Being considered nice wasn't enough to salvage these celebs' reputations. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for times famous faces with kind auras tarnished their reputations with a shocking scandal.
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00:00We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for Time's famous faces with kind auras tarnished their reputations with a shocking scandal.
00:15If you're watching because you love me, thank you. If you're watching because you don't love me, welcome!
00:20Number 10, Chris Pratt.
00:22Going from lovable Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation to quirky and ripped Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy,
00:28Pratt could seemingly do no wrong as his stock in Hollywood rose.
00:31What are you doing?
00:33Dance off, bro! Me and you!
00:36But then, he became the worst Chris.
00:39In 2019, Pratt was reportedly attending Zoe Church, an organization linked to the Hillsong Church,
00:45which has been accused of promoting anti-LGBTQIA plus messages.
00:49It's a 21-day fast. A lot of people are doing it. I did it through my church.
00:54While Pratt denied his church was homophobic, this didn't stop calls to recast him in the NCU.
00:58Another issue was divorcing Anna Faris and marrying Katherine Schwarzenegger.
01:02In 2021, Pratt posted an Instagram message praising Schwarzenegger for providing them with a healthy daughter.
01:08Some people took this as a thinly-veiled shot at Faris, since their son had health problems.
01:13That's going to be something that when this little boy reads this, it's going to have an effect. I get it.
01:19Everybody wants a healthy baby.
01:23In 2019, the Varsity Blues scandal came to light,
01:26which showed parents paying for their children to get inflated exam results and bribing officials to get into top colleges.
01:32One of those involved was Full House and Fuller House star Lachlan.
01:36Man, oh man, I'm exhausted.
01:39She allegedly spent around $500,000 to get her two daughters into the University of Southern California,
01:45under the illusion they were prospective athletes.
01:47In 2020, Lachlan was sentenced to two months in jail, fined $150,000 and had to complete 100 hours of community service.
01:55Do you have any regrets?
01:56Another major player in the college scandal was Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman.
02:00She was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment, fined $30,000 and had to finish 250 hours of community service.
02:07Aren't we just the parents of the year, sitting in the stands waiting for our son to fail so we can weasel out of a bribery scandal?
02:14Two bribery scandals.
02:18In his presenting prime, Schofield was a beloved UK celebrity and often referred to as a silver fox.
02:24He hosted some of the country's most popular shows and regularly received awards.
02:28That drastically changed in 2023, as rumors of a falling out with close friend and This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby spread.
02:35Schofield then suddenly resigned from the program.
02:37Days later, he admitted to an affair with an ITV employee after lying to everyone.
02:42You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth.
02:48In 2020, Schofield came out as gay and announced he had separated from his wife.
02:52I will sit here and say, actually, I'm proud of myself today.
02:57However, the affair had happened before the official split.
03:00On top of this, the employee first met Schofield when he was a teenager, bringing out accusations that something illegal may have happened, which Schofield denied.
03:08I was older. I should have known better. I shouldn't have done it.
03:16Her tasty southern cooking made Dean a favorite celebrity grandmother for many.
03:19And that's the ladies' cheesy mac.
03:22However, in 2013, while being sued by the manager of one of her restaurants, the famous chef admitted in the deposition that she had uttered racial slurs several times over her life.
03:31But that's just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the 60s in the South.
03:37Sponsors quickly began dropping from Dean's shows, causing the Food Network to cancel Paula's home cooking.
03:42Dean then conducted a Today interview, denying she was racist. Not once in the segment did she apologize.
03:49To make it worse, in 2015, Dean posted on social media a photo of her and her son cosplaying I Love Lucy with him wearing brownface.
03:56Dean has since returned to TV, but her popularity has diminished.
04:06In 2012, Kutcher co-founded THORN, an NGO against human trafficking and exploitation of children.
04:11He regularly appeared for the group to promote their vital work.
04:14I've been on FBI raids where I've seen things that no person should ever see.
04:19When Kunis and Kutcher got together, she also joined the board.
04:22With that history, it made their actions during Danny Masterson's trial, their fellow That 70s Show star, even more perplexing.
04:29After he was convicted of assault, news broke in 2023 that the couple had sent a letter to the judge supporting Masterson.
04:35Kutcher and Kunis then released an apology video.
04:38We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so.
04:43However, that was criticized for being insincere, especially as they made the point they didn't expect their letter to be released.
04:49This backlash forced the couple to resign from THORN.
04:52They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims.
04:59After decades in the public eye, people saw Matt Lauer as one of the most trustworthy and competent journalists on TV.
05:05So what? Why is that not within the law?
05:07The head of Amnesty International says secret sites are against international law.
05:11However, that perception was seemingly not the case at all in reality.
05:15In 2017, the longtime Today host was fired after NBC investigated accusations of Lauer's misconduct towards a colleague at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
05:24I'm sure you can imagine we are devastated and we are still processing all of this.
05:28This announcement sparked more allegations that he had used his power to take advantage of co-workers over the years.
05:34In 2019, the various allegations caused Lauer's wife, Annette Roque, to divorce him.
05:39There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions.
05:47If you wanted light, fluffy and funny incidents with celebrities for nearly 20 years, the Ellen DeGeneres Show was the place to go.
05:53Her jokes, kindness and charisma made DeGeneres one of the most beloved talk show hosts on TV.
05:59Then, 2020 happened, which completely changed her image.
06:02Several production staff came forward about the toxic culture on the show.
06:06They claimed there were microaggressions and racist comments, as well as executives being allowed to harass staff.
06:16On top of some executives being fired for their roles, DeGeneres apologized during an episode.
06:29However, the scandal caused the ratings to plummet.
06:31In 2021, it was announced that the Ellen DeGeneres Show would finish in 2022.
06:37Number 3 – J.K. Rowling
06:40For many, she was a vital part of their childhoods thanks to the Harry Potter novels and their beloved film adaptations.
06:46Beyond that, Rowling also founded the charity Lumos, focusing on children in orphanages.
06:56But all that goodwill was thrown out the window when Rowling targeted the transgender community with inflammatory language and refused to use preferred pronouns.
07:04Several groups and people, including members of the Harry Potter cast, have condemned Rowling's opinions.
07:09Even the controversial Elon Musk has criticized her fixation.
07:13Due to Rowling's views destroying her once acclaimed reputation, some fans of the magical world have hung up their wands and walked away from the fandom.
07:20Number 2 – Will Smith
07:22From music to TV to the silver screen, Smith built his reputation as one of the best actors around by leading some of the biggest films.
07:29While his personal life and relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith were murky, it wasn't enough to derail his career.
07:34Until 2022's 94th Academy Awards, that is.
07:42After host Chris Rock referenced his wife, Smith yelled objections, then shocked Hollywood by slapping him on stage.
07:48While Smith apologized in his acceptance speech for Best Actor, the damage was done.
07:53After resigning from the Academy, he was banned from any of their events for 10 years, causing several of his productions to be halted.
07:59In 2024, reportedly, the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation was closing due to a drop in donations.
08:23If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
08:31Number 1 – Lance Armstrong
08:33After battling cancer and becoming one of the most successful cyclists ever, Armstrong was hailed as one of the greatest athletes in history.
08:43He also created the Livestrong Foundation to support those with cancer, getting a lot of success with their iconic yellow wristbands.
08:50Even allegations of doping over the years didn't hinder Armstrong.
08:53But in 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency found evidence that he had used substances to boost his performance.
08:59Armstrong was banned from competitive sport and had his achievements since 1998 stripped, including his record-breaking Tour de France wins.
09:07The disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong has been stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life.
09:14While he initially denied it, in 2013, he broke those remaining supporters' hearts by admitting to doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
09:27What other seemingly nice celebrities' downfall hit you the most?
09:30Allison Mack, Lizzo, Michael Richards, Martha Stewart, or someone else? Let us know below.
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10:00Thanks for watching!