70 Shocking Celebrity Scandals From the Last Few Decades
It's a wild ride.
Let's be real: celebrities always seem to be getting involved in scandalous situations that make them the number one topic of conversation in the news cycle. While there's always something to talk about when it comes to the Hollywood scene, some of these dramas are definitely bigger than others. The biggest celeb scandals of our time include everything from cheating accusations of all kinds, to tragic and untimely deaths.
It's basically impossible to round up every single moment that stars have made headlines for something they've done over the last 20+ years, but these are the scandals that you'll probably be telling your grandkids about one day. And, sure, we could do without the devastatingly sad moments (RIP Kobe), but the gossipy scandals are at least a little bit entertaining. Here are some of the biggest scandals you couldn't forget about if you tried.
The Ellen Degeneres Backlash
After years of being thought of as one of the funniest and friendliest celebrities in the business, Ellen Degeneres faced some serious backlash in 2020. It began with rumors that Ellen didn't treat her employees kindly, and in July 2020, two reports were released that painted the show as a nightmare where employees were sexually harassed, embarrassed, and talked down to. Many more people began telling their own stories about Ellen being cruel to them, leading producers to have to confirm that her talk show was not cancelled.
The Situation's Jail Sentence
In 2018, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of supervised release for tax evasion. The reality star had been indicted for tax offenses in September 2014, and in 2018, he pled guilty. He began serving his sentence in January 2019 and was released by September 2019.
Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson's Cheating Scandal
After months of rumors that Tristan Thompson was cheating on his then-girlfriend Khloé Kardashian, a story broke that ended the two seemingly for good: Thompson was accused of cheating on Khloé with Kylie's best friend, Jordyn Woods. Sources said that the NBA star was seen cozying up to Jordyn at a party, where they made out and were all over each other. Khloé split from Thompson and Kylie cut ties with her former BFF immediately.
A$AP Rocky's Arrest
In June 2019, TMZ released a video showing that A$AP Rocky got into a street fight while in Sweden. Days later, Rocky was detained for a "suspected attack" by a Swedish court, although Rocky maintained he was acting in self-defense. His detainment and arrest attracted the attention of everyone from Kim Kardashian to Donald Trump, who warned Sweden of "negative consequences" if they didn't release Rocky from prison. Although Rocky was found guilty, he wasn't given any jail time.
Britney Spears' Battle With Her Dad
In the beginning of 2019, when Britney Spears pulled out of her planned Las Vegas residency, fans began to worry about her mental health. This concern only got worse when Spears told a judge that her father, Jamie, had committed her to a mental health facility against her will and claimed that his actions as her conservator (he's been her conservator since 2008) were illegal. In September of that year, Britney's ex Kevin Federline accused Jamie of abusing Federline's sons. Britney's bizarre Instagram videos of herself dancing around her house continue to alarm fans.
Kobe Bryant's Tragic Death
The first very bad thing to happen in 2020: Kobe Bryant's untimely death in a tragic helicopter accident. The basketball star was traveling to a youth basketball tournament in a private helicopter with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people when the helicopter crashed into a hill near Calabasas, California due to foggy conditions. The crash killed everyone on board, and fans and friends publicly mourned.
The College Admissions Scandal
In 2019, Felicity Huffman and Lori Louglin became part of a huge scandal when 50 people were indicted in a college admissions bribery scandal that alleged that wealthy parents were paying bribes to get their kids into elite schools. Huffman admitted to paying $15,000 to up her daughter's SAT scores, issued a public apology, pleaded guilty, and served 11 days of a two-week sentence.
Lori was accused of paying $500,000 to get her daughters into USC, maintained her innocence, and, in 2020, was sentenced to two months in prison.
Prince Andrew's Ties to Jeffrey Epstein
The British royal family were the subject of shocking news headlines when reports leaked that the Queen's son, Prince Andrew, had ties to Jeffrey Epstein, financier and convicted sex offender who died in his jail cell in 2019. Andrew had been photographed at Epstein's Manhattan home and was accused of having sex with a 17-year-old Epstein victim. After doing a disastrous interview with BBC about the relationship, Andrew ended his status as a working royal.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Step Down
Speaking of le royals—in early 2020, after publicly fighting with the British media and amidst rumors of family struggles, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they would be officially transitioning out of their roles as senior members of the royal family. The Queen expressed her full support, the two said they would be splitting their time between Canada and the United Kingdom, and several months later, they had officially denounced their royal titles.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's Divorce
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth finally tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony in December 2018 after 10 years of an on-and-off relationship. In August 2019, just 7 months later, the two shocked fans when they announced their divorce. Immediately afterwards, images surfaced of Cyrus making out with Brody Jenner's ex, Kaitlynn Carter, on a yacht. Cyrus denied that she cheated, but the two stayed apart.
Taylor Swift's Feud With Scooter Braun
In 2019, Taylor Swift published an explosive Tumblr post that detailed her problems with her old record label Big Machine, Scott Borchetta, and Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber's manager). This happened after Borchetta sold Big Machine and all of its rights, which included T-Swift's entire past six-album catalogue, to Braun. This basically meant that Taylor no longer had control of her back catalogue of music, despite the fact that she created it. In her Tumblr post, Taylor begged fans to help her gain back control.
T.I.'s Comments About His Daughter's Hymen
T.I. became the center of some major controversy after he revealed that he takes his teenage daughter to the gynecologist every year to check if her hymen is "still intact." During an appearance on the podcast “Ladies Like Us”, T.I. said, "Right after her birthday, we celebrate, then usually like the day after the party, she’s enjoying the gifts, I put a sticky note on the door: 'Tomorrow. 9:30.'" He started doing the yearly check after her 16th birthday, and fans were understandably horrified.
Roseanne Barr's Racist Tweets
In 2018, Roseanne Barr went online and set off a stream of racist tweets that referred to former President Barack Obama's aide Valerie Jarrett as the offspring to the "Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes." After Barr apologized and announced she would be deleting her Twitter account, the backlash was swift. ABC cancelled Barr's show Roseanne because of it.
Jussie Smollett's Fake Attack
In January 2019, Jussie Smollett told Chicago police that he had been attacked by two men who yelled "This is MAGA country," put a noose around his neck, and poured a chemical substance on him. A month later, Jussie was arrested and later charged by the Chicago police department for giving them false information. Jussie was then indicted on 16 felony charges, and in 2020, he was indicted on six more charges. Although the attack is now thought of as a hoax, Jussie maintains he did not lie.
Liam Neeson's Racist Rant
During a press tour for 2019's Cold Pursuit, Liam Neeson admitted that he'd wanted to kill a Black man to get revenge after a friend of his was raped. He said that he had been seeking out Black men in his area "hoping I'd be approached by somebody - I'm ashamed to say that - and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some 'Black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him." Shockingly, that press tour was immediately cancelled.
Amber Portwood's arrest
Teen Mom reality star Amber Portwood was arrested in July 2019 and charged with domestic battery towards her boyfriend, Andrew Glennon. Reports said that Portwood had assaulted Glennon while he was holding their one-year-old child. It wasn't the first time Portwood had been charged with domestic abuse.
Demi Lovato's Drug Overdose
Demi Lovato has always been open about her substance abuse issues, and weeks after she revealed that she had recently suffered a relapse, the star suffered a drug overdose. She was taken to the hospital where she remained stable, but she stayed there for a bit as she recovered.
Harvey Weinstein's Sexual Assault Allegations
In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker published bombshell reports that detailed dozens of claims of sexual abuse and violence by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Several months later, a total of 87 women had accused Weinstein of behavior ranging from inappropriate to criminal. In May 2018, Weinstein was arrested in New York and charged with rape and other offenses, and by February 2020, he had been found guilty of rape in the third degree and a criminal sexual act. A month later, he was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment.
The #MeToo Movement
The allegations against Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement, an initiative meant to combat sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood and all over the world. After Alyssa Milano posted a tweet encouraging women who had been sexually harassed or assaulted to write "me too" as their status, many high-profile celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lawrence, followed suit. The #MeToo movement quickly spread, and since it began, a large number of high-profile firings in Hollywood and related businesses have occurred.
Matt Lauer's Sexual Assault Accusations
In November 2017, NBC fired Matt Lauer after an employee reported that he had sexually harassed her. Although NBC claimed this was the first time they had heard such reports, many other women and employees came forward telling a different story and accusing Lauer of sexual misconduct. In 2019, another NBC employee accused Lauer of rape.
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