10 Hollywood Scandals That Escalated Quickly

MsMojo

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.

Transcript

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.

Category

Transcript

Recommended