Controversial celebrity scandals that shocked the world
Celebrities are under the public eye constantly, which sometimes gives us the feeling that we actually know them. So when huge stars do something that’s out of character, the whole world is taken aback.
In Kim Kardashian’s case, it was perhaps the opposite. Her infamous 2007 sex tape with then-boyfriend Willie “Ray J” Norwood was the scandal that launched her reality TV show and her subsequent career. During part two of the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ reunion, host Andy Cohen asked point-blank: “Do you feel that the show would have had its massive initial success without the publicity that surrounded the sex tape?”
“Looking back, probably not,” Kim admitted. She also said that she has thought about what she would say if her kids were to ask her about it, but added, “I haven’t had to as of yet and luckily I think that so many years have gone on and so many things have happened positively that it really erases that.”
Despite everything she’s learned from the experience and all the success she’s enjoyed, she said, “It is something I have to live with for the rest of my life,” and wishes she could “erase” it from the “stupid things” she’s done in life.
From Michael Jackson’s child molestation accusations to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s affair rumors, check out the other most shocking celebrity scandals of our time.
Michael Jackson
The King of Pop saw his life turned upside down in 2003 when police began investigating a series of child molestation accusations against him.
His Neverland Ranch was eventually raided and the whole 2005 trial was a massive media circus, but MJ ended up being acquitted of all charges. Nevertheless, the event would end up tainting his career forever.
Princess Diana
The world came to a halt with the news of Princess Di‘s death on August 31, 1997. By then divorced from Prince Charles, she died in a car accident alongside her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed.
The two were reportedly fleeing paparazzi in Paris when the crash happened. The driver was later determined to have been at fault as he was under the influence.
O.J. Simpson
In what has been considered one of the most publicized court cases of all time, former NFL star O.J. Simpson was tried for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. His arrest was broadcast live to over 90 million people.
Simpson ended up being acquitted of both counts in October 1995. In 2007, he was arrested for several felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping after an incident in a Las Vegas casino. He was sentenced to 33 years in jail, but was released on parole in 2017.
Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky
Nobody will ever forget the moment the then-US President admitted to a grand jury in 1998 that he had lied in a previous deposition about having been involved with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The lie led to his impeachment, while Lewinsky suffered so much criticism she is now an advocate for victims of bullying. He and his wife Hillary are still famously together.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
These two started out as a trio, as it is widely agreed that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met and fell in love on the set of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith,’ while he was still with ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston.
And because it wasn’t a big enough scandal that one of the most famous couples in the world had to break up in order for Brangelina to happen, the pair then proceeded to dash everyone’s hopes and dreams when they announced their split in 2016.
Donald Trump
The President of the United States is no novice to controversy, and despite the fact that the ‘Access Hollywood’ scandal didn’t change the election results, it certainly shook things up during the campaign, with some Republicans dropping their support for him.
On his way to film an episode of the show with TV host Billy Bush, Trump was recorded saying these infamous words (in regards to women): “When you’re a star, they let you do anything. Grab them by the p****.”
Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson
This 2004 episode was so bizarre it even got its own name: Nipple-Gate. During the Super Bowl Halftime Show, JT ripped Jackson’s bodice, leaving her decorated nipple exposed for a second.
The incident resulted in thousands of dollars in fines for network CBS, who also came under fire for rescinding Jackson’s invite to the Grammys but not Timberlake’s.
Tiger Woods
Many A-listers have sullied their careers with affair scandals, but few had a list quite as long as golf star and international sports icon Tiger Woods, who was exposed as a serial cheater in 2009.
At first, it was revealed he was cheating on his wife and mother of his two kids, Elin Nordegren, with a night club hostess, but suddenly the number of mistresses rose to 14, and Woods had to check into rehab for sex addiction.
Chris Brown and Rihanna
The night before the 2009 Grammys, Rihanna was taken to hospital with “major contusions,” a split lip, and a bloody nose after her then-boyfriend Chris Brown reportedly assaulted her.
The singer was charged with felony assault and sentenced to five years of probation and more than 1,400 hours of “labor-oriented service.” In 2017, he released a documentary in which he discussed the attack.
Bill Cosby
In April 2018, the #MeToo movement achieved a real milestone when disgraced sitcom Bill Cosby was found guilty on all three counts of aggravated indecent assault for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
Constand was one of many women who accused Cosby of drugging and assaulting them. The comedian rose to fame with his ’80s sitcom ‘The Cosby Show.’
2Pac
Rapper 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) was at the height of his career when he was shot in a hotel lobby in Las Vegas by Orlando Anderson, an alleged gang member from California.
Shakur was taken to the hospital but ended up dying from internal bleeding on September 13, 1996. To this day, he is still widely considered one of the best rappers of all time.
Drake
A feud between Drake and fellow rapper Pusha T resulted in one of the most incendiary tracks hip-hop fans have heard in a while.
Pusha’s song ‘The Story of Adidon’ revealed, among other things, that Drake was hiding a love child with a former adult film star. Drake later confirmed the information on his new album ‘Scorpion.’
Arnold Schwarzenegger
However, Drake’s not the only one with an estranged child. Hollywood star and former California governor Schwarzenegger did it first back in 1997, when he got his housekeeper pregnant.
Ten years later, it was revealed that Joseph Baena was indeed Arnie’s son, and the news prompted his wife Maria Schriver to leave him. Fun fact: Joseph was born four days apart from his half brother Christopher!
Winona Ryder
Ryder had already become a cult actress by the time she was engulfed in a shoplifting scandal in 2001, when she was caught ripping the security tags off US$5,000-worth of merchandise and putting it in her bag.
The ‘Stranger Things’ star was convicted of grand theft and vandalism, and sentenced to three years of probation, community service, thousands of dollars in fines, and compulsory psychological and drug counseling.
R. Kelly
The ‘Ignition’ singer suffered a huge blow to his popularity in 2002, when the Chicago Sun-Times received a tape that allegedly showed him having sex with, and urinating on, a girl who was underage. He was acquitted of all counts of child pornography in a 2008 trial.
His sexual misconduct allegations date back to 1994, when he married 15-year-old R&B star Aaliyah. In 2017, he was accused of creating an abusive “cult” of young women, but he denied all accusations. But following a controversial docuseries a few years later, R. Kelly now has an upcoming sexual abuse trial.
Martha Stewart
And last but not least, the queen of homebaking and her inside trading scandal. In 2002, she was investigated for selling off 3,928 shares of ImClone Systems after she received a tip they were going to drop drastically. Following a highly-publicized trial, she was sent to jail for a total of five months.