10 Celebrity Lies That Led to HUGE Lawsuits

10 Celebrity Lies That Led to HUGE Lawsuits

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were exploring the most infamous times celebrities were caught lying, only to have to face a hefty lawsuit from those they were dishonest about or to.

Fyre Festival Promotion

Promoted by social media stars, taking place on an island in the Bahamas with quality music and meals by celebrity chefs, the luxury Fyre Festival sounded too good to be true. And it was. When attendees arrived at the 2017 event, none of the promises matched what was advertised. This caused massive outrage among those who splashed out their cash. So, the organizers Billy McFarland and Ja Rule were issued with several lawsuits for their deception. While the latter was removed from some suits, McFarland lost a case in 2018 as two attendees won $5 million. The social media stars were also sued for not stating they were paid to advertise the event. In 2020, Kendall Jenner paid a $90,000 settlement for her involvement.

Kathleen Turner

Sometimes, when it comes to celebrity memoirs, there might be lies in them to boost intrigue and sales. However, when their dishonesty goes too far, it can cause a lot of problems. In 2008, Turners memoir was published. Within, she detailed a story that when working on the 1986 film Peggy Sue Got Married, co-star Nicolas Cage had too much to drink, resulting in him getting arrested for stealing a dog and twice for DUIs. The passage was also printed in the UK newspaper, the Daily Mail. Cage issued a suit against Turner for defamation. After the case was ruled in his favor, Turner apologized for her lies and gave a donation to the National Adult Protective Services Foundation.

Clifford Irving

In 1970, writers Irving and Richard Suskind came up with a plan. With millionaire Howard Hughes having been a recluse for years, they were going to write his autobiography, even getting friends to forge letters from the former film producer. The duo believed Hughes wouldnt realize whatd happened. Irving then went to his publisher, McGraw-Hill, to trick them into believing Hughes had requested Irving to ghostwrite it. However, when news broke of the upcoming release of the autobiography, Hughes didnt stay silent. Instead, he publicly stated he hadnt met Irving or agreed to the book. A suit was filed by Hughes against McGraw-Hill as Irving was investigated. After admitting their guilt, Irving, Suskind, and others involved all spent time in jail for fraud.

Wagatha Christie

In the UK, the tabloids love gossip about footballers and their WAGs, meaning wives and girlfriends. However, for a while, Coleen Rooney, wife of Wayne, noticed stories and private posts were ending up in the media. There was a leak in the WAGs. Playing investigator, she allowed one person to view her posts, which still ended up in the papers. That account belonged to Rebekah Vardy, wife of Jamie. After Rooney announced this in 2019, Vardy was livid, resulting in her suing her former friend in 2020 for defamation. In 2022, the court ruled against Vardy, issuing Rooneys statement to be true. Paying Rooney a fine and the legal fees cost Vardy £3 million. She attempted to appeal the costs, but it was dismissed.

Tasha K

Specializing in celebrity news and gossip, Latasha Kebe, also known as Tasha K, took aim at Cardi B in 2018. She released one video after another on her YouTube channel criticizing the rapper for all sorts. This included claims that Cardi had used illegal substances, had contracted multiple STDs, had cheated on her then-husband, and that her child would be born with special needs. After enduring these allegations, in 2019, Cardi issued a lawsuit against Kebe for defamation. In 2022, the court ruled Kebe was liable. This resulted in Cardi receiving around $4 million in damages and legal fees from the blogger. Kebe attempted to file for bankruptcy, which was rejected. In 2025, a payment plan was agreed upon between the two for $1.2 million.

James Frey

In 2005, after being recommended by Oprah's Book Club on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Frey was at the pinnacle of his career. The work promoted was his 2003 memoir A Million Little Pieces, which detailed his history with substance abuse. However, as more people checked it out, questions began to arise about its accuracy. As it turned out, it wasnt factual. Further interviews and an appearance back on Winfreys show saw Frey admit to several fabrications and exaggerations, which he apologized for. The author and publisher Random House then worked out a legal agreement, setting aside $2.35 million for lawsuits, which only a little over 1,700 readers claimed.

Jussie Smollett

In 2019, the world was in shock over the senseless hate crime attack against Empire actor Smollett, all of which was caught on surveillance cameras. However, when the police investigated, the truth soon emerged. The cops claimed Smollett had paid two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, for publicity. In 2022, after being found guilty on several counts, the actor was sentenced to 150 days in jail. On top of this, the city of Chicago, Illinois, where the hoax happened, sued Smollett for over $130,000 for the investigation costs. In 2025, the suit was settled after he agreed to pay $50,000 to a local charity. The Osundairo brothers also attempted to sue Smollett and his legal team for defamation, which was later dismissed.

Lance Armstrong

For years, allegations about Armstrong's doping had tainted his cycling legend despite his disputing them. Yet nothing concrete happened. That changed in 2012 when the United States Anti-Doping Agency charged him with running a doping ring, stripping Armstrong of records and wins, as well as banning him from professional sport. After he admitted to the crime in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013, this opened him up to a whistleblower lawsuit from former teammate Floyd Landis, whod previously been found to have doped and had pointed the finger at Armstrongs ring. The US government joined in, looking for $100 million. In 2018, the case was settled with Armstrong agreeing to pay $5 million.

Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard

After tying the knot in 2015, a year later, this Hollywood couple were divorced, as Heard accused Depp of abuse, which he denied. After alluding to this again in an op-ed with the Washington Post in 2018, Depp issued a lawsuit for defamation. In 2022, when the trial got underway, it dominated social media as accusations of abuse from both sides rained down. In the end, the jury concluded that Heard lied about Depp, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, they also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages from Depp. Both parties appealed the damages, which resulted in a settlement with Heard paying $1 million.

Alex Jones

In 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, experienced a horrible tragedy when Adam Lanza took over 20 lives. While most of the country was in shock and offered condolences, Jones had a more sinister approach. He leaned into conspiracy theories, claiming it didnt happen and it was staged by actors. In 2018, the victims families issued lawsuits against him for defamation. Despite Jones going back on his false theory and admitting the tragedy happened, he lost a series of suits, resulting in him having to pay damages totaling over $1 billion. While he went into bankruptcy proceedings, the families offered to settle the case for $85 million or the sale of his assets. However, a judge blocked this in 2025.

Did the celebrities we mentioned in the video deserve to be sued or not? Let us know below!