Wow, that escalated so quickly that social media exploded. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the celebrity controversies that caused an immediate media frenzy.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the celebrity controversies
00:09that caused an immediate media frenzy.
00:1210.
00:13Ariana Grande Licks a Donut It started like a bad joke.
00:25A pop star walks into a donut shop, but Ariana Grande's late-night trip to a small California
00:30shop managed to inspire outrage from all sides.
00:36Her juvenile and unsanitary licking of a donut on a display tray was bad enough.
00:42But then, seeing a tray of desserts, she decided to say she hated America, seemingly without
00:48context.
00:49Grande had to explain that she was making some incisive commentary about America's
00:54She reacted in a way that I feel like wasn't necessary, to say the least, but also just
01:00wasn't me at all.
01:02I apologize for my poor choice of words and for my behavior.
01:08It was too little, too late.
01:10The donut-licking scandal saw the Thank U, Next singer angering everyone from patriotic
01:14Americans to small donut shop owners.
01:20She licked two of them, and she spit two.
01:23So that's four donuts.
01:24Why didn't she pick those?
01:26And I'm surprised she didn't lick or spit on her donuts that she got.
01:309.
01:31What Goes Down in an Elevator It was the CCTV footage leak heard round the
01:42world.
01:43There was more to unpack, analyze, and theorize about than an episode of Twin Peaks.
01:48Why was Solange Knowles, recording artist and sister to Beyoncé, attacking Jay-Z in
01:53the elevator?
01:55Why was Beyoncé not interfering?
01:57Was it real or was it staged for an upcoming album cycle?
02:00In my mind, Beyoncé didn't get in the middle because Solange was probably attacking him
02:03over something that he knows he was dead wrong about, and therefore, sister didn't get in
02:08the middle.
02:09Entertainment journalists and denizens of the internet descended on it like a feast
02:13of drama and intrigue.
02:15While the prevailing wisdom that Jay-Z had been unfaithful to Beyoncé did turn out to
02:19be true, the storm of rumors and innuendo surrounding the footage was a media circus
02:24all on its own.
02:268.
02:27Hashtag Free Britney Starting in 2007, the media made Britney Spears'
02:40mental health issues a perennial punchline.
02:43Nobody was talking about mental health when Britney Spears was going through all of that
02:48stuff in public.
02:49The conversation was about what was wrong with her.
02:52It was the impetus for her father Jamie's decision to place her under conservatorship
02:56in 2008.
02:57In the years afterward, the situation received some attention, but it wasn't until information
03:02raising concerns about the conservatorship was leaked in 2019 that fans called foul.
03:07Any time there's that amount of money to be made, you have to question the motives
03:12of everyone close to that person, especially if they are putting her in a position where
03:18she cannot make decisions without checking with somebody.
03:23Britney Spears' immediate family came under fire for alleged abuses of her limited power
03:28under the conservatorship.
03:29Within weeks, the hashtag free Britney phenomenon went from fan conspiracy to an actual movement.
03:36Britney Spears' friends, relatives, and industry colleagues got involved on her behalf.
03:41After a lengthy court case in 2021, Britney Spears was finally free to manage her own
03:46finances.
03:477.
04:04Jussie Smollett Staged Attack
04:06On a cold Chicago night in January 2019, news reports emerged that Empire actor Jussie
04:12Smollett had been the victim of a hate crime.
04:31Hollywood luminaries, politicians, and fans expressed their disgust and called for justice
04:36on social media, but even then, some people expressed some concern over some details of
04:42the story.
04:43Smollett accused his skeptics of being as racist and homophobic as his alleged attackers.
04:54Then, things started to unravel quickly.
05:06Weeks later, two brothers revealed that Smollett had paid them to stage the attack.
05:11Smollett was convicted of filing false police reports in 2021.
05:186.
05:30Mel Gibson's Anti-Semitic Rant
05:32Being pulled over for a suspected DUI is bad enough for any actor's reputation.
05:38Mel Gibson took what would have been a scandal all on its own and made it exponentially worse.
05:55He launched into a strange anti-Semitic tirade, the details of which were released with the
06:00arrest report.
06:01His drunken ramblings became the subject of a massive controversy.
06:06Gibson acknowledged he said these things, but that he himself is not anti-Semitic.
06:25Gibson's career was negatively impacted, though enough people forgave him for him to
06:29eventually come back.
06:31Still, it wasn't the last time he landed in the news for an offensive outburst.
06:425.
06:43Charlie Sheen's Firing
06:45This is one celebrity scandal that just keeps getting wilder.
06:59Actor Charlie Sheen was dealing with substance use disorder in early 2011.
07:03A stint in rehab ended production early on the current season of his long-running sitcom
07:08Two and a Half Men.
07:09Soon, he would be making an enemy of show creator Chuck Lorre, as well as telling the
07:14world he had tiger's blood in him and was let go from his starring role.
07:19This all happened within the span of two months.
07:21It was his defensive and outlandish answers to Andrea Canning's questions during an interview
07:39on Good Morning America that created the most waves.
07:42Sheen's appearance on the program spawned several memes and catchphrases.
07:484.
07:49Ellen is Mean
07:59Dakota Johnson was just the beginning.
08:01Though rumors had been around for years, it all hit the fan in 2020.
08:06Ellen DeGeneres and her talk show were the subject of a tidal wave of accusations about
08:10a toxic environment on set.
08:23Between DeGeneres' frosty treatment of staff and guests, the producers' misconduct, and
08:29allegations of harassment, the host's squeaky clean, dance-happy persona was shattered.
08:35Even her on-air apology rang hollow.
08:47The call to replace her was swift and merciless, but the show went on for two more seasons.
08:52The Ellen Show aired its last episode in 2022.
08:563.
08:58College Admissions Scandal
09:08A bunch of rich parents falsifying their kids' school records to get them into the best universities
09:13is a big enough story.
09:15Once we found out Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, Full House's
09:21Aunt Becky herself, were involved, it became a feeding frenzy.
09:25The scandal involved an FBI investigation that targeted wealthy parents who had paid
09:30a fixer to bribe college officials and beef up their children's academic achievements.
09:46As more details emerged, internet outrage grew.
09:49Huffman and Loughlin were just two of the celebrities, executives, and even CEOs who
09:54served a few months in jail and paid some fines for their crimes.
10:112.
10:14Oscar Slap When it happened, many people thought it might
10:17be a bit.
10:23Oscar's presenter Chris Rock had just made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia,
10:28and Will Smith came up on stage and smacked him.
10:31Even when Smith doubled down by warning him to keep his wife's name out of his mouth,
10:36it still seemed too crazy to be real.
10:39Smith would go on to win the Best Actor Oscar the same night, but it was completely overshadowed
10:44by this incident.
10:45By the end of the night, it was all anyone was talking about.
11:05The slap was analyzed and critiqued from every possible lens.
11:09Smith was banned from further ceremonies for 10 years and resigned his membership to the
11:14academy.
11:27Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
11:32about our latest videos.
11:34You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:38If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:44Janet Jackson's halftime mishap
11:46It was the wardrobe malfunction to end them all.
11:50Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were performing at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.
11:55When Timberlake went to tear away a piece of Jackson's costume, he tore away more than
12:00was intended, and America got an eyeful.
12:10The moral outrage was immediate.
12:12Lawsuits were threatened, formal apologies were eschewed, and FCC fines were sure to
12:17come.
12:29Despite all the complaints lobbed at the NFL and the network, most of the vitriol was curiously
12:34pointed at Jackson.
12:36CBS's parent company, Viacom, blacklisted Jackson's music and her career suffered a
12:41hit as a result.
12:48Which of these controversies do you remember going down live?
12:51Tell us in the comments.
12:57Do you agree with our picks?
12:59Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
13:02And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.