Top 20 Celeb Scandals Everyone Forgot Happened
#20: Ted Danson’s Offensive Roast
Top 10 Celeb Scandals Everyone Forgot Happened
The star of “Cheers'' became big tabloid news in the early ‘90s when he became romantically involved with Whoopi Goldberg. When she was the subject of a Friars Club comedy roast, he decided to join in to make fun of his partner. During Danson’s incredibly shocking turn at the mic, he appeared in minstrel makeup, ate watermelon, and repeatedly said the n-word. Most of the crowd was reportedly stunned into silence. After the performance, Danson earned a public condemnation from New York mayor David Dinkins and Montel Williams resigned from the Friars Club. But Danson survived the controversy. Not only did he continue to find success on television, but he even earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
#19: David O. Russell Mistreats Multiple People
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A series of dark stories have made it apparent that David O. Russell is a difficult director to work with. While filming “Three Kings”, the director allegedly assaulted an extra for not doing a stunt and headbutted George Clooney. These reports were followed by another dark news headline about his behavior. In December 2011, Russell’s niece accused him of touching her inappropriately. The director responded by saying that everything that occurred between them was consensual. After he avoided any formal charges, Russell’s career continued as if nothing had happened. He even earned two Best Director Oscar nominations following the allegations for his work on “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle.”
#18: Jude Law Cheats
While working on the movie “Alfie,” Jude Law met and fell in love with his co-star, Sienna Miller. The two were quickly engaged. But their relationship was put in jeopardy when Law was caught cheating on Miller with his children’s nanny. To make matters worse, it was apparently one of his own children that caught his act of infidelity. After Law publicly apologized, his relationship with Miller continued for a year before they broke things off completely. Despite being big news in the tabloids, the actor’s career didn’t suffer much from the infidelity news. Law’s career continued to thrive with roles in big franchises like “Fantastic Beasts” and “Sherlock Holmes”.
#17: Bruno Mars Gets Charged With Possession
The incident in question took place in September 2010 at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where the “24K Magic" singer was apparently caught with 2.6 grams of an illegal substance. It was enough to warrant felony charges, but he was able to make his legal troubles go away by performing 200 hours of community service, paying a $2,000 fine, and undergoing drug counseling. Mars said the experience has made him a better person and has expressed a desire to put it behind him. Fortunately for the singer, no one ever really seems to feel the need to bring it up ever since.
#16: Halle Berry Leaves A Car Accident
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In 2000, Berry allegedly ran through a red light and hit another vehicle. While the person she hit suffered a broken wrist and minor injuries, the actress got a serious cut on her head. Instead of waiting at the scene for medical attention, Berry left without checking with the other driver. The actress received stitches and reportedly lost all memory of what happened. But neither fact prevented her from facing a felony hit-and-run charge. Her legal troubles were reduced to a misdemeanor after she reported the accident to police. Along with the probation, Berry was fined nearly $14,000 and ordered to 200 hours of community service. The actress was able to shake negative press and continue to land more roles.
#15: Jimmy Page’s Inappropriate Relationship
Perhaps the most popular guitarist of all time, Jimmy Page found great success with Led Zeppelin and has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But he also made the news for a very controversial relationship he had in the 1970s. While the band was on tour in 1972, he got into contact with a young girl named Lori Mattix. After they met, they started dating and she followed him across the country. Page largely kept their partnership out of the public eye because of her young age. But even after the nature of their relationship became clear, the musician continued to find success.
#14: Ashton Kutcher’s Infidelity
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Rumors came out in 2011 that Kutcher had cheated on then-wife Demi Moore with 22-year-old administrative assistant Sara Leal - something that Leal has said was true. When Demi announced her separation from Ashton later that year, she gave the impression that Ashton’s alleged infidelity was part of the reason. Since their split, Kutcher seems to be living happily with Mila Kunis, whom he married in 2015. Though others rarely bring it up, he didn’t forget those rumors; during a speech he gave in 2017 at Drake University while accepting an award based on good character, Kutcher said they helped build his character.
#13: Martha Stewart’s Insider Trading
Martha Stewart will always be remembered for her business savvy and various media ventures. But there’s also going to be a major asterisk beside her name. Back in December of 2001, Stewart sold nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems stock after getting inside information from her broker. By selling her stocks before the price fell, she saved herself nearly $50,000 in value. Stewart was eventually caught taking advantage of privileged financial information and found guilty of various felonies. After spending five months in prison, she rebounded and began to rebuild her reputation as a personality. Although Stewart’s jail time is occasionally treated as a punchline, it hasn't held her back from new opportunities.
#12: Robert Downey Jr.’s Personal Struggles
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For many years in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Downey was considered a rather tragic figure in Hollywood. He was a promising actor that was battling a series of personal issues. Downey Jr. was in and out of jail for multiple offenses and addicted to various drugs. After he was publicly seen as unreliable, his work opportunities started to disappear. Downey Jr. was even fired from his Golden Globe-winning role on “Ally McBeal.” After the actor became sober in 2003, he was able to start turning everything around. Just five years later, he starred in a little movie called “Iron Man.” The success of that movie and his tour through the Marvel Universe allowed him to put the past behind him.
#11: Hugh Grant Solicits Sex
One of the most surefire ways for a celebrity to make tabloid headlines is to be caught in a compromising position with a sex worker. Hugh Grant learned that first hand in the summer of 1995. Back then, he was arrested in Los Angeles after soliciting services from a sex worker. The actor was charged with lewd conduct and had to pay $1180 in fines. His career as the King of Romantic Comedies looked like it could have been in danger. However, an appearance on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” where Grant was upfront about his bad behavior was said to have helped rehabilitate his image.
#10: Paul McCartney’s Narcotics Arrest
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For such a huge celebrity, Paul McCartney has remained consistently robust and has rarely found himself in trouble. But in January 1980, McCartney got in serious trouble while visiting Japan. His plan to perform with his band Wings was thrown out the window when he was caught at the airport carrying half a pound of a certain drug. McCartney was hit with serious smuggling charges and faced a potential prison sentence of seven years. But after spending just nine days in a narcotics detention center, he was quietly released and deported from the country. It was quite big news at the time, but what do people remember? “Penny Lane” or the time McCartney was caught smuggling substances into Japan? Exactly.
#9: Manny Pacquiao’s Offensive Remarks
There’s an argument to be made that Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao is the GOAT. He retired with a record of 62 wins and 8 losses and won numerous world titles, including three WBO welterweight belts. But his public image was mired in controversy in 2016 when he was filmed making grossly homophobic remarks on Filipino television. His words caused international outrage and Nike even ended their prosperous relationship with the boxer. However, his statements didn’t end his career. Pacquiao continued boxing consistently until 2021 and won various welterweight titles. He also served as a Senator of the Philippines until June 2022.
#8: Caitlyn Jenner’s Fatal Car Incident
Shortly before officially coming out as transgender, Caitlyn Jenner was in the news in February 2015 for a different reason. Jenner was part of a multiple car collision that took the life of 69-year-old Kim Howe when Jenner’s SUV ran into the back of Howe’s Lexus. An investigation didn’t find negligence on Jenner’s part, so no criminal charges were made against her. News of the tragedy faded away after Jenner came out as transgender in April of 2015, and she’s since become an outspoken public figure within the LGBTQ community. Jenner isn’t the only celebrity to have been involved in a fatal car crash. In 1987, Matthew Broderick killed a mother and adult daughter in a head-on collision in Northern Ireland.
#7: David Letterman’s Behind-the-Scenes Scandals
In 2009, a “48 Hours” producer tried to blackmail David Letterman for 2 million dollars over Letterman having sex with employees. Letterman didn’t pay off the man, and, as a result, the secret got out. Letterman addressed the issue in October, and a couple of days later, he apologized to his wife and his coworkers for what he put them through. At the time of the scandal, there was some concern that Letterman was using his position of power as a way to pressure employees into sleeping with him, but that has since blown over. Today, scandal and all, Letterman is still mostly just thought of as one of the great late night comedy hosts.
#6: Chris Brown’s Assaults
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This rapper’s got tons of dirty items on his laundry list. The most infamous was his 2009 arrest following his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna. He was charged, given a plea deal and publicly apologized - but it wouldn’t be his last offense. What followed included a scuffle with Drake’s entourage, an altercation with Frank Ocean, an alleged 2016 LAPD standoff after he supposedly chased a woman out of his house and a 2019 aggravated assault accusation in Paris. Charges either were dropped, weren’t pressed, or Brown was released on bail in these cases. Though through it all, he’s continued to make music and tour, celebs still appear to be on his team, and these events seem to have had little impact on the public’s overall perception of him.
#5: Winona Ryder’s Shoplifting Scandal
One of the biggest stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Winona Ryder found great success starring in movies like “Beetlejuice” and “Edward Scissorhands.” But her career cratered in 2001 when she was caught stealing over $5,000 worth of stuff from Saks Fifth Avenue. Ryder claimed that her judgment had been affected by prescription painkillers. She avoided prison but was hit with nearly 500 hours of community service and three years’ probation. In the immediate aftermath, she struggled to reach the level of acclaim she had before. Ryder wouldn’t make a major comeback until “Stranger Things” in 2016. Her celebrated performance on the show helped wipe the slate clean and allowed her to flourish with a new generation of viewers.
#4: Ben Affleck Hides His Family History
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“Finding Your Roots” is a PBS show in which Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. presents celebrities with their genealogical histories. While a fun concept, it often brings up some uncomfortable truths, including a history of human ownership. Ben Affleck learned that one of his distant ancestors took part in this controversial history. But this bit of information was omitted from the episode at the goading of Affleck himself. He had persuaded the producers to cut that segment from the episode, and this was revealed during the infamous Sony email hack of 2015. Both Affleck and PBS were fiercely criticized for their lack of editorial integrity. But seeing as he’s gained a bunch of leading roles since then, his omission didn’t seem to affect him.
#3: Matthew McConaughey’s Odd Arrest
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Way back in October of 1999, McConaughey was arrested at his home in Austin, Texas, for the possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Reportedly, McConaughey was in the nude and playing on a set of bongos around 3 a.m, and police were brought in on a noise complaint. During the arrest, McConaughey reportedly resisted when told by one officer to put on a pair of pants, and is said to have shoved the cop. Thankfully, nothing really came of this incident as the actor only spent one night in a jail and no charges were filed. Considering how strange the details around the arrest sound, it’s surprising that nothing more was made of it.
#2: Reese Witherspoon’s Police Encounter
In 2013, Witherspoon was arrested in Atlanta for disorderly conduct. Witherspoon was drunkenly mouthing off to a police officer after her husband was pulled over after being suspected of driving under the influence. Embarrassed by her own behavior that night, Witherspoon owned up to it, pled no contest, and paid more than $300 in court costs and a fine. The Oscar-winning actress made the talk show rounds to apologize for the incident, and shortly after, everyone forgot about it. Then, Witherspoon went back to playing characters who were agreeable role models as if nothing happened.
#1: Rob Lowe’s Sex Tape
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During a stay in Atlanta for the 1988 Democratic National Convention, Rob Lowe reportedly had sex with at least one young woman and possibly another woman of legal age. How do we know? A sex tape was leaked. While Lowe was 24 at the time, his partner was at a questionably young age. The tape, which also showed Lowe and one of his friends performing sex acts with a model in Paris, was widely circulated. It was all over the news, and many predicted that his career was over. Though it certainly slowed his momentum, he’s undeniably bounced back. The actor has since gone on to take roles in popular TV shows like “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation,” and hasn’t been typecast as “Creepy Rob Lowe.”
