Top 20 Celebrities the Media Did Dirty
#20: Anne Hathaway
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There are plenty of questions Matt Lauer could have asked the actress when she appeared on “Today” in 2012. Instead, he opted to make her relive a wardrobe malfunction from the “Les Misérables” premiere that had allegedly left her “devastated”. His pressing of the issue is totally inappropriate and his questions are downright offensive. Anne responds with so much grace and decorum, speaking straight to the soul of anyone who’s ever been victim-blamed. Then she neatly circles back to the movie she’s there to promote. If shutting down misogynistic questions was an Oscar category, she would have won that year, hands down.
#19: Yoko Ono
For decades, Yoko Ono has been forced to defend herself after being branded the villain in “The Beatles”’ story. She’s been accused of creating a rift between the band members that ultimately led to their break up. And ever since, she’s been haunted by this harmful narrative and subjected to ridicule across popular culture. Her name has even been used as a verb to describe the destructive force in something good. However, Paul McCartney confirmed during an interview in 2012 that she wasn’t responsible for the band’s split and that things had already begun breaking down at the time she entered the picture. Only then did people start listening, even though Ono had been telling us this all along.
#18: Courtney Love
The way Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain were reported on during the height of their fame simply highlighted the media’s double standards. Love was often criticized for the same things Cobain was hailed for, like cultivating a rebellious image. She was also accused of being the “controlling female”, causing Cobain’s addiction, and later, was mom-shamed. Meanwhile, her successes were even attributed to her husband at times. The most heartbreaking reports came after Cobain sadly took his own life and the finger-pointing began. Of course, the conversation surrounding mental health has since drastically changed. But sadly, Love wouldn’t be the last woman held accountable for a man’s mental wellbeing either.
#17: Zendaya
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In 2015, Zendaya Coleman’s choice of hairstyle for the Academy Awards sparked a long-overdue conversation. She opted to wear her hair in dreadlocks, which elicited a highly offensive and ignorant reaction from “Fashion Police” co-presenter, Giuliana Rancic. Zendaya took the opportunity to address the already “harsh criticism of African-American hair” and called out the host’s disrespectful comments. Although Rancic did apologize, for Coleman, this became more about changing people’s perspectives and speaking up for people of color, who often receive harsher treatment in the hands of the media. Today, the actress considers this moment as a turning point for her and her career.
#16: Taylor Swift
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Even though writing about love and heartache certainly predates Taylor Swift, and plenty of her contemporaries do it too, she’s often accused of exploiting her relationships for her music. The singer-songwriter’s also been labeled as “fake”, a lying “snake” and accused of having a “victim mentality”. We’ve even seen her reputation dragged through the mud by other celebrities. In her 2020 “Netflix” documentary “Miss Americana,” she shared the toll all of these experiences took on her mental health and it’s honestly heartrending. Taylor Swift is a phenomenal artist and an excellent businesswoman - and if she was a man, these qualities would’ve likely been celebrated instead of used to take her down.
#15: Amanda Bynes
Since announcing her retirement from acting on Twitter in 2010, the actress’s struggles with addiction and her mental health have been well-documented in the tabloids. Her public breakdowns were often treated as a joke and she was essentially branded as just another child actor who had gone off the rails. During an interview in 2018, she revealed how her struggles with body image, particularly during “She’s The Man”, contributed to a long depression-spiral. She also took full responsibility for her actions whilst under the influence. But that doesn’t absolve the media from their part in exploiting her darkest moments for entertainment and profit.
#14: Jessica Simpson
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From the moment she first stepped into the spotlight, the singer was constantly compared to showbiz vets, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The tabloids pored over her weight changes and obsessed over her “sexy virgin” image. She’d be asked uncomfortably intrusive questions about her personal life and outlets seemed ready to attach her worth to her virginity. Sadly, those closest to her, from ex-boyfriends to her own father, were seemingly willing to comply. In 2017, her awkward interview with “Ellen” was widely mocked by the media. However, in 2020 she confessed that she’d been struggling with alcohol addiction at the time.
#13: Lindsay Lohan
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Star of “The Parent Trap” and “Mean Girls,” Lindsay Lohan is yet another former child star who spent her formative years under the media’s glare. Her struggles with addiction and run-ins with the law were constantly splashed across the tabloids and mocked throughout the media. And even her attempts to seek treatment were treated as a joke. An early 2010s interview with David Letterman recently resurfaced in which the “Late Show” host hounded her until she was on the verge of tears. Eventually, Lohan moved to Dubai where celebrity culture is less prominent, and taking someone’s photo without their consent is forbidden.
#12: Paris Hilton
Often considered the original influencer, there was a time when no part of Paris’ life was considered off-limits to the paparazzi. They gleefully followed the reality star around, forgetting that behind her party girl socialite image, was a real person. The press and wider media were no kinder either, scrutinizing her life choices or turning them into a punchline and subjecting her to “cruel” jokes - especially during her jail term following her violation of her probation for a DUI. In her documentary, “This Is Paris”, she confessed that the Paris we thought we knew was just a character she invented. She said that this helped her to protect herself from the onslaught of the unforgiving and relentless media.
#11: Megan Fox
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Long before the “Me Too” and “Times Up” movements, Megan was already very vocal about the mistreatment of women in the industry. She’d been met with derision, seen as ungrateful, and had her voice silenced in defense of men - particularly when she spoke about her experience working on the “Transformers” franchise. She’s also talked about the lasting impact of being sexualized at such a young age, especially after filming the comedy horror film, “Jennifer’s Body”. Sadly, Fox has said that even after the rise of the #MeToo movement, she felt like she was still being left out of the conversation.
#10: Caroline Flack
Caroline’s story should have been a wake-up call for the media to rethink their destructive approach to celebrity culture, particularly when it comes to women. Following her alleged assault on her boyfriend and very public arrest, Flack was hounded, scrutinized, and ripped to shreds by the media. The negative coverage surrounding the TV presenter skyrocketed during this time, whilst pleas to consider her mental health fell upon deaf ears. After she tragically took her own life, the tabloids looked to point fingers at anyone but themselves. They were now echoing her call to “be kind”, even though they hadn’t extended that courtesy to her.
#9: Billie Holiday
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Today, we know Billie Holiday as one of the most talented and influential jazz musicians in history. However, her talent was often overshadowed by systematic racism. She wasn’t able to enjoy the same success as her white contemporaries and was even followed by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics after the release of her song, “Strange Fruit”. The media also sought to highlight her troubled past, struggles with addiction, and constant weight changes. Even after she died, her obituaries focused on her hardships rather than celebrated her talent. The “New York Daily News” failed to show any respect, writing in regards to her previous charges, “Cops Can Give Up, Now”.
#8: Meghan Markle
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In the fairytales we grew up reading, marrying a prince usually leads to happily ever after. However, for Meghan, this wasn’t the case as the British press quickly became disillusioned with the new Duchess upon her marriage to Prince Harry. She received an extraordinary amount of negative press and was often berated for things Kate Middleton was celebrated for. In her and her husband’s tell-all interview with Oprah, she also discussed the issue of racism in the tabloids and opened up on the impact it all had on her emotional wellbeing. Eventually, she and Harry decided to leave royal life and the U.K. due to fears of “history repeating itself”.
#7: Amy Winehouse
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Although Amy possessed a unique talent that was in a league of its own, the press was more obsessed with her weight, her addiction struggles, and her relationship troubles, especially the one with her husband and eventual ex-husband. Her darkest and most vulnerable moments were splashed across the tabloids without an ounce of consideration for the greater impact. Sadly, she passed away aged just 27 in 2011, and in 2015 the documentary “Amy” was released. It suggested that her father played a part in exploiting her for profit. But ultimately, it served to shine a light on the role the press and public played in failing yet another young woman.
#6: Monica Lewinsky
The Clinton/Lewinsky scandal broke during the rise of the digital age and at a time where losing your anonymity overnight was still new. Lewinsky took most of the heat and was shamed and relentlessly mocked by the media until she eventually had to go into hiding. Unable to escape public scrutiny, she relocated to London where she got a Master of Science. In 2014, she decided to return to the limelight to take back control of the narrative. She discussed the media’s unfair double standards as well as the lasting emotional impact she’d been struggling with ever since.
#5: Whitney Houston
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This singer is yet another example of a celebrity who spent many years under the disapproving glare of the press. Whilst at first the media was on her side due to her unparalleled talent, they soon found other parts of her life to pore over instead. Headlines started to document her addiction struggles, marital problems, weight changes, and what was labeled “erratic behavior”. Her infamous interview with Diane Sawyer in 2002 is just a painful reminder of the kind of mistreatment she was subjected to. The media turned their back on the singer, just when she needed their support the most and made her accidental death in 2012 seem all the more tragic.
#4: Vanessa Williams
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In 1983, a 20-year-old Vanessa Williams made history as the first black woman to win “Miss America”. However, the celebration was undercut by the press and the public’s vicious prejudice over a woman of color winning the beauty contest. Less than a year later, she was forced to give up her crown after a photographer called Tom Chiapel allowed unauthorized photos of her to be published without her consent. He had told her that she would be unidentifiable and he wouldn’t publicize them, anyway. And even though he misled her, it was Williams who came under fire in the public eye once again.
#3: Janet Jackson
The 2004 Super Bowl halftime show went down in infamy due to Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction, which was also seen by millions. Although the singer-songwriter was clearly the victim here, the media chose to vilify her for it instead. She was pressured to back out from the Grammys, blacklisted from MTV for what their CEO, Tom Freston called a “stunt” and forced to apologize. Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake, who was also involved in the accident, left Jackson to take all the heat while his career continued to thrive. A mere 17 years later Justin finally apologized to the singer. But he’s just one in a long line of people who owe Jackson an apology.
#2: Britney Spears
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Pop royalty, Brintey is a victim of a misogynistic media that sets unattainable standards for young women, and that is ready and waiting to castigate them the moment they falter. From a young age, Brintey was subjected to sexist questions about her body and virginity and was also villainized during break-ups. Later, her parenting skills were questioned, too. As the documentary “Framing Britney Spears” shows, she was relentlessly hunted by the paparazzi, which eventually led to a very public meltdown. But even then, the media didn’t show her any mercy. All this led to the controversial conservatorship that has since sparked the #FreeBritney movement. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few additional mentions of instances when the media did celebs dirty. Judy Garland The Media Revelled in Reporting on Her Pain & Struggles, Branding Her as “Unstable” &“Tragic” Drew Barrymore Barrymore’s Difficult Childhood & Teen Years Were Well-Documented in the Tabloids Demi Lovato Lovato’s Personal Struggles Were Widely Known, Nearly Ending in Tragedy for the Singer Miley Cyrus The Tabloids Clearly Expected Her to Be “Hannah Montana” Forever Serena Williams As a Woman of Color, She’s Been the Victim of Horrendous Sexism & Racism by the Press
#1: Diana, Princess of Wales
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From the moment she stepped into royal life, there was no celebrity more hunted than Princess Diana. She was continuously and relentlessly hounded by the paparazzi and painted as either a saint or an attention-seeker. Her evident unhappiness and personal struggles meant nothing to those seeking to profit off of her. Tragically, Diana died in a car accident along with her partner, Dodi Fayed, and the vehicle’s inebriated driver, after being chased by the paparazzi. In fact, a judge even ruled that the photographers were partially responsible for the fatal accident. Diana’s tragic story should have served as a cautionary tale for the media, but sadly, we’re still seeing history repeat itself today.
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