These celebrity scandals dominated news headlines for weeks! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 scandals and controversies of the last decade involving public figures.
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00:00 and if a member of his family will comfortably say we've all had to deal with things that are rude,
00:04 rude and racist are not the same. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our
00:10 picks for the top 10 scandals and controversies of the last decade involving public figures.
00:15 The ruling 14 days in prison, $30,000 fine, one year supervised release and 250 hours
00:24 of community service. Number 10 Ellen DeGeneres's treatment of employees. The comedian presents
00:31 herself on her talk show as a friendly down-to-earth personality. However, rumors of
00:36 mean remarks and actions have circulated for a while and in 2020 employees began to speak out.
00:44 Remember these were allegations of fear and intimidation at the workplace, of sexual
00:49 harassment, of racism, shocking allegations on their own, but this was at the Ellen show.
00:55 In a report from BuzzFeed in July, employees alleged that Ellen presided over a toxic work
01:01 environment where they were exposed to sexual harassment, racist comments and other issues from
01:07 the show's producers. Following these revelations, ratings dropped by more than a million viewers.
01:12 The Emmy winner finished by acknowledging she's not just a TV personality,
01:17 she's also the boss of 270 people on her show's staff.
01:21 Ellen says she wants them all to be happy and proud to work there.
01:26 In 2021, DeGeneres announced that she would be ending her show after 19 years on the air.
01:32 Number 9. Jussie Smollett's fake hate crime. The actor from Empire made headlines when he
01:38 claimed in January 2019 to have been the victim of an attack outside a Subway restaurant in Chicago.
01:44 "How can you doubt that? Like, how do you not believe that? It's the truth. And then it became
01:49 a thing of like, oh, it's not necessarily that you don't believe that this is the truth. You
01:56 don't even want to see the truth." Smollett alleged that two white males in MAGA hats put a noose
02:03 around his neck, poured bleach on him and beat him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs.
02:08 It was later revealed that the men were actually Nigerian-born brothers who knew Smollett and said
02:14 he'd paid them to stage the attack. The initial charges against Smollett were dropped, which also
02:19 caused controversy. He was even so bold as to file a countersuit against Chicago, but he was later
02:25 convicted of making false police reports and disorderly conduct. "For years, his allegations
02:31 had raised questions of race, hate and lies surrounding his claims, which affected the
02:36 city of Chicago and beyond. Today, a jury said he was lying." Number 8. 2014 Photo Hack. Ever get
02:44 suspicious emails asking for sensitive information? Some of them look legitimate, as if they're from
02:49 Apple or Google. But they're not. "An invasion of privacy tonight, impacting some of the biggest
02:55 stars in the world. Personal photos of some A-list celebrities were reportedly posted on photo
03:01 sharing site 4chan, allegedly obtained by hacking cloud accounts." In 2014, several celebrities,
03:07 including Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Upton, were the victims of such a scam.
03:12 Their iCloud accounts were hacked and private photos uploaded to websites like 4chan. It was
03:18 a horrible invasion of privacy that's enough to give anyone nightmares. Lawrence was perhaps the
03:23 most vocal about her outrage, calling the hack a violation and sex crime. "Just because I'm a
03:29 public figure does not mean that I ask for this. It does not mean that it comes to the territory.
03:33 It's my body and it should be my choice. And the fact that it's not my choice is absolutely
03:38 disgusting." At least five men who were involved in the hacking were convicted and given prison
03:44 sentences. Number 7. Lance Armstrong's Doping Scandal. This pro athlete and cancer survivor
03:50 was seen as an inspiration by people around the world and raised millions for cancer research
03:56 through his Livestrong Foundation. "For seven straight years, he dominated arguably the hardest
04:01 sporting event in the world. History in the making. Seven times a winner of the Tour de France.
04:05 Around him grew an empire that included a powerful foundation dedicated to fighting cancer. It's one
04:10 of the great human stories." He was an example of what was possible if you worked hard and believed
04:15 in yourself. However, in 2012, Armstrong disappointed the sports world and disillusioned
04:21 his supporters when he admitted to using steroids to enhance his performance during his bike races.
04:26 "Yes or no, did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?" "Yes."
04:31 "Yes or no, was one of those banned substances EPO?" As a result, Armstrong was stripped of
04:40 all seven of his Tour de France titles and was banned for life from the sport. Number 6. Prince
04:46 Andrew's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein was able to cultivate a lot of
04:52 relationships with powerful people based on his ability to traffic young girls. "The Monday
04:58 morning headlines say it all. Prince Andrew's attempt to explain his friendship with accused
05:02 sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein backfiring." According to one of Epstein's victims,
05:08 Virginia Jufri, Prince Andrew was one such a person and abused her in 2001. The ties between
05:14 Epstein and the Duke of York were reported by the BBC in 2011, and in 2019, the prince gave a
05:20 disastrous interview where he infamously tried to dispute allegations by insisting that he was
05:26 unable to sweat. "I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don't sweat." "Prince
05:34 Andrew, who served in the Royal Navy, says he developed the rare medical condition during his
05:39 combat tour in the Falklands War." The Epstein scandal has been a headache for the British royal
05:44 family, and in November 2019, Andrew stepped down from his duties as a royal. Number 5. Meghan
05:50 Markle and Prince Harry step down. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, leaving acting
05:57 behind and becoming the Duchess of Sussex. However, British tabloids found much to criticize,
06:02 from her choice of wedding flowers to the fact that she eats avocados. "There was such
06:08 an obsession about anything in my world." Some commentators have linked this bias to prejudice
06:15 against Markle's nationality and biracial heritage. Due to the hostility, as well as
06:20 invasions of privacy, Markle and Harry stepped down from their senior royal positions in January 2020.
06:26 "And if a member of his family will comfortably say, 'We've all had to deal with things that are
06:30 rude.' Rude and racist are not the same. And equally, you've also had a press team that goes
06:37 on the record to defend you, especially when they know something's not true. And that didn't happen
06:43 for us." Among the public, some were understanding, especially given the fate of Harry's mother Diana.
06:49 Others were outraged. Perhaps no one was more angry than Piers Morgan, who claims that Markle
06:54 once ghosted him and has kept up a steady barrage of criticism. Number 4. Harvey Weinstein and Me
07:01 Too. An influential producer once considered a titan in Hollywood, Weinstein was accused of
07:07 assault and harassment by numerous women, as detailed by the New York Times and The New Yorker.
07:12 After these stories came out, actress Alyssa Milano encouraged women around the world to share
07:16 their stories on social media with the hashtag #MeToo. "It was started by actress Alyssa Milano.
07:22 She tweeted out, 'If all women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote #MeToo
07:27 as a status, we might give people a sense of magnitude of the problem.'" This would spark
07:33 a movement that changed the way many industries viewed misconduct in the workplace. In February
07:38 2020, Weinstein was found guilty on multiple counts of misconduct and was later sentenced
07:44 to 23 years in prison. "This is seen as a severe sentence and perhaps a watershed moment for the
07:49 #MeToo movement. Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years behind bars." Number 3. Allegations
07:56 against R. Kelly. The R&B artist has long been suspected of having inappropriate relationships
08:02 with underage girls. In 2002, R. Kelly was indicted on multiple counts of possessing
08:07 obscene material involving children. Though he was acquitted, and a year later, he was able to
08:13 beat the rap again. "Last month, Kelly was indicted again, this time charged with aggravated criminal
08:19 sexual abuse of four women." However, in the late 2010s, more allegations of misconduct and abuse
08:25 emerged, along with a series of high-profile documentaries, including Lifetime's "Surviving
08:31 R. Kelly." In July 2019, federal prosecutors charged Kelly with multiple felony counts,
08:38 including racketeering, exploitation, and kidnapping. He was convicted of these crimes
08:43 and went on to receive a sentence of 30 years in prison. Number 2. Britney Spears' conservatorship.
08:50 The Princess of Pop became an instant sensation in 1999 with "Baby One More Time," but in the
08:56 mid-2000s, she had a very public breakdown, shaving her head, checking into and out of drug
09:02 and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, and even crashing into a parked car. The media coverage was
09:08 relentless, and the public could not get enough. "She was constantly swarmed by paparazzi. She was
09:14 talked about in the tabloids and portrayed in a very misogynistic and sexist light." After child
09:20 welfare investigators got involved, she lost custody of her children. It all culminated in
09:25 a conservatorship under her father, Jamie, with conditions including time in a psychiatric
09:30 facility and using an IUD. In response, her fans started a Free Britney movement to advocate for
09:36 an end to the conservatorship. Britney Spears and her supporters finally got their wish in November
09:41 2021. "Her most ardent fans, the legions of the Free Britney movement, celebrating outside."
09:47 "Sister's so, so happy. She deserves all of the freedom."
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10:06 1. Accusations against Bill Cosby Before Hannibal Buress' rant at a stand-up show
10:13 went viral in 2014, Bill Cosby was so loved and respected as a comedian that he was known as
10:19 America's dad. However, after the Buress video gained attention, several women felt encouraged
10:31 to come forward and accuse Cosby of misconduct. In 2018, Cosby was indicted and convicted of
10:37 aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand and received a prison sentence of
10:43 three to ten years. However, in 2021, he was released early after the Pennsylvania Supreme
10:48 Court overturned his conviction, citing a violation of due process. "Many do not see a
10:54 legal path for another case, but some say they're not giving up." Other civil cases are still being
11:00 brought against Cosby, and the scandal has forever tarnished his legacy. Which of these scandals do
11:07 you think had the biggest impact on the 2010s? Let us know in the comments. "He was making a
11:12 mockery of the whole situation and then, in my opinion, being coached on the sideline of what to
11:17 say and how to say it."
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