Top 20 Scandals You Completely Forgot About

The auto industry was shaken back in 2015 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed that Volkswagen had been cheating on emissions tests. The German car manufacturer had equipped its diesel cars with illegal software that could detect when the vehicles were being tested in a controlled environment. This software would then alter the normal performance of the car, significantly reducing its nitrogen oxide emissions to meet the legal standards. However, during regular driving, the vehicles were emitting up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide pollutants, way above the legal limit. The scandal cost the company over $33 billion, and resulted in the resignation of their CEO, as well as the recall of nearly 500,000 cars in the U.S. alone.

After performing in a vaudeville group with her sisters, Judy Garland signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in her early teens. She quickly rose to fame with the studio, starring in iconic films like “Babes in Arms” and “The Wizard of Oz”. But while the Hollywood starlet was blossoming on the screen, her reported treatment by the studio behind-the-scenes was nothing short of heinous. Garland was apparently shamed for her physical appearance and placed on a strict diet to make her lose weight. She also claimed to have been forced to take amphetamines and barbiturates, which she eventually became dependent on. Her lifelong struggle with substance misuse culminated in her death in 1969 of an accidental barbiturates overdose.

Back in 2015, Zendaya was just a Disney star, best known for her titular performance in the sitcom “K.C. Undercover”. At the Oscars that year, Zendaya appeared on the red carpet wearing her hair in dreadlocks. The look certainly didn’t earn the admiration of “Fashion Police” co-host Giuliana Rancic, who remarked that she looked like she smelled of “patchouli oil, or weed”. Rancic’s comments were immediately criticized for being racially insensitive and perpetuating stereotypes about African-American hairstyles. These sentiments were echoed by Zendaya, who responded to Rancic in an Instagram post. Facing mounting backlash, Rancic acknowledged her mistake and publicly apologized to Zendaya, on Twitter and on the air.

Prior to its IPO filing in August 2019, coworking space provider WeWork was hailed as a tech unicorn, with a $47 billion valuation. However, once the company went public, a litany of issues began to emerge. Investors questioned WeWork’s business model, which raised doubts about the company’s ability to turn a profit. Further scrutiny was made into the controversial behavior of then-CEO and co-founder Adam Neumann. Neumann’s outsized control of the company, as well as his questionable financial dealings eroded investor confidence. He eventually stepped down as CEO, and was bought out from the board by the company’s biggest investor SoftBank. WeWork ended up laying off over 2,000 employees and saw their valuation slashed to around $10 billion.

The Bank of Credit and Commerce International, or BCCI, was a Pakistani bank founded in 1972. It grew rapidly, attracting high-profile clients and investments due to its lax regulation and financial privacy. This way, BCCI was able to keep the details about its clients and transactions secret. The lid was blown off, however, in the 1980s, when investigators in the U.S. and UK raised suspicions of money laundering and a host of illegal activities. Investigations also revealed that the CIA had kept secret accounts with the bank, which were used in financing multiple covert operations, including the Iran-Contra affair. After a sting operation by the U.S. Customs fully exposed BCCI’s money laundering practices, the bank was forced to close in 1991.

Jennifer Lawrence. Kate Upton. Kim Kardashian. Ariana Grande. What do these names have in common? Not only are there A-list Hollywood stars, but all four women were targets in the infamous photo hack of 2014. The incident saw the unauthorized release of hundreds of private, explicit pictures of numerous celebrities, most of whom were women. The hackers had gained access into the celebrities’ iCloud accounts through phishing attacks that revealed their login details. Many initially questioned the authenticity of the pictures, but some of the victims, including Lawrence and Upton, quickly confirmed that they were real. Following an FBI investigation, five men were arrested and convicted of criminal charges related to the hacking. They all received varying prison sentences.

The 2013 film “Blackfish” documented the life of Tilikum, a captive orca held at the theme park chain SeaWorld that killed its trainer in 2010. The documentary exposed the poor treatment of orcas in SeaWorld parks and the consequences of holding them in such conditions. Upon its release, “Blackfish” was praised by critics and activists, but was labeled as “inaccurate and misleading” by SeaWorld. The documentary had a negative impact on the park, leading to a decline in attendance and a subsequent loss in revenue. The fact that the company has since recovered from these losses suggests that many may have forgotten about the scandal. Although SeaWorld initially pledged to end live orca shows in their programming, they brought them back in 2020.

For decades, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has been dogged by thousands of lawsuits from people alleging to have developed cancer after using their baby powder. The lawsuits claim that the company knew that the talc-based product was contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen, and did nothing about it. In October of 2019, the company announced a voluntary recall of 33,000 bottles of the powder after FDA regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in it. Since the recall, Johnson & Johnson has pledged to transition from talc-based to cornstarch-based powders by 2023. Regardless, the company has continued to face a growing number of lawsuits, with about $9 billion set aside for settlements.

Speaking of Johnson & Johnson, they, as well as other opioid makers and distributors have faced several lawsuits related to the drug crisis. Multiple investigations revealed that the companies played a significant role in fueling the epidemic by downplaying the risks of their products and engaging in aggressive marketing practices. This led to the deaths of more than 650,000 Americans. In July 2021, Johnson & Johnson, alongside McKesson, Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp., reached a settlement with multiple U.S. states to pay $26 billion to address the crisis. Other companies, like Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals also received hefty fines for their involvement. Purdue Pharma rebranded in 2021, after reaching an $8 billion settlement the previous year.

One of the lesser-known political scandals in American history occurred just two years after the monumental event that was Watergate. In 1976, it was revealed that certain figures in the South Korean government had bribed some members of the U.S. Congress in an attempt to buy their support for the country’s interests. The operation was allegedly financed by the Korea Central Intelligence Agency, through a businessman and lobbyist named Tongsun Park. Ten Democratic members of congress were implicated in the scandal, although only one person - Richard T. Hanna of California - served jail time. Park himself faced multiple federal charges, but he was spared after testifying against certain members of Congress.

In March of 2010, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica published transcripts of police wiretaps that were part of a corruption probe in certain shady construction deals. The documents would, however, expose a gay prostitution ring operated by two Vatican employees. The two men implicated in the scandal were Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a member of the Vatican’s elite choir, and Angelo Balducci, who was one of then-Pope Benedict’s ceremonial ushers. Ehiem had helped Balducci procure male sex workers, in what was described by police as “an organized network”. As the Catholic Church deems both sex work and being gay as sinful, both men were dismissed by the institution. Balducci went on to face criminal charges in the corruption case.

What began as a self-help group ultimately devolved into a terrifying cult centered around the company’s founder Keith Raniere. Rainere co-founded NXIVM in 1998 and it eventually grew into a 700-member strong organization that included many high-profile figures such as Hollywood actors and the son of a former Mexican president. As the leader, Raniere exploited his members, coercing many of them into having sex with him and even branding some with his initials. After the group’s practices were uncovered, Raniere was arrested on multiple criminal charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison. Also implicated was “Smallville” actress Allison Mack, who received a three-year prison sentence for her involvement as a recruiter.

Foxconn is a Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer that produces a significant proportion of the world’s consumer electronics. The company has worked with Google and Apple, manufacturing some of their products, such as the iPhone and the Pixel devices. In 2010, Foxconn drew significant controversy after 15 of its workers took their own lives at some of their factories in China. Harsh working conditions, long hours, low wages, and high-pressure production reportedly led to stress and despair among workers. After denying claims that they were running a sweatshop, Foxconn began requiring employees to sign waivers absolving the company of any liability if they ended their lives. They were hit with another wave of backlash and eventually recalled the waivers.

American bank Wells Fargo found themselves in hot water when an investigation by the L.A. Times revealed that employees created millions of fake accounts for customers without their consent. The fraudulent practices were carried out by branch managers and bankers in order to meet impossible sales quotas set by the company’s executives. Although the article was first published in 2013, it only became national news after Wells Fargo was hit with a $185 million fine, partly by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2016. As a result of the scandal, the bank fired more than 5,000 employees, and CEO John Stumpf resigned his position. Wells Fargo has since paid billions of dollars in fines and settlements.

In the late ‘80s, Rob Lowe’s acting career had just begun to blossom, with roles in films like “The Outsiders” and “About Last Night”. Things took a downturn for him, however, after he was embroiled in a sex tape scandal at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Georgia. A night before the event, Lowe engaged in sexual activities with two women, one of whom was underage. A videotape of the encounter was leaked to the press the following year. The scandal had significant implications for Lowe’s career, although he faced no criminal charges as the girl was above the age of consent in Georgia at the time. He was able to rehabilitate his image in the ‘90s, thanks largely to “The West Wing”.

Michael Vick was a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons when his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring came to light in 2007. While conducting a drug investigation into Vick’s cousin, Virginia state officials found evidence that led them to conclude that the NFL player had run the operation on his property in rural Surry County. In August 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to sponsoring the dog fighting venture, known as Bad Newz Kennels, and was suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He served 21 months in federal prison and was released in July of 2009. Following his release from prison, Vick was reinstated by the NFL and signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011.

One of the most shocking scandals to rock the world of football involved multiple high-ranking executives in the sport’s governing body, FIFA. In May 2015, an extensive investigation by the FBI and the IRS resulted in the indictment of 14 FIFA officials and associates on charges of wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The roots of the investigation lay in marketing rights for FIFA games, sponsorship contracts, as well as the selection process for hosting the World Cup. Authorities alleged that the officials had collected millions of dollars in bribes to influence voting decisions and the issuing of those rights. Although then-FIFA president wasn’t charged, he resigned from his position shortly after winning re-election.

On the night of July 18th 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy left a party on Chappaquiddick island in Massachusetts with 28-year-old campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne. Shortly after, Kennedy’s car veered off a dirt bridge and overturned into a pond. While Kennedy was able to free himself from the car and swim to safety, Kopechne wasn’t as lucky. The senator failed to report the accident until the next morning, leaving Kopechne’s body underwater for about ten hours before it was pulled out. Kennedy pleaded guilty to minor criminal charges and received a two-month jail sentence, which was suspended. Despite inadvertently taking a young woman’s life, Kennedy remained in the senate until his death in 2009.

In 2015, Turing Pharmaceuticals came under fire after raising the price of Daraprim, an anti-parasitic drug used by cancer and AIDS patients, by 5000%. The drug went from $13.50 to $750 a pill after the company purchased its U.S. marketing rights. Despite drawing the ire of the public who considered the decision an example of corporate greed at the expense of patients’ lives, then-Turing CEO Martin Shkreli defended the price hike. Just a few months later, however, he resigned from his position when he was arrested on fraud charges in connection with his former company. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, but granted early release in 2022.

During Ronald Reagan’s second term in office, his administration blatantly broke the law in what became known as the Iran-Contra scandal. This affair involved two major covert operations. Firstly, administration officials sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of seven American hostages held in Lebanon. In doing so, they contravened the arms embargo which had been placed on the Middle Eastern nation. Then, they diverted part of the profits from this sale to fund the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua, in direct violation of an amendment passed by Congress. Reagan was cleared of any wrongdoing and all administration officials who were indicted or convicted were pardoned during the presidency of his VP, George H. W. Bush.