Top 23 Scandals of Each Year (2000 - 2022).
Sure, here's a draft for the script:
These celeb controversies and scandals were impossible to ignore. For this list, we’ll be looking at the biggest public controversies of the 21st century so far and picking the worst offender from each year. Our countdown includes Winona Ryder Goes Shopping, Mel Gibson’s Anti-Semitic Rant, The Downfall of Bill Cosby, Allison Mack Is Arrested for Cult Activity, and more! Do you remember these stories being in the news? Let us know in the comments below!
10. Winona Ryder Goes Shopping (2001)
In December 2001, actress Winona Ryder was arrested for shoplifting at a Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue store. The incident was highly publicized, and Ryder was convicted of grand theft, burglary, vandalism, and possession of controlled substances.
9. Mel Gibson’s Anti-Semitic Rant (2006)
In 2006, actor and director Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI and made anti-Semitic remarks during the arrest. The incident caused widespread outrage and led to Gibson's ostracization in Hollywood for several years.
8. The Downfall of Bill Cosby (2014-2018)
Once known as "America's Dad," Bill Cosby's career and reputation were destroyed when numerous women came forward with allegations of sexual assault. Cosby was convicted in 2018 and served time in prison, with the scandal marking one of the most significant falls from grace in entertainment history.
7. Allison Mack Is Arrested for Cult Activity (2018)
"Smallville" actress Allison Mack was arrested in 2018 for her involvement in the NXIVM cult, where she was accused of recruiting women to be exploited by the cult leader, Keith Raniere. Mack's arrest and subsequent conviction shocked fans and brought attention to the dark side of cult activities in Hollywood.
6. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Legal Battles (2016-2022)
The tumultuous relationship between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard led to multiple legal battles, including allegations of domestic abuse from both sides. The highly publicized defamation trial in 2022 ended with a mixed verdict, significantly impacting both actors' careers and public images.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The slap that is still reverberating through the entertainment world and beyond.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:07for the top 23 scandals of each year.
00:10The former Oscar nominee will now have to spend 14 days behind bars.
00:15For this list, we'll be looking at the biggest public controversies
00:19of the 21st century so far, and picking the worst offender from each year.
00:24Do you remember these stories being in the news?
00:26Let us know in the comments.
00:282000. Angelina Jolie kisses her brother.
00:32It was the kiss that shocked the globe and set the media ablaze.
00:36In March of 2000, Angelina Jolie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
00:41for her role in Girl, Interrupted.
00:43While attending the afterparty, the freshly honored Jolie
00:47and her older brother James Haven locked lips.
00:50The smooch was brief, but it was immortalized through the magic of cameras.
00:54And it was quickly plastered on the front pages of newspapers and gossip magazines.
00:59People questioned whether the two shared an inappropriate relationship,
01:03and interviews inquired about the kiss for years.
01:06For Jolie, who was a bit of a newbie at the time,
01:08that night encapsulated everything that is both good and bad about the industry.
01:13You know, everybody made such a big deal about my behavior at the Oscars,
01:16and I'm here tonight to say that my relationship with my brother is perfectly normal.
01:212001. Winona Ryder goes shopping.
01:24Nowadays, Winona Ryder is known for playing Joyce Byers on Stranger Things.
01:29I don't know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do.
01:33What should I do? How do I get to you?
01:35It's a comeback for the ages, because for a while there,
01:38Ryder's career was dead in the water.
01:40Various factors caused it to implode,
01:43including a string of not-so-great movies and her infamous 2001 shoplifting incident.
01:48Shortly before Christmas,
01:50Ryder was arrested for stealing over $5,000 worth of clothes from a Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue.
01:55Testified, Ryder was tracked on camera as she shopped for designer clothes.
02:00He said the actress walked past three cash registers with a pile of clothes and handbags
02:05before leaving the store.
02:07This wasn't just a slap-on-the-wrist-and-forget-about-it kind of crime.
02:10No, Ryder was brought up on numerous felony charges,
02:14and while she avoided prison, she nevertheless faced a slew of punishments.
02:18These included hefty fines, nearly 500 hours of community service, and three years probation.
02:24Your decisions and conduct from then, and from today's date,
02:31in large part are going to define your public reputation and image,
02:37and possibly your future freedom.
02:392002. Martha Stewart does a little insider trading.
02:43Few business people reach the cultural clout of Martha Stewart.
02:46It seemed like this woman did everything,
02:49from writing best-selling books, to hosting cooking shows, to starting her own media empire.
02:54Casey is credited with helping pioneer the cultivation of organic ginger
02:58throughout the Northeast, and I'm so happy to have you here today.
03:02But everything came crashing down with the ImClone scandal.
03:05In short, Stewart was tipped off about the falling stock values of ImClone systems,
03:10causing her to sell all of her shares.
03:13By doing so, she avoided the loss of almost $46,000.
03:17This is illegal and is known as insider trading.
03:21While the incident occurred at the end of December 2001,
03:24most of the fallout was relegated to the following year.
03:27Stewart was heavily criticized by the media,
03:29eventually serving five months in prison and two years of supervised release.
03:34Did you learn anything about yourself during that time?
03:37Did you learn that you're tougher than you thought you were?
03:39No, I'm a tough person from start.
03:42I've always been a tough person, tough meaning I can survive.
03:472003. Michael Jackson is arrested.
03:50Despite the undeniable contributions that he made to music and pop culture as a whole,
03:54Michael Jackson's lasting legacy will forever be cloudy.
03:58Abuse allegations against minors followed Jackson throughout the 90s and early 2000s,
04:03and everything came to a head in 2003.
04:06But in 2003, he made a monumental mistake.
04:12By inviting journalist Martin Bashir to show his life at Neverland.
04:19In February of that year,
04:20the scandalous documentary Living with Michael Jackson was released,
04:24and led to the musician being charged on several counts involving the underage that December.
04:30While Jackson vehemently denied the charges,
04:32public opinion on his character was permanently marred.
04:35It was the most scandalous pop culture event of the year,
04:38and Jackson went to trial in 2005.
04:41He was found not guilty on all charges.
04:44Not guilty 10 times, not guilty for Michael Jackson.
04:48In California, a dramatic inclusion to one of the most sensational trials
04:52in entertainment history.
04:532004. The infamous halftime show.
04:56If someone says that halftime show,
04:59most people will immediately know what they're talking about.
05:02Yeah, there have been a few iconic Super Bowl halftime shows,
05:04but none are as well known as Super Bowl 38.
05:07The legendary night was February 1st, 2004,
05:10with the Carolina Panthers playing Tom Brady's New England Patriots.
05:18The halftime show was being performed by a number of entertainers,
05:21including Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
05:24In the climactic moment of the performance,
05:26Timberlake ripped Jackson's outfit and accidentally exposed her breast to 150 million people.
05:38The fallout was immediate and widespread.
05:41Enormous fines were issued, MTV was banned from producing halftime shows,
05:46and Jackson's career imploded.
05:48All the emphasis was put on me, not on Justin, and, uh...
05:56Justin, we were friends.
05:59It also birthed the creation of YouTube,
06:01and entered the term wardrobe malfunction into the Webster's dictionary.
06:072005 was a very odd year for the famous rapper.
06:11The critically acclaimed Late Registration was released on August 30th,
06:15and earned him widespread praise and popularity.
06:18I gotta testify, come up in the spot, look an extra fly, for the day you die.
06:24Just three days later, he appeared alongside Mike Myers on the charity program
06:29A Concert for Hurricane Relief, and received a nomination for Best Rapper.
06:34While Myers stuck to the script about Hurricane Katrina,
06:38West did his own thing, and commented on racial politics, and then-president George Bush.
06:43The destruction of the spirit of the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi
06:47may end up being the most tragic loss of all.
06:49George Bush doesn't care about black people.
06:51It surprised everyone, including the evidently shaken Myers, and co-presenter Chris Tucker.
06:57It was a huge media event, and was later spoofed by Mike Myers,
07:01on Saturday Night Live.
07:02Oh, honey, hey, so uh, how's everything going?
07:09I haven't seen you since, uh, uh, when was it?
07:13The, the, the telethon?
07:15Oh right, I forgot!
07:17In later years, West would interrupt Taylor Swift at the VMAs,
07:20and make horribly anti-Semitic comments,
07:23continuing his ongoing string of troublesome actions.
07:27To do everything right, West had to be the first,
07:29actions. 2006 Mel Gibson's anti-semitic rant. While an enormously popular actor and director,
07:37controversy has followed Mel Gibson throughout his career. He was accused of homophobia back
07:42in the early 90s and in 2006 he received widespread criticism for some anti-semitic remarks. I guess
07:49I must have been a little overwrought so and that's what happens too much pressure too much
07:53work you uh you do things uh that go against good judgment. After getting arrested for drunk
08:00driving, Gibson made a derogatory statement about Jewish people claiming that they were quote
08:05responsible for all the wars in the world. The quote was referenced on the arrest report which
08:10was in turn leaked by TMZ resulting in a firestorm of bad publicity. While it was the biggest pop
08:17culture scandal of 2006, the incident did not tarnish his career. Alcohol is used to excuse
08:24behavior. It's always uh well alcohol is used to kill pain and um and it is no excuse by the way.
08:32It's not a good enough excuse. Gibson continued to star in movies and in 2016 he released the
08:38critically acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge which received six oscar nominations including best director.
08:452007 Britney Spears melts down. A string of tragedies hit pop icon Britney Spears in the
08:51mid-2000s. She filed for divorce from Kevin Federline in November 2006 and her aunt died
08:57of cancer just two months later in early 2007. 2007 life in the spotlight seeming to take a toll.
09:04The young mother of two appearing to publicly struggle amid a divorce, custody battles,
09:09and continued media scrutiny. While this was occurring, Spears also struggled with substance
09:13use disorder prompting less than 24 hours stay in rehab. This of course generated much discussion
09:20in gossip magazines and the media closely followed the singer's personal life. The intense pressure
09:25and publicity culminated in Spears shaving her head which is arguably one of the most infamous
09:30pop culture moments of the decade. This meltdown resulted in Spears being placed under the legal
09:35care of her father by the next year which resulted in its own long string of controversies and
09:40scandals with the conservatorship finally ending in 2021. Britney as of today is a free woman
09:47and she's an independent woman and the rest with her support system will be up to Britney.
09:532008 the Tom Cruise Scientology video. Arguably the biggest movie star of our time is also in
10:00arguably the biggest cult of our time. Tom Cruise has been involved with Scientology since the mid
10:0680s and has since become its most vocal and famous advocate. I've been Scientologist for over
10:1230 years and it's something that as you know without it I wouldn't be where I am you know
10:19so it's a beautiful religion and I'm very proud. In January of 2008 members of the activist group
10:25Anonymous leaked a video that showed Cruise speaking favorably about the so-called religion.
10:30The video was made by and for his fellow Scientologists but Anonymous's project
10:36Chanology leaked it as a form of protest. Being Scientologist you look at someone and you know
10:41absolutely that you can help them so for me it really is KSW and it's just like it's it's something
10:47that uh I don't mince words with that. Its release caused further publicity to be shed on Cruise
10:55and his disputable lifestyle and its removal from YouTube sparked a further debate of its own.
11:01However the video has since been re-uploaded and despite the brief scandal Cruise's career didn't
11:06appear to be tarnished in the least. 2009 the Tiger Woods cheating scandal
11:12Even the greatest athletes of all time aren't immune from public scrutiny. Tiger Woods is
11:17perhaps the greatest golfer the world has ever seen and in 2009 he earned his 10th PGA Player
11:24of the Year award. However that year also saw him facing a major infidelity scandal that nearly
11:36ruined his career. Throughout the months of November and December it was revealed that
11:41Woods had repeatedly cheated on his then wife Elin Nordegren with over a dozen women.
11:46What in the world we wondered was Tiger Woods doing around any of these people?
11:51I was living a life of a lie I really was and I was doing a lot of things as I said that hurt a
11:57lot of people and stripping away denial and rationalization you start coming to the truth
12:01of who you really are. The couple got a divorce and Woods lost a ton of sponsorship deals. Whether
12:06owing to the scandal, other personal problems, or multiple injuries, Woods would not win another
12:12major championship for many subsequent years, with 2019's Masters Tournament trophy being
12:18perhaps the most notable. Many doubted we'd ever see it, but here it is. The return to glory.
12:292010. Lindsay Lohan goes to jail. Many child stars experience tragic downfalls and Lindsay
12:36Lohan is one of them. Her career started falling in the mid-2000s when she started experiencing
12:42severe personal, professional, and legal problems. 2010 was a particularly difficult year for the
12:48actress as she spent it in and out of jail. In July, she was sentenced to 90 days after violating
12:54her probation, but spent just two weeks inside. The cameras were shut off. The handcuffs went on.
13:04Lohan was led through a side door, sent off to jail in this two-car convoy. However, Lohan was
13:10only free for a couple of months, as she was briefly sent back in September after failing a
13:15drug test. For many, the repeating jail sentences was proof that Lohan was not getting better,
13:21and it did nothing to help her failing career. Fortunately, the 2020s seemed to be looking up
13:26for the actress thanks to her deal with Netflix.
13:28Okay, I love — hello? Bad connection? Something like that.
13:342011. The Charlie Sheen debacle. It wasn't long before the cultural focus shifted from Lindsay
13:40Lohan to Charlie Sheen. Sheen was in the midst of a substance use disorder when he went on
13:45Alex Jones' radio show and spouted some wildly inappropriate comments.
13:50I'm tired. I'm so tired of pretending like my life isn't perfect and bitching and just
13:55winning every second, and I'm not perfect and bitching and just delivering the goods at every
14:00freaking turn. He called Alcoholics Anonymous a cult and made numerous offensive remarks towards
14:05his boss Chuck Lorre, like calling him a, quote, stupid little man. The resulting outrage was too
14:12much for CBS and Warner Brothers, and the rest of Two and a Half Men's current season was canned,
14:17followed by Sheen's contract termination a few months later. But the problematic behavior didn't
14:22stop, and Sheen became a walking meme with his bizarre quotes and statements.
14:26Where do these words come from, Charlie? I don't know. All these words just sound
14:28cool together. It comes from my grand wizard master. I don't know, man. Stuff just comes
14:34out, and it's entertaining, and it's fun, and it sounds different than all the other garbage people
14:38are spewing, you know? His outlandish conduct was all over the internet throughout 2011.
14:432012. The Jimmy Savile Scandal
14:46Jimmy Savile was a renowned public figure in the United Kingdom, primarily known for hosting the
14:51television music show Top of the Pops. Right, now, take it, take it, my dear.
14:56How about a quick trip up towards the top of the charts? Number four, to be exact, with Chicago.
15:01Savile died in 2011 at the age of 84, and it wasn't long after that his reputation came into
15:07question. The very next year, it was revealed that Savile had mistreated hundreds of women
15:12and girls throughout many decades. Allegations of this sort were made when Savile was alive,
15:17but those were mostly dismissed and forgotten.
15:20The silence has been shattered, and more of those who were scared or felt they wouldn't
15:25be believed are coming forward. Karen Ward had told BBC's Newsnight last year of what
15:31she saw as a 14-year-old at the BBC, but to her anger, they didn't run it.
15:36The reports became international news and shocked those who viewed Savile as a charitable public
15:41figure. Sometimes the monsters are hiding in plain sight.
15:452013. Oscar Pistorius Kills His Girlfriend
15:49Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius was a big topic of discussion in 2012, being the first
15:55double-leg amputee to compete at the Summer Olympics.
15:57This summer, here in London, he will finally get two shots at gold,
16:02running in the individual 400-meter race and the 4x400 meter relay.
16:07But the very next year, the South African athlete was in the news for a very different reason.
16:12On February 14, 2013, Pistorius killed his then-girlfriend, Riva Steenkamp,
16:19by shooting her through the bathroom door. Pistorius claimed that it was an accident,
16:23and was eventually found guilty of culpable homicide, receiving a prison sentence of five
16:28years. However, this sentence was later overturned, and Pistorius was found guilty of homicide.
16:48His prison term was extended to the country's minimum of 15 years,
16:52minus his time already served.
17:022014. The Downfall of Bill Cosby
17:05Like Jimmy Savile, Cosby had been accused of abuse in the past,
17:08but these reports were mostly ignored. Everything changed in 2014,
17:13when the allegations were brought to the forefront of the cultural conversation.
17:23This was the same year that Woody Allen's adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow,
17:34accused him of mistreatment in an open letter in the New York Times.
17:38Some critics, and Woody Allen himself, have faulted the Times for publishing it
17:42without a full response from Allen. Well, yesterday, Allen did get his say.
17:46The Times published his lengthy rebuttal, blasting the allegations as false.
17:50About 60 women claimed that they were assaulted by Cosby, with some incidents dating back to the
17:551960s. Cosby quickly went from America's dad to persona non grata. He was stripped of awards,
18:02dropped by organizations, and taken to court on felony charges. He was eventually found guilty
18:08of aggravated indecent assault, but was released from prison in June 2021 on a legal technicality.
18:14Tonight, Bill Cosby is a free man. His conviction tossed out. His record wiped clean.
18:20He cannot be retried. He appeared briefly before reporters outside his home.
18:242015. Deflategate
18:27On January 18th, 2015, the New England Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC
18:34Championship game. The Patriots would obliterate the Colts, 45 to 7, and go on to win the Super
18:45Bowl. But the victory came with a major asterisk. People argued that the Patriots were using
18:50illegally deflated footballs, which had given them a significant advantage on a fence,
18:55and thereby resulting in the enormous blowout. The media had a field day with this story,
19:07and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was accused of being complicit in the enterprise.
19:15Brady earned a four-game suspension and the Patriots a $1 million fine.
19:202016. Lochte Gate
19:23The mid-2010s were full of various gates within the sporting world,
19:27whether it was allegedly deflating footballs or lying about a robbery.
19:31Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte was in Brazil for the summer games when he was allegedly
19:36robbed by men posing as police officers. But upon further investigation, it was discovered
19:41that Lochte and some other swimmers had vandalized a gas station and paid off the
19:46responding security guards. The incident overshadowed the rest of the 2016 Olympics,
19:57and many viewed the occasion as a national embarrassment. Lochte subsequently received
20:02numerous punishments, including lost sponsorships, community service,
20:06and a 10-month unpaid suspension.
20:162017. The Harvey Weinstein Allegations
20:25The world changed forever in October 2017 when The New York Times and The New Yorker broke the
20:31story of movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein was a co-founder of Miramax and
20:36worked with many prominent filmmakers, giving him incredible power within the movie industry.
20:46He used his position of power to commit sexual violence, with more than 80 women having accused
21:02him of abuse, including prominent actresses like Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
21:08Weinstein became the face of a systemic issue and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
21:14The scandal helped launch the MeToo movement, which saw many controlling and powerful figures
21:19finally getting their comeuppance. 2018. Alison Mack is Arrested for Cult Activity
21:37Alison Mack was a bona fide TV star throughout the 2000s, starring as Clark Kent's best friend
21:43Chloe Sullivan in Smallville. About midway through the show in 2006,
21:52Mack fell in with the multi-level marketing company slash cult known as NXIVM. She quickly
21:58worked her way up the ranks and was eventually made second-in-command of DOS, a subset within
22:03NXIVM that trafficked women for its founder Keith Raniere. These recruits were subjected to extreme
22:10conditions and branded with Raniere's initials. The branding was personally overseen by Mack
22:25herself. Everything came to a head in April 2018 when Mack was arrested by the FBI for
22:31trafficking and forced labor conspiracy. She pled guilty to racketeering and helped prosecute
22:37Raniere, resulting in a sentence of just three years. 2019. Jeffrey Epstein
22:522019 was unfortunately a big year for sex-related crimes. Famous singer R. Kelly was arrested that
22:59July and sentenced to 30 years in prison for violating the Mann Act, a law that prohibits
23:04the transportation and trafficking of women for nefarious purposes. That same month,
23:20prominent financier and socialite Jeffrey Epstein was also arrested for human trafficking. His
23:26scandalous sex ring earned enormous media buzz and allegedly involved some big names,
23:32including Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Prince Andrew's reputation was ruined by the scandal,
23:50and Epstein infamously died in jail shortly after his arrest. This earned an even bigger reaction in
23:55the media, as many people theorized that Epstein was killed by someone as opposed to taking his
24:00own life to ensure his silence. 2020. The Collapse of Ellen DeGeneres
24:152020 was a whiplash year for comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. That January,
24:21the Hollywood Foreign Press Association presented her with the Carol Burnett Award,
24:25owing to her outstanding contributions to television. Just six months later,
24:30her career was crumbling around her. It all began in July, when BuzzFeed News broke a story
24:48about DeGeneres' supposed heinous backstage behavior. Many anonymous employees came forward,
24:54alleging that DeGeneres was a horrible boss who intimidated her staff, ignored workplace
24:59harassment claims, and engaged in racist behavior. It caused enormous controversy for DeGeneres,
25:05and effectively ruined her reputation. The Ellen DeGeneres show came to an end in
25:232022, but many people were done with the host before then. 2021. The Alec Baldwin Shooting
25:30The world received upsetting news on October 21st, 2021, when it was reported that Alec
25:36Baldwin had accidentally killed a woman named Helena Hutchins with a prop gun.
25:42Investigators say Baldwin fired the fatal shot that killed cinematographer Helena Hutchins
25:48and injured director Joel Sousa, who was seen in a sling on Friday. Both were working on a movie
25:53called Rust when the incident took place. Baldwin was handed a prop revolver with a live round,
25:59and practiced his shot while Hutchins set up the camera. Unfortunately, the live round went off
26:04and struck Hutchins in the chest. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but tragically died of her
26:11injuries. Her family later filed a lawsuit against those responsible for the shooting,
26:15and this was settled in October 2022. Filming is set to begin again in January 2023.
26:30Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
26:36our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
26:41If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
26:462022 – Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard
26:50Nothing brings people together like a good court trial. Between April and June of 2022,
26:56ex-couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard battled each other in court, with each suing the other
27:01for defamation. The world watched the proceedings.
27:11with bated breath, and it seemed like the case was trending for months on end.
27:16Legal experts and media personalities added their opinions, onlookers fervently watched
27:21the live stream, and social media was set alight with discussion. And yes,
27:25lots of nasty comments towards Heard. A lot can be read into the trial,
27:40including our collective obsession with celebrity and justice. And in the end,
27:44no one really won. Both sides were found to have defamed the other, and both were awarded damages.
27:57Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
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