reid shared some of her experience with TooFab.

In the mid-oughts, Reid was one of the Hollywood It Girls, making headlines alongside young women like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Mischa Barton, Britney Spears and the ladies of "The Hills."

"There wasn't so much cyber bullying, it was a lot more private," Reid said of the days before the 2000s celebrity news cycled kicked into overdrive.

As celeb news websites began reporting on nightly sightings at clubs like Hyde and Les Deux, stars' wild nights out made headlines and sparked ridicule from those reading them.

"In this country they don't let you have fun. If you have fun, you're a bad girl," said Reid. "If you go out and dance, you're a bad girl. A guy goes out and he dances. 'Oh, he's a rock star. 'Total double standard."

"When I'm not working, I should be able to go out and have fun," said the actress, who noted she's mellowed out over the years. "That's not fair, that I have to sit home in my house, because if I go out and have fun with my friends, 'She's crazy.'"

Now, in 2020, the hate hits even closer to home, as trolls can now flood stars' Instagram comments and Twitter feeds with their toxic thoughts. Reid admits it takes a lot to get to her now -- saying comments like "Eat a cheeseburger" barely phase her -- but that doesn't excuse that type of behavior.

"The cyber bullying that's going on, with weight, if you're gay, lesbian ... there's so much racism, it just needs to stop," said Reid. "It has to be so much more controlled. Social media's a very dangerous thing."

"With all the riots and everything going on right now, we gotta stand together and stop killing each other and stop writing terrible things about each other and stand as one," she continued. "America just beats on each other ... they love to build you up and then destroy you."

And it's not just the media or trolls behind a keyboard, as Reid said she has even felt put down by people she considered not only peers, but friends.

"There are times in my career where I was the biggest one and I helped other celebrities out to get their parts in different films -- not naming names -- but then all of a sudden, they got bigger and you got trashed down a little bit and they looked at you like [scoffs]," said Reid. "I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? I got you that part.' That's sad to me, that's personal, that's different. Everything else, I can deal with."

Though she didn't name names, we asked about a viral interview she did with Jenny McCarthy back in 2016 -- one which ended with Tara walking out and Amy Schumer voicing support for Reid while calling McCarthy a bully.

While Reid was on McCarthy's show to promote the latest "Sharknado" movie at the time, Jenny kept asking about "Marriage Boot Camp" and plastic surgery. When Tara tried to end the interview early, Jenny told her, "Good luck to you, too, and I'm so excited about 'Sharknado' and I hope you stay married."

"I hope you stay married too," Tara hit back. "I hope your tits get even nicer, because they're amazing. The same guy who did mine, right? I'll always use your advice. You're the best. Bye."

"I hate that because she was really out of line," said Reid when we mentioned how audio from their contentious moment still regularly makes the rounds on Twitter.

"I don't want to talk about it that much, but she was really cruel and to be really that cruel for no reason ... she had such a meanness and a cold heart in her," Tara recalled. "I saw Amy Schumer stuck up for me and I thought that's a cool girl. That was awesome, that made me feel good. After that, to think Amy Schumer stuck up for me was awesome, that was a good thing to come out of that one."

Through it all, Reid has kept one thought in mind: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

She said her experience with bullying from her peers has taught her who she should really keep close. "I need to have good people around me, period, that do care about me and won't let me be hurt," she added. "If they see something like that, they protect me. I haven't had that in so long and it's nice to have."

"I'm not a kid anymore," she added. "All these people think that, 'Oh she's wild, she's this,' who wasn't in their 20s? I don't do what I used to do guys, it's not the same!"