10 Celeb Reactions to Their Own Disgraceful Scandals

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at celebrities who faced major backlash over shocking scandals and how they personally responded, for better or worse.

Michael Richards

After a shocking racist tirade during a 2006 stand-up set at the Laugh Factory was recorded by an audience member and distributed online, Michael Richards - best known as Kramer on Seinfeld - faced immediate public scrutiny. Just days later, in a surprise move, Richards appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to address the scandal. During a segment with Jerry Seinfeld, Michael was brought in via satellite. However, the appearance felt awkward, with the studio audience initially laughing, thinking it was part of a bit. Richards acknowledged that the platform may not have been ideal for his apology, but firmly insisted, Im not a racist.

Ellen DeGeneres

After years of being known as TVs queen of nice, Ellens world came crashing down when, in the summer of 2020, her daytime talk show became the subject of multiple reports of a toxic workplace culture. Accusations included intimidation, racism, and even indecent misconduct involving executive producers. When her show returned that fall, Ellen opened the season with an emotional monologue addressing the controversy. The comedian said, in part, I learned that things happened here that never should have happened and apologized. However, the damage had already been done, and the shows reputation never fully recovered.

Hugh Grant

In the mid-90s, Hugh Grant was seemingly on top of the world with a slew of romantic comedy hits. But, in June 1995, his image took a hit when he was arrested in Los Angeles after police found him engaging in a lewd act with a sex worker in his car. The timing couldnt have been worse, as Grant was promoting the film Nine Months and had no choice but to react to the scandal five days later on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In the infamous chat, Grant admitted, I did a bad thing. The sheepish actors honesty and self-deprecation shockingly turned the tabloid scandal into a redemptive PR move.

Lea Michele

Lea Michele rose to stardom thanks to her portrayal of Rachel Berry on the hit series Glee, but her support for the Black Lives Matter movement drew backlash from former co-stars, who accused her of hypocrisy. This included Samantha Ware, who claimed Michele was a bully and exhibited traumatic microaggressions on set. With many questioning whether Leas real-life persona mirrored that of her on-screen character, the actress responded to the drama via Instagram. However, her choice of words - calling it perceived behavior - sparked even more backlash. Critics accused Michele of downplaying the accusations and being evasive by taking little to no personal accountability.

Shia LaBeouf

When actor Shia LaBeouf released a short film called HowardCantour.com in 2013, he was quickly called out for plagiarism by artist Daniel Clowes. The fallout and media attention over the scandal was swift, leading LaBeouf to respond with an apology on Twitter. However, it turned out his statement, which was widely circulated, was copy-pasted from a Yahoo! Answers post. Yep, LaBeouf, who was accused of plagiarism had plagiarized his apology. In the days that followed, Shia continued posting sarcastic and cryptic apologies on social media, turning the incident into something of a surreal performance art piece.

Lance Armstrong

After years of denial and heated accusations, cycling legend Lance Armstrong finally addressed the performance-enhancing scandal that had dogged his career. In a stunning tell-all sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong would go on to admit to using performance-enhancing drugs. Airing in January 2013 and viewed by millions, Armstrong confessed to a systematic doping operation that helped him win seven Tour de France titles. While Lance reacted to everything head on and came clean in the interview, his reputation as a star athlete was over. He later described the interview as a chance to say sorry.

Will Smith

The 94th Academy Awards will forever be defined by a single, shocking moment - the slap heard round the world. During the live broadcast, Chris Rock cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, triggering her husband, Will Smith, to storm the stage and strike the comedian. Smith then shouted obscenity-laced warnings at Rock from his seat. A little more than an hour later, Will had the opportunity to react to the white-hot scandal. Accepting the Best Actor award, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for his actions. However, he noticeably left out Chris Rock. Under mounting pressure, he later took to social media with a more direct statement, calling his outburst unacceptable and inexcusable.

Logan Paul

Before he became a WWE superstar and unleashed Prime on the world, Logan Paul faced global outrage after uploading a video from Japans Aokigahara forest. In 2018, the then 22-year-old YouTuber showed the body of a deceased man in one of his videos. The incident was widely condemned for being exploitative and insensitive. Logan quickly removed the video and followed up with a tearful apology in the days that followed. He conceded that he should have never posted the video and apologized for what hed done. While some fans accepted the apology, others viewed it as nothing more than performative damage control. The scandal - and his reaction to it - continues to cast a shadow over Pauls career.

Kevin Spacey

Once heralded as a respected actor in Hollywood, Kevin Spaceys legacy crumbled under a wave of disturbing allegations in 2017. The most high-profile accusation came from actor Anthony Rapp, who alleged that an adult Spacey acted inappropriately toward him when he was a teenager. In response, Spacey claimed he didnt remember the incident, seemingly blamed it on drunkenness, and chose that moment to come out as gay. That wasnt all though, Spacey would later release a video in character as Frank Underwood his character from House of Cards. Released on Christmas Eve, the fourth wall breaking video confused viewers. Was he denying the allegations, making a comeback bid, or simply trolling us?

R. Kelly

By 2019, singer R. Kelly was facing mounting legal trouble, including multiple counts of indecent abuse and human trafficking. Heck, there was even an award-winning documentary series about his alleged crimes titled, Surviving R. Kelly. So, how did R. Kelly respond to the scandal? Why, that would be with an explosive sit-down chat with Gayle King on CBS This Morning. The instantly famous interview featured Kelly screaming, crying, and pounding his chest all as he claimed, Im fighting for my f***ing life! The erratic display did little to sway public opinion however, as he would later be convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Which celebritys reaction to their own scandal surprised you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!