Top 20 Respected People Who Turned Out to Be AWFUL

#20: Lance Armstrong

Few modern-day athletes have come close to his downfall. Throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Lance Armstrong was invincible. He won a plethora of competitions as a cyclist, including seven Tour de France races. He even won while battling cancer, cementing himself as a sports legend. That is, until 2012, when the United States Anti-Doping Agency concluded he’d been cheating. Allegations that he’d been taking performance-enhancing drugs had been around since the beginning of his career, but he always denied them. However, blood samples and ex-teammates’ testimonies told a different story. Armstrong chose not to appeal the findings, leading to him being banned from competitive sports and stripped of his post-1998 titles. Only after losing everything did he finally admit the accusations were true.

#19: Pablo Picasso

As one of the founders of the Cubism art movement, he’s one of the most influential artists in history. Unfortunately, Pablo Picasso’s legacy is muddied by his disdain for countless women throughout his life. He mistreated several muses and then discarded them for younger models, with one claiming that he locked her inside to prevent her from working with others. He also had affairs with them behind his wife’s back, at one point making his wife fight his mistress for his affections. This attitude carried on to his children, who he cut off after his final partner, Françoise Gilot, revealed his abusive behavior. These incidents have made it difficult for some to separate Picasso from his work—especially the pieces where women are the primary focus.

#18: Neil Gaiman

He’s proof that no legacy is set in stone. For years, Neil Gaiman entertained children and adults alike with his fictional work. Through it all, he was an advocate for several causes, including protecting First Amendment rights for writers and raising awareness for refugees. In 2024, the veneer cracked when multiple women accused him of sexually charged crimes. The most damning came from his former nanny, who filed a federal lawsuit against him in 2025, alleging he trafficked her. He’s since denied the claims. However, the repercussions were set in motion—several projects of his have been put on hold or canceled entirely. The case is still unfolding, but if he’s found guilty, it’ll be one of the biggest fallings from grace in modern times.

#17: Dr. Seuss

His whimsical words have introduced countless children to the wonders of poetry. But, behind the silly characters and bright colors of Dr. Seuss’s work was a complicated personal life. His first wife, Helen, was his biggest supporter. Not only did she encourage his dreams; she even edited his work and came up with ideas for his books. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep him from straying. He’d been seeing another woman, while Helen was struggling with her health. Some even theorize that Helen hinted at his infidelity in her final note to him before taking her own life. Eight months later, Seuss married his affair partner. Though his legacy lives on in his work, it's hard not to see it without thinking of Helen.

#16: P.T. Barnum

Thanks to movies like “The Greatest Showman,” he’s been given a legacy that perhaps he hasn’t fully earned. To many, P.T. Barnum is merely the creator of the modern-day circus. Many people know about the acrobatic performances, trained animals, and freak shows—but not many are aware of the dark history behind them. To gain notoriety for his shows, Barnum was well-versed in the art of exploitation. He got his start young, renting an elderly African-American woman, who his acquaintance billed as a 161-year-old former slave. From there, the abuse continued. He reportedly separated Aboriginal families in order to prey on their culture, monetized peoples’ disabilities for entertainment, and even held a public autopsy for his initial subject following her death.

#15: Woodrow Wilson

To many, former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson is seen as one of the biggest proponents of a robust federal government, and the creator of several economic systems, including the Federal Reserve. Unfortunately, the good he did doesn’t hide his rancid social politics. Even for the time, he was an extreme racist. He advocated for segregation before and during his political career, and even forcibly discharged African-Americans from the military. He also worked to exclude them from roles within the government, and allowed his cabinet members to racially separate their departments. These actions have ultimately sullied his legacy.

#14: Thomas Edison

If you’ve ever used a camera or turned on a light bulb, then you’ve been impacted by him. Thomas Edison is one of the most influential inventors in United States history. However, he may not have been as involved as we thought. At his laboratory, he was known for taking credit for a product, even though his employees were the ones doing the research and work creating it. He used his influence to snuff out competitors’ ideas, including falsely claiming that another company’s alternate current system would result in death. Beyond his direct work, his film company produced a now infamous clip depicting an elephant’s death. Edison is proof that even with major historical figures, we might not know the full story.

#13: Larry Nassar

Using one’s authority to abuse those who trust you the most is vile. That only scratches the surface of the acts committed by Larry Nassar. As the former medical practitioner for the United States women’s gymnastics team, he was highly versed in the subject of gymnastics injuries, and even wrote multiple papers on how to treat them. Allegations against him began in the 1990s, but they were swept under the rug until 2016, when he was finally fired. This gave over 250 survivors the courage to come forward about him using medical exams as a guise for sexual abuse. The list of horrific crimes he committed grew as his trial went on, resulting in multiple decades-long sentences in federal and state prisons.

#12: Henry Ford

While he’s covered in history classes, the extent of his beliefs are usually ignored. When Henry Ford is mentioned, it’s usually to discuss his strides in the automotive industry. What doesn’t get brought up are his staunch beliefs in various conspiracy theories, particularly those that villainized people of Jewish faith. This led him to buy his hometown’s newspaper just so he could publish his anti-semitism. He then forced his dealerships to distribute his drivel to customers. As if passing it around America wasn’t bad enough, he then had the articles converted into four different books, which he then sold around the world. His work caught the attention of Germany’s Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler, with the latter citing him as an inspiration.

#11: Mother Teresa

For most of her career, she was viewed as a modern-day saint, with the canonization to prove it. Mother Teresa was primarily known for starting the Missionaries of Charity, a group dedicated to housing and caring for the sick. Behind closed doors, she was much more corrupt. She believed that most sick people needed to suffer. That’s corroborated by a lack of proper medical care in her facilities, despite them receiving millions in aid. She and her missionaries also took advantage of the ill by coercing them into converting religions. She even cozied up to now-convicted child abusers and leaders of dictatorial regimes. All that controversy raises the question of just how saintly Mother Teresa really was.

#10: Jim Jones

By their very natures, cult leaders have to be respected, charismatic, and personable. And perhaps none fooled the world quite like Jim Jones. Jones was highly respected in his lifetime, advocating for racial equality and offering support systems for the disenfranchised. He also built significant political capital, receiving praise from mayors and city officials and even being appointed to the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission. He appeared to be a rare combination - a commanding spiritual leader, a prominent civil rights activist, and a community organizer. But Jones's story ended in significant tragedy when he took the Peoples Temple to Guyana and murdered over 900 members, their story becoming one of the most shocking events of the 20th century.

#9: John Wayne Gacy

Today, John Wayne Gacy is known as one of the most famous serial killers in American history. Active throughout the 1970s, Gacy murdered at least 33 people and buried most of them in the crawl space of his house. But go back to the 70s themselves and you'll find a very respectable man. Gacy was highly active in politics, working closely with the local Democratic Party and even having his photo taken with First Lady Rosalynn Carter. He also volunteered for community events, ran a successful construction business, and famously performed at hospitals and children's parties as Pogo the Clown. Many people liked him, which is why it came as such a surprise when the news broke.

#8: Bill Cosby

Of all the actors who got #MeTooed, Bill Cosby was one of the most shocking. This comedian was enormously respected in his heyday, not only for his legendary career, but because he seemed like a genuinely good person. He was deeply involved in promoting education, donated millions to charity, and was a trusted public figure, resulting in his nickname America's Dad. It was also this reputation that allowed people to ignore or mistrust the initial allegations against him. But when over sixty women publicly accused Cosby of assault, his reputation was thoroughly and permanently thrashed. His fall from grace marks one of the most dramatic downfalls in the history of Hollywood and may be studied for decades to come.

#7: Coco Chanel

One of the most iconic fashion designers in history, Coco Chanel revolutionized feminine style in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, World War II somewhat ruined her reputation, as she knowingly dated Nazi officer Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage. But it's so much worse than that. In 2011, Hal Vaughan published the book Sleeping with the Enemy, reporting on intelligence archives that were recently declassified. Turns out, Chanel was also a Nazi spy and worked with them in various capacities, even going by the codename Westminster. Chanel also tried using antisemitic Nazi laws to force out the Jewish partners of Parfums Chanel, intending to leverage them for her own financial gain.

#6: Jimmy Savile

Before 2012, Jimmy Savile was a highly respected man in Britain, his commanding TV career being just a small piece of the pie. Savile also embarked on extensive fundraising campaigns and volunteered at many hospitals, both of which earned him public praise and institutional trust. He also had enormous royal and political connections, having personal ties with many powerful people and even being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services. But shortly after his death, it was revealed that Savile had assaulted hundreds of people throughout the course of decades, making him one of the most prolific offenders in British history. In hindsight, the warning signs were there, but they were largely ignored owing to Saviles reputation and extensive connections.

#5: Wernher von Braun

Following World War II, roughly 1,600 Germans were brought over to the United States to work for the American government. One of them was Wernher von Braun, who became a celebrity scientist during the Space Race of the 50s and 60s. And while his past with the Nazis was known, he was quickly rebranded as a Cold War hero while the US government downplayed his Nazi affiliations. In reality, von Braun was highly complicit in a system of forced labor and mass death, using concentration camp prisoners in his V-2 rocket program. Conditions were inhuman, and at least 10-20,000 people died while working at his site. In fact, more people died building the V-2 than were killed by the weapon itself!

#4: Gilles de Rais

This knight gained fame as a valiant military commander during the Hundred Years War and is primarily known for fighting alongside Joan of Arc. He was also born into nobility and became one of the richest men in France. But in the years following his military career, Gilles withdrew to his estates, where he engaged in increasingly erratic and sinister behavior. Local children began disappearing, but their peasant families were often too poor or afraid to confront a powerful nobleman. But rumors spread as more children disappeared, and Gilles was eventually investigated and arrested. His true body count is hard to substantiate, but it could be in the hundreds. He was found guilty and hanged on October 26, 1440.

#3: Russell Williams

A decorated Colonel, Russell Williams served in the Royal Canadian Air Force for over twenty years. A model officer, Williams oversaw important military operations and personally flew VIP dignitaries around the world, including Queen Elizabeth and various Canadian Prime Ministers. He was also a murderer and sexual offender. Williams committed over eighty fetish-related break-ins between 2007 and 2010, often stealing lingerie before graduating to assault. He also murdered two people - Jessica Lloyd and Marie-France Comeau, a military flight attendant. He was eventually sentenced to life in prison and stripped of his rank and medals. His uniform was even burned by the Canadian military in a symbolic gesture of protest.

#2: Bernie Madoff

Very few financiers were as respected as Bernie Madoff. This guy was a king on Wall Street, running the firm Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities and managing money for banks, charities, hedge funds, celebrities - you name it. He was also a pioneer in electronic trading and helped develop Nasdaq, becoming one of its first chairmen. And while all this was going on, Madoff was running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. In 2008, Madoffs own sons turned him in, and investigators uncovered $65 billion in fake profits. Thousands of investors lost their life savings, and Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. It's a stark reminder that even seasoned professionals can be deceived when due diligence is ignored.

#1: Harold Shipman

Doctors are some of the most respected individuals in society, and we quite literally trust them with our lives. So it's absolutely horrifying when that trust is broken, especially through malicious means. Harold Shipman was a British GP who operated his own practice in Hyde, Greater Manchester. Through his role as doctor, he gained the trust of vulnerable patients, especially those with cancer and elderly women who lived alone. He would then give his patients fatal doses of pharmaceutical heroin and certify the deaths himself, often attributing them to natural causes like stroke or heart failure. In this manner, Shipman murdered an estimated 250 people, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in history.

Which respected individual’s downfall shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below!