10 Celebrities Who Used Their Platform for Evil
10 Celebrities Who Used Their Platform for Evil
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at famous people who misused their influence.
Kevin Spacey
“The Usual Suspects” star was once a household name, and “House of Cards” shot him to worldwide fame. However, everything came crumbling down when he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple people, including actors Anthony Rapp and Roberto Cavazos. The disillusionment fans felt was similar to when Bill Cosby was exposed for his sexual crimes. Spacey apologized to Rapp, but used his statement to come out as a gay man, triggering major backlash. Even worse was how he denied the allegations made against him through a YouTube video, where he addressed viewers as his “HoC” character, Frank Underwood. The actor was eventually cleared in two court cases in New York and London, but he hasn’t been able to make a successful comeback.
Tom Cruise
He has been one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars for years. This has brought attention to some of his more questionable beliefs, but his celebrity has also overshadowed them. Tom Cruise’s involvement with the Church of Scientology has long been the subject of controversy. After all, rumor has it that the institution allegedly caused Cruise and Nicole Kidman to split, and that Katie Holmes supposedly divorced him to protect their daughter, Suri, from Scientology. In addition, Cruise’s incendiary comments criticizing Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants to treat her postpartum depression and calling psychiatry a pseudoscience were widely condemned. Tom eventually apologized to the actress personally, but the harm he caused by spreading misinformation was undeniable.
The Paul Brothers
This divisive duo has been the source of countless scandals since the late 2010s. The older Paul brother, Logan, infamously uploaded culturally insensitive content filmed in Japan to his YouTube channel, sparking intense criticism. Meanwhile, his younger brother, Jake, has attracted fierce scrutiny for alleged racism, spreading misinformation about COVID-19, and calling the pandemic a ‘hoax’. He was reportedly sued for public nuisance and was accused of sexual misconduct. Both brothers were also allegedly involved in scams, such as Jake’s Edfluence and Logan’s CryptoZoo, which were criticized for being potentially harmful to their young viewers.
Kanye West
The “Runaway” rapper has been known to deal in extremes. After rising to fame as a trailblazer in hip-hop, the 24-time Grammy winner turned into a lightning rod for controversy. From denying the Holocaust and spouting antisemitic rhetoric to calling slavery a ‘choice’, Ye’s views have been widely condemned. He went as far as to defend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Bill Cosby in light of the sexual misconduct allegations against them. In January 2026, the hitmaker published a letter of apology on The Wall Street Journal, citing his bipolar type-1 disorder as the cause of his reprehensible conduct.
Candace Owens
Her notoriety grew on the back of provocative political commentary. This reportedly included her vehement dismissal of movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, making inflammatory comments about transgender individuals, and spreading conspiracy theories. She has also made seemingly antisemitic remarks and openly supported Kanye West. That’s not all! Owens reportedly made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccine, called George Floyd a ‘horrible human being’, and described the Ku Klux Klan as a ‘Democrat terrorist organization’. She apparently doesn’t think white supremacy is a serious issue in America and considers science a ‘cult’ that she says she has managed to leave. Her claim that Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte was assigned male at birth even got her sued by the French president.
Perez Hilton
As much as the internet enjoys celebrity gossip, certain lines should not be crossed. Perez Hilton happens to have overstepped quite a few of those boundaries. He once defended his desire to speculate on and expose the sexual orientation of celebrities by claiming it brings visibility to the queer community. This incited public fury and criticism from fellow industry professionals. An even more infuriating transgression was when Hilton shared a suggestively censored photograph of an underage Miley Cyrus on X, leading to CSAM accusations. The blogger claimed it was not an inappropriate photo, but was rather meant to emphasize the Disney star’s, quote, ‘very unladylike’ conduct as she was stepping out of a car. Either way, it was exploitative.
Andrew Tate
As the so-called ‘king of toxic masculinity’, this media personality is the poster child of the Manosphere. His content, often perceived as far-right, reportedly focuses on spreading extreme misogyny, alpha-male ideology, and ‘male supremacy’. His widespread influence, especially among young people, has raised concerns at governmental levels in the United Kingdom and Australia. Unfortunately, Tate’s wrongdoings seemingly aren’t limited to his online platforms. Along with his brother, Tristan, Andrew is facing multiple legal investigations in the United States, the U.K., and Romania. Some of their charges include sexual assault, exploitation of women, and tax evasion. He was even reported to be partying to Ye’s antisemitic anthem “Heil Hitler” at a nightclub in January 2026. Shockingly, despite all this, Tate’s popularity is supposedly unaffected.
Elon Musk
The billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI is said to be one of the most influential proponents of right-wing ideology. He has come under fire for reportedly spreading misinformation, especially regarding the 2024 U.S. presidential election. He has also been slammed for seemingly disseminating conspiracy theories, such as Pizzagate and the Great Replacement theory. Add to that the allegations of racism and transphobia against him, as well as the baseless claims he made about COVID-19, and you can see why the man is considered problematic. He advocates for free speech but per reports, he once suspended several left-wing journos on X. When one of his own X posts got fact-checked via Community Notes, he claimed the feature was being ‘gamed by state actors’.
Sean Combs
The Bad Boy Records founder had one of the most dramatic falls from grace in music history since R. Kelly was convicted of sexual crimes like the exploitation of minors (xref). Diddy had multiple run-ins with the law throughout his career, from which he emerged considerably unscathed. That was until his former partner, Cassie Ventura, sued him for alleged sexual and physical assault, among other offenses. Though that case was settled, numerous other alleged victims came forward to accuse Combs of sexual misconduct, many of whom were reportedly minors at the time of the purported assaults. Allegations of human trafficking were also made against him. Diddy was eventually found guilty of violating the Mann Act by transporting victims for sex work and is now incarcerated.
Harvey Weinstein
For years, the Miramax co-founder reportedly exercised his immense influence in Hollywood to prey on women in the industry. His behavior was finally exposed in 2017, when The New York Times and The New Yorker reported on the accusations of sexual misconduct against him. Soon after, over 80 alleged victims, including actresses Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Rose McGowan and more, spoke out against Weinstein. Many of these women claimed that the film producer would entice them with the prospect of career advancement to take advantage of them. These allegations set off the #MeToo movement and the Weinstein effect, which brought down powerful men around the world who had committed sexual crimes. Weinstein is currently serving time in prison.
Which of these celebrities shocked you the most? Tell us in the comments!