10 Shocking Celebrity Betrayal Stories

#10: The C.C. DeVille Debacle at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards

Rock and roll in the 1990s was in a league of its own – electrifying, but messy. One of the most prominent bands at the time, Poison, was invited to perform at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, but their performance was seemingly derailed by guitarist C.C. DeVille. He was supposed to play “Unskinny Bop”, but he apparently launched into “Talk Dirty to Me” instead, throwing the band off. Some say it was a genuine mistake due to a misunderstanding on stage, while others suggest it was sabotage. The flub is also widely attributed to DeVille’s alleged alcohol and substance use. Later, he reportedly got into a brawl with frontman Bret Michaels backstage, but it was the band’s reputation that took the real hit.

#9: Britney Spears’s Custody Battle & Conservatorship

The “Toxic” singer’s 2007 divorce from ex-husband Kevin Federline came with a contentious battle for their two sons. Per reports, the pair initially had joint custody, but Britney later lost physical custody. After a 2008 incident where she allegedly refused to return her children to their father, her visitation rights were suspended. That same year, she was reportedly hospitalized for her mental health involuntarily and eventually placed under the conservatorship of her father, Jamie Spears, and attorney Andrew M. Wallet. Years later, Spears moved to terminate the conservatorship, claiming she faced extensive mistreatment at the hands of her conservators. Fans and fellow celebrities rallied behind the #FreeBritney banner, and her conservatorship ended in 2021.

#8: Taylor Swift’s Beef with Scooter Braun

In 2018, the multi-Grammy-winning singer concluded her working relationship with Big Machine Records and signed with Universal Music Group. Months later, Big Machine was sold to Scooter Braun, along with the masters to all the T-Swift albums recorded under the label. Notably, the songstress had apparently tried to buy her masters from Big Machine previously, but to no avail. It was doubly offensive that her work now belonged to a man who allegedly hadn’t been the kindest to her. In order to regain agency over her work, she revealed plans to re-record her first six albums. Meanwhile, Braun reportedly sold her masters to a third party identified as Shamrock Holdings. Finally, in 2025, Taylor purchased her music catalog, victoriously ending a years-long battle.

#7: Diana, Princess of Wales’s “Panorama” Interview

On November 20, 1995, BBC1 released an episode of their famed docu-series “Panorama”, where journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Princess Diana. This interview featured bombshell claims about the late princess’s marriage to now-King Charles III and his relationship with the U.K.’s current Queen consort, Camilla. You might be wondering how such an interview was even possible. Well, according to Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, her trust was allegedly earned through forged bank documents claiming her family was being spied on. In 2021, an investigation headed by John Dyson, a former U.K. Supreme Court judge, found Bashir guilty of securing the interview through deception and violating the BBC's editorial conduct.

#6: When Mutt Lange Cheated on Shania Twain

He was married to the literal Queen of Country Pop, yet allegedly stepped out on her. Shania Twain and Mutt Lange tied the knot in 1993 and welcomed son Eja in 2001. However, in 2008, it was reported that Lange had allegedly been having an affair with his wife’s best friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, who was married to Frédéric Thiébaud at the time. Twain’s divorce from Lange was finalized in 2010, and the “Any Man of Mine” songstress married Frédéric in 2011. Years later, when she was asked about her cheating ex-husband on the “Great Company” podcast with Jamie Laing, she emphasized that she didn’t hate the man. However, in her classic sassy Shania way, she said his ‘great’ mistake was his to live with.

#5: Johnny Carson & Joan Rivers’s Feud

The King of Late Night Television gave the comedienne her big break. After several failed audition attempts, she finally appeared on “The Tonight Show” during his stint as a host and quickly became a permanent guest host. As her popularity rose, Fox offered her her own late-night talk show, and she took the opportunity. However, Carson allegedly found out about it through Fox. In an article for The Hollywood Reporter, Joan claimed Carson was the first person she called, but he apparently hung up on her and refused to speak to her again. Later, he allegedly told the press that she never reached out to him. Rivers went on to call Carson a ‘bad man’ who, quote, ‘absolutely tried to kill’ her.

#4: Elizabeth Taylor’s Affair with Eddie Fisher

The “BUtterfield 8” star’s love life was rife with scandals. Following the death of her third husband, Mike Todd, she began a romantic relationship with his friend, Eddie Fisher. The only problem was Fisher being married to Taylor’s friend, actress Debbie Reynolds, at the time. Reynolds later told People magazine that she was the one who sent Fisher to comfort Taylor after Todd’s passing. Fisher claimed he had already parted ways with Debbie before he got with Elizabeth. Reynolds and Fisher divorced in 1959, the same year he married Taylor. In an interview Liz gave to Richard Meryman, featured in the documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes”, the actress admitted to never loving Eddie and called their marriage a ‘big, friggin' awful mistake’.

#3: When William Randolph Hearst Was Determined to Bring Orson Welles Down

Can you imagine one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time, “Citizen Kane”, never being released? According to reports, that’s exactly what media mogul William Randolph Hearst was plotting when he found out the film was loosely based on his life. Hearst’s people allegedly restricted the film’s screenings, threatened legal action, and attempted to smear Welles’s reputation to suppress “Citizen Kane”. It is said that Hollywood execs who favored Hearst even tried to buy the film from RKO Pictures to destroy it. After the movie came out, Hearst reportedly barred his newspapers from giving it any coverage. Although Hearst seemingly succeeded in dampening the film’s box office success, its lasting impact could not be curbed.

#2: Pamela Anderson &Tommy Lee’s Stolen Tape

In 1995, the “Baywatch” star and her rockstar husband became victims of a burglary. An electrician who apparently worked for them and had been fired stole a safe from their home. The safe was said to contain personal videos of the couple on their honeymoon in Lake Mead, which was made into a sex tape. Its copies ended up in the hands of several parties, such as Penthouse magazine and Internet Entertainment Group. According to reports, the former publicized the couple’s private photographs and details of the video content, while the latter distributed the tape online. Pam and Tommy sued both, but reportedly lost their case against Penthouse and ultimately settled with IEG. Needless to say, the whole ordeal left Pamela traumatized.

#1: When Michael Jackson Bought the Beatles’ Catalog

In the eighties, Sir Paul McCartney and the King of Pop had quite the rapport. Not only were the two icons collaborating, giving us hits like “Say Say Say” and “The Girl Is Mine”, but they were also close pals. During their friendship, Paul once advised MJ to invest in music publishing. At the time, Jackson had quipped that he’d own The Beatles’ catalog one day. The “Hey Jude” singer laughed it off, but Michael wasn’t kidding. In 1985, the “Smooth Criminal” crooner bought ATV Music, which gave him the rights to 251 Beatles songs. After this, Paul’s relationship with Michael seemingly soured. Finally, in 2017, the English musician made a confidential deal with Sony/ATV over the Beatles’ back catalog, closing a decades-long chapter.

Which of these betrayals shocked you the most? Tell us in the comments down below!