Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Their Favorite Forgotten Celebrity Controversies

People Share Their Favorite Forgotten Celebrity Controversies

Let this article serve as your reminder that - just like us - celebrities are terrible people.


When the only times you see someone, they're busy being the hero in your favorite movie or belting out your favorite tune, etc. it can be easy to forget that they are pretty normal people the rest of the time.

Being a normal person means getting into the same kinds of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad stuff that the rest of us do. Celebs typically get the benefit of dealing with very little in the way of consequences for their actions - which is why so many of their controversies just disappear like all evidence of that one Sinbad genie movie.

Reddit user Alvinschwartz asked:

What's your favorite forgotten celebrity controversy?

You guys ready for a tour through a glamorous Hollywood a hellscape? Let's be honest - you think you're ready but you're not. We kept the more violent and horrific things off of this list and we still ended up talking about some seriously disturbing stuff.

Let's get this party started the way we imagine all Hollywood parties do - with naked bongos!

Close The Windows

Giphy

Matthew McConaughey was arrested in 1999 for getting really high and playing the bongos while naked at 3 AM.

- CheesePuffFluff

I freaking love his quote about the results of that arrest:

"But what's the lesson?" he ponders. "Shut the window that has the beautiful scent of jasmine blowing in because it's two in the morning and you might wake a neighbor."

- wooztheweb

Mark Whoa-berg

Mark Wahlberg chasing and throwing rocks at black children while yelling "kill the n*gger" in 1986, then in 1988 assaulting 2 different Vietnamese men in one day (ultimately knocking one unconscious with a piece of wood), while making "numerous unsolicited racial statements about "g**ks" and "slant-eyed g**ks" to the arresting officers, after telling them "That's the motherf*cker whose head I split open!" regarding the victim he rendered unconscious.

Got charged with attempted murder, plead guilty to felony assault, got sentenced to 2 years in jail of which he served 45 days.

He started recording with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in 1990.

Then, in 1992 he fractured his neighbors jaw for no reason at all, by "viciously and repeatedly kicking him in the face while another man held him down".

Read his wiki, it's a wild ride.

- tuwangclan

Came here for this one. Had to tell a coworker this one when he said "oh Mark Wahlberg seems like a good guy".

I was like, nope, not a good guy.

- EpicBlinkStrike187

Said 9/11 wouldn't have happened if he were on the plane, as an example. The worst part is he said it in 2006. This wasn't an emotional response during emotional time...that was his true belief FOR YEARS.

"I would have beat terrorists, landed it safely"

I'm disgusted by his profiteering off the Boston marathon bombing too.

Truly, honestly just trash.

- AfterReview

Stallone The Stallion

Giphy

Sylvester Stallone's first real movie role was in a porno.

- ImmortanJoe

Gotta credit the man for not shying away from it. He was in a low place, did what he had to do to survive without turning to crime, and when basically bribed/blackmailed to keep the company quiet about it, he gave 'em the finger and owned what he did.

- Entreprenuremberg

"Stallone had his first starring role in the softcore pornography feature film The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970). He was paid US$200 for two days' work. Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. He has also said that he slept three weeks in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City prior to seeing a casting notice for the film. In the actor's words, "it was either do that movie or rob someone, because I was at the end – the very end – of my rope".The film was released several years later as Italian Stallion, in order to cash in on Stallone's newfound fame (the new title was taken from Stallone's nickname since Rocky)."

Likewise,

He has stated that after Rocky became a hit, the owners of The Party at Kitty and Stud's offered to sell him the rights to the film for about US $100,000 in order to prevent its re-release, but the actor "wouldn't buy it for two bucks."

- Chengweiyingji

Alf

Max Wright, dad from Alf TV series was an alcoholic and a crack addict who participated in gay orgies with homeless men. There were even photos and videos circulating.

- prodigal_dolphin

Wesley Snipes V. Everyone

Wesley Snipes VS the rest of the cast of Blade Trinity. That scandal was so funny!

- Mr-Dicey

He was on a lot if drugs during Blade Trinity. He wouldn't show up or wouldn't do the script. Watch it again. There's a bunch of scenes that cut between Ryan Reynolds and Wesley Snipes. They basically gave Ryan Reynolds more lines and filmed scenes with him when Snipes didn't show up. Later they filmed Snipes' scenes with him saying one word lines, then edited it together.

- jittery_raccoon

  • He hated the director and threatened to beat him up on multiple occasions. This may or may not have happened.
  • He refused to film a sex scene with Jessica Biel because of her ethnicity.
  • In one scene, he didn't even open his eyes, he just CGI'd them in.
  • He only communicated in post-it notes and made everyone reference him to as "Blade."

There's probably more, but this is what I can think of.

- CheesePuffFluff

What A Rush

Giphy

Rush Limbaugh went on an all-male trip to the Dominican, and was caught on his way back with a bottle of viagra in his doctor's name.

- saltfish

Under The Rug

In 1995, when singer Ty Herndon was first gaining popularity on the country music charts, he was arrested in a public park in Fort Worth for showing his penis to an undercover police officer and trying to get the guy to have sex. Because country music was so homophobic at the time, it was much better for his reputation to get the public indecency charge dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to meth possession since he was also high and in possession at the time of arrest.

Country radio quickly swept the whole "oh wow, Ty Herndon is gay" stuff under the rug. He went on to have a bigger career, and only finally came out as gay 19 years later.

- ursoparrudo

The Couch Incident

Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch, confessing his love for Katie Holmes, only to find out it was a possibly contracted marriage and she escaped Scientology.

- itsahardnarclife

Doggy Road Trip

Giphy

When Mitt Romney and his family were accused of driving 12 hours to Ontario with their dog tied to the top of their car. When they got to their destination, the dog was so terrified it had literally soiled itself - they noted that it was everywhere.

- Isuckatbattlefield4

Roxanne

It's undoubtedly the Roxanne Pallett controversy. If you're not in the UK, she was on Celebrity Big Brother UK and acted like another male contestant had beat her when, in fact, he did not. Thankfully, the incident happened in view of the camera and she was caught lying.

It seems she has a history of being untruthful and colleagues knew it too well as she has accused a few them of being violent also.

- epsteindntkillhimself

Jenny's Body Count

Jenny Mccarthy's direct responsibility for the rise of antivaxx (financed by Jim Carrey). See JennyMccarthyBodyCount.com

Apparently her son was never diagnosed as autistic in the first place.

- qpgmr

More from People

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
UChicago Institute of Politics/YouTube

People Are Applauding AOC's Refreshing Take On Her Political 'Ambition' After She Was Called Out As A 'Likely 2028 Presidential Candidate'

When asked about her future political ambitions during an appearance at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was notably candid, saying her "ambition is to change this country," as she ripped a Washington Post editorial that tried to knock her down a peg for her take on the morality of billionaires.

The progressive is not currently considered the frontrunner in early 2028 Democratic primary polling but some surveys suggest she has already emerged as a serious contender in what is expected to be a crowded field.

Keep Reading Show less
Sir Rod Stewart and King Charles III; Donald Trump
Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rod Stewart Just Gave Trump The Most Brutally Accurate New Nickname During Candid Conversation With King Charles

On Monday, King Charles III attended an event at Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the King's Trust—previously called the Prince's Trust—which the United Kingdom's reigning monarch founded in 1976 to support young people aged 11-30 facing challenges like unemployment, poverty, or lack of education.

In attendance that night was Sir Rod Stewart, who was knighted in 2016. Stewart and the King have met several times, and briefly chatted while King Charles greeted distinguished guests in the reception line.

Keep Reading Show less
Chelsea Handler unleashed one of the night’s most brutal roasts on Tony Hinchcliffe during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
Netflix / The Roast of Kevin Hart

Chelsea Handler Destroys MAGA Comedian With Hilariously Brutal Jokes At Kevin Hart's Roast—And We're Cheering

Chelsea Handler brought the heat to Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart Sunday night, and Tony Hinchcliffe ended up taking some of the night’s most brutal hits.

Handler wasted little time zeroing in on Hinchcliffe, the controversial comedian who has repeatedly sparked backlash over jokes about George Floyd and Puerto Rico. She delivered a string of savage punchlines that left the audience roaring while the comic sat visibly unimpressed.

Keep Reading Show less
Dave Coulier
Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media/Getty Images; @dcoulier/Instagram

Dave Coulier Opened Up About Why He Looks And Sounds Different After Cancer Battle—And Fans Are Heartbroken For Him

Dave Coulier has been well-known for years for playing the lovable, quirky, and bubbly Uncle Joey Gladstone on Full House, and in the past two years, he's become even more loved for carrying that same bubbly personality through multiple cancer treatments.

In 2024, Coulier was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma after seeing a doctor about symptoms from a persistent cold. Coulier mentioned then how quickly his life changed, but how the prognosis was generally always promising.

Keep Reading Show less
Martin Short; Katherine Short and Martin Short
CBS Sunday Morning/YouTube; Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

Martin Short Just Opened Up For The First Time About His Daughter's Death—And Fans Are Heartbroken

Content warning: mental illness, suicide

Martin Short has experienced tremendous loss in his life, the latest of which was daughter Katherine's suicide at the age of 42, reportedly after years of struggling with several mental health disorders.

Keep Reading Show less