Biggest Celebrity Scandals Of All Time

By molly atherton 11 months ago

1. O.J. Simpson

Image Source: Bustle
Content Originally Sourced: Femanin.comThis one shocked the world. NFL football player O.J. Simpson was arrested and then charged with killing his ex-wife back in 1994. Nicole Brown Simpson was found dead in her own home, surrounded by a pool of her own blood. After a lengthy trial, he was acquitted 10 months later. The trial was widely televised, and it's still referenced in pop culture to this day.

2. Ellen DeGeneres

Image Source: RadarOnline
Ellen DeGeneres had a longstanding reputation of being a warm and hilarious person both on and off screen. In 2020, rumors started to come out that she was not nice to her employees and there were even cases of s*xual harassment. Many were shocked that her show was not cancelled despite the stories come out about her.

3. R. Kelly

Image Source: BuzzFeed
Honestly, this one hurt! R. Kelly had given us so much great music that was playing pretty much everywhere you went. And then a few years ago, he was sentenced to THIRTY years in federal prison. Why? He was found guilty of racketeering and s*x trafficking charges. The stories that continued to come out about the things he had done were very sad and devastating for many.

4. A$AP Rocky

Image Source: Esquire
Not too long ago, in June of 2019, A$AP Rocky got into a street fight. The video of the fight was released, and he was arrested for the attack. A$AP Rocky claimed that he was acting in self-defense, and celebrities weighed in on the incident. Everyone from Kim K to Donald Trump had something to say! He was found innocent and didn't do any jail time.

5. Britney Spears

Image Source: Daily Mail
The fight to #FreeBritney took the internet by storm when Britney Spears went to court against her father in claims that he was controlling her life as her conservator in an illegal manner. Fans were very concerned for her mental health, and her Instagram posts since being "free" have continued to be cause for concern.

6. Woody Allen

Image Source: Reddit
Still not over this one! In 1992, news broke that film director Woody Allen had been dating his (former) stepdaughter, Soon-Yi Previn. There were also a lot of s*xual assault allegations swirling around him at the time. A few years later, the couple ended up marrying, and people just didn't quite understand.

7. Hugh Grant

Image Source: People
The man is known for playing beloved characters and charming men in rom-coms such as Love Actually and Notting Hill. So you can imagine people's surprise when it came out that Hugh Grant was arrested for soliciting a s*x worker. On top of that, he was dating Elizabeth Hurley at the time, so women everywhere felt betrayed!

8. Marvin Gaye

Image Source: Reddit
Wow, maybe I'm uneducated, but I truly never knew that this is how Marvin Gaye died. The iconic musician was shot and killed by his own father. The two had argued over insurance paperwork, which led to his death. It was one day before his 45th birthday. How said that we lost such a gift of a human too soon!

9. Mike Tyson

Image Source: Reddit
EVERYONE was talking about this fight, and people still reference it to this day. Mike Tyson famously bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match in 1997. Talk about aggressive! Mike was fined $3 million for the incident, and Evander had to have emergency surgery.

10. Martha Stewart

Image Source: Reddit
Martha Stewart made a name for herself as the ultimate dinner host and home maker. Her fans were surprised when she was charged with felonies such as conspiracy. After her arrest, she spent five months in prison. Other allegations against her included making false statements to investigators.

11. Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth

Image Source: E! Online
We're SO glad to see Miley thriving now, but man, Miley and Liam sent us on a rollercoaster. The pair got married in December of 2018 - this was after having an on-again-off-again relationship for a decade. Then, only 7 months later, they announced they were getting divorced. Shortly after (like right after), Miley was pictured making out with Kaitlynn Carter on a yacht.

12. Michael Jackson

Image Source: BuzzFeed
Michael Jackson had fans all over the world. The man truly revolutionized pop music. So it was devastating news when child molestation allegations came out against him in the early 2000s. While many considered him to be a bit of an odd duck, this was well beyond that. He was acquitted after a 4 month trial.

13. Justin Timberlake & Janet Jackson

Image Source: BuzzFeed
Janet Jackson doesn't like to talk about it, but during her Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake, something embarrassing happened! Justin ripped off a piece of her costume, and her nipple was exposed to the world... on live TV! Everyone was talking about it, trying to figure out if it was planned, if it was intentional, or just a mal-function.

14. Robert Downey Jr.

Image Source: Twitter
It was tough to watch Robert Downey Jr.'s multiple arrests in the late 90s, early 00s. At one point, he was driving while high and naked down the Sunset Strip throwing imaginary rats at people. After jail time and rehab, we're happy to report that he has committed to sobriety and seems to be doing well!

15. Kanye West

Image Source: BuzzFeed
Where do you even start with this man? The most notable Kanye scandal was likely when he interrupted Taylor Swift on stage. Taylor was accepting her award at the MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye took the mic from her saying that Beyonce is the one who actually deserved to win. The feud continued for years.

16. Bill Cosby

Image Source: Reddit
No one could believe when America's dad, Bill Cosby, was charged with s*xual assault. It continued to get worse as over FIFTY women came forward with allegations against him. The case went to trial and Bill was sentenced to prison, however, that sentence was later overturned.

17. Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt

Image Source: Reddit
Hearts were breaking everywhere when Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. The "it" couple were married for five years, and they were definitely relationship goals. The plot thickened when just a few months later, Brad made his relationship with Angelina Jolie public. This fuelled the affair rumors.

18. Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Solange

Image Source: BuzzFeed
Back in 2014, footage leaked from an elevator at the Met Gala where Solange Knowles (Beyonce's sister) was seen attacking Jay-Z. Beyonce was also present in the elevator. Most people speculate that this was when Solange found out that Jay-Z had been cheating on Beyonce, thus her violent reaction.

19. Rob Lowe

Image Source: Reddit
Especially in the 1980s, this one turned everyone's heads! Rob Lowe had a s*x tape that leaked where he was engaging in sexy times with not just one, but two women from Atlanta. The worst part? One was underage! Rob claims he didn't know she was underage, but he did have to settle a lawsuit with her family.

20. Kobe Bryant

Image Source: Reddit
This one just really started 2020 off on the wrong foot. While nothing ~scandalous~ happened, fans were absolutely shocked by Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter accident. He was traveling with his 13 year old daughter and the helicopter crashed due to poor weather conditions. Fans across the nation mourned his loss.

21. Taylor Swift

Image Source: Deadline
Taylor posted a Tumblr post in 2019 that set the internet ablaze. She outlined in detail the issues she was facing with Scooter Braun surrounding the rights to her songs. Taylor explained that she didn't have control of her music catalogue, and she didn't know what to do. As mad as everyone was/is at Scooter, we're also grateful for the re-releases of Taylor's Versions!

22. Jeffrey Epstein & Prince Andrew

Image Source: BBC
The more we've learned about Jeffrey Epstein, the more upsetting it's become. But one of the things that shook people the most was when the British royal family were connected to him. Headlines began to come out that Prince Andrew had ties to him. This resulted in Andrew ending his status as a royal.

23. Chris Brown

Image Source: BuzzFeed
How could someone do this to ANYONE, let alone RiRi?! Back in 2009, Chris Brown was charged for assaulting Rihanna in a domestic violence case. Photos of Rihanna's injuries were made public, and people continued to be shocked by this case years later as more details came out.

24. Anna Nicole Smith

Image Source: Reddit
This one is more sad than scandalous. But back in 1994 it was considered to be the height of scandal when 26 year old Anna Nicole Smith married an 89 year old oil baron. Anna had a rough life and later died at a young age in 2007 of an accidental dr*g overdose.

25. Ozzy Osbourne

Image Source: Rolling Stone
Gross! Ozzy Osbourne has long been turning heads, but never so much so as when he bit the head off of a bat in 1982. Yep, that's right. Apparently a fan threw a bat on stage, and Ozzy bit the head off. Fans still argue about whether or not the incident was staged. What do you think?

26. Felicity Huffman & Lori Loughlin

Image Source: Reddit
Lori Loughlin was known for her role on the wholesome series Full House. In 2019, she and Felicity Huffman were wrapped up in a HUGE college admissions bribery scandal. Both actresses paid a large deal of money to get their kids into college. Felicity served 11 days in jail, while Lori was sentenced to two months.

27. Sandra Bullock

Image Source: Scary Mommy
Sandra Bullock is one of America's most beloved actresses, so this isn't a scandal on HER side. People were truly devastated when news broke that she was splitting from her husband Jesse James just days after she won her Oscar. As rumors of affairs came out, we also learned that they were in the process of adopting. Sandra continued that process without Jesse.

28. Mel Gibson

Image Source: BuzzFeed
Mel Gibson went on a weird anti-Semitic rant one night when he was pulled over. The police pulled him over for drinking and driving, and the tape of the conversation was released. He was also charged with a misdemeanor for drunk driving and an elevated blood alcohol level.

29. Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee

Image Source: Reddit
Back before we were used to s*x tapes and nude photos being leaked all over the internet, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's sex tape was stolen and then posted online in 1995. Pam and Tommy ended up suing one of the publishers at Penthouse, saying he was responsible for the leak.

30. Kim Kardashian & Ray J

Image Source: Reddit
Many say that the 2007 s*x tape of Kim Kardashian and her then partner, Ray J, is what put her on the map as a celebrity. It was so scandalous that it had everyone talking. Some have even gone so far as to say that Kris Jenner herself leaked the tape to the world in order to gain a position of fame for her family.