Oh, celebrities. They’re just like us, or so they say. When it comes to the basics of being human, I guess that’s true. They eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and even buy new socks. Or, well, have someone buy them for them.
But the one thing that makes our lives just a little different is that they have a camera pointed at them practically 24/7. (Well, you could argue that nowadays we do too, but that’s a conversation for another time.) It can be a lot, but it also means we’ve gotten some truly hilarious scandals caught on camera. Here are some of the funniest celebrity scandals of all time.
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Rudy’s press conference at the Four Seasons – landscape supplies.
© Photo: milroben
The time Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the VMAs. It was so awkward it became legendary.
© Photo: umairhassan349
When tiger woods wife came out swinging a golf club at him in his car.
© Photo: Hot_Composer_9351
Some of the funniest moments on this list that we’ve all had the pleasure of witnessing happened for one reason and one reason alone: constant surveillance. Whether it’s a paparazzo lurking nearby or just a smartphone in someone’s pocket, the reason celebrities get caught up in so many public scandals is that there’s almost always a camera around.
In fact, psychologists point out that humans need boundaries to maintain a sense of agency, and when those boundaries are stripped away, it can lead to paranoia and hypervigilance. Over time, that can seriously affect a person’s sense of reality, as they’re constantly being put under a spotlight in a way most people never experience.
I don’t know if she counts as a celebrity but Rachel Dolezal comes to mind. Black activist gets outed by her family for being White with no African ancestry.
© Photo: PenTestHer
I guess the Ariana grande and Ethan slater breakup that even a blind monkey could see coming the minute they announced they were dating? Dude left his beautiful childhood sweetheart doctor wife and newborn baby to be with known homewrecker Ariana grande and totally nuked his reputation and career. Meanwhile Ariana said thank you next.
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Streisand effect if you can call it one. The fact basically no one had viewed those pictures prior to the lawsuit is just so funny.
© Photo: Bilboswaggings19
In fact, being constantly perceived by others can be so damaging to our minds that we might actually act out of purpose. Celebrity psychologist Mark Schaller has spent years researching celebrity behavior and how the brain adapts to the unique pressures that come with fame, and the results were shocking.
His research found a connection between the onset of fame and subsequent self-destructive behaviors or erratic, “scandalous” choices. One explanation is that these actions can serve as a psychological escape mechanism, a way for people to temporarily switch off the intense self-monitoring that comes with living in the public eye.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s inability to say the word Penguin.
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Fyre festival.
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Ariana Grande licking those donuts.Why did she do it? It’s so g*****n weird.
© Photo: USDXBS
Some of these scandals, you might notice, are things that would have gone completely unnoticed if the people involved weren’t in the public eye. After all, a couple getting divorced is hardly funny, but because these people are famous, we often see them as sources of entertainment rather than as real people dealing with real problems.
This is also partly because we, as consumers, tend to dehumanize the people we see on our screens. Experts have conducted research suggesting that because we usually see celebrities only during highly edited, curated moments, audiences can experience a cognitive disconnect. So when celebrities make ordinary human mistakes, we’re more likely to turn those actions into scandals.
Jesse James cheating on Sandra Bullock!
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When Quentin t tried to roast that one riddler actor and everyone on X told him to basically F off.
© Photo: Hot_Composer_9351
Milli Vanilli lip-syncing.
© Photo: fotoshpop
And, well, we also tend to view celebrities through the opposite kind of dehumanization — we start believing they owe us something beyond the content they’re paid to provide. This is a beautiful little concept professionals call: parasocial retaliation.
So not only do screens encourage us to dehumanize celebrities, but they can also push us in the opposite direction. When a celebrity’s entire brand is built around being a perfect, wholesome, socially conscious role model online, their margin for error practically disappears. The moment they do something in public, or even in private, that falls short of that, they’re suddenly under fire.
We once told a guy he was unfit to be POTUS because he spelled “potato” with an e on the end…hilarious in hindsight.
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The George Bush shoe thrower.
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Jaromir Jagr (one of the best hockey players of all time) slept with an 18-year-old model like 10 years ago when he was in his early 40s. When he was sleeping the model took a selfie of them in bed and then they (I think someone close to the model but not the model herself) tried to extort him, threatening to post the photo if he didn’t give them thousands of dollars. As a rich, unmarried athlete, he just bluntly said he didn’t care if it was posted and moved on with his life.
© Photo: TJTrapJesus
Of course, many of these are just quite ridiculous to begin with. Having an influencer pretend to be another race to get more attention, or licking a donut at a donut shop for no reason whatsoever (to this day, everyone is still questioning Ms. Ariana Grande), are choices that are pretty bizarre.
But ultimately, that’s what makes them funny and a little wild, and it goes to show that everyone makes mistakes — and hopefully learns from them. So, what celebrity scandal did you find so weird that you ended up laughing, but isn’t on this list? Let us know!
Julia Roberts and her ‘A LOW VERA’ shirt .
© Photo: Poodlepink22
Jeb Bush’s “please clap.” Now I say that when I make a joke that doesn’t land.
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J Lo and Ben getting divorced! She tried so hard to prove she was his long lost love. Imploded in her face.
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Dominic West openly cheating with Lily James in Rome leading him to hide from paparazzi in the bushes (please google it) and doing a press conference with his wife to confirm they’re still together.
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Justin Timberlake getting arrested.
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**George Michael** caught cruising in a public toilet. He releases *Outside* to own it. **Liberace** bringing the *Daily Mirror* to court for libel because the *Daily Mirror* had the audacity to claim that he was homosexuel 😳🙈.
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Solange drop kicking Jay Z and the cinematic picture as they came out of the elevator. I revisit that video a lot.
The Afroman Raid.
© Photo: Healthy-Jicama3154
Charlie Sheen, tiger blood, “WININING!” Phase.Winner, winner, sheeeeen dinner!
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Jo jo Siwa’s stomp videos. Not a scandal but definitely embarrassing.
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Hugh Grant and the H***er.
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Pee wee Herman theater scandal.
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Ezra Miller going to fight the K*K in North Carolina.
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Maybe not *funny* but the whole thing with Adam Levine naming his newborn baby after his mistress was… wild.
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Ashley Simpson lip synch fail paired with awkward dance moves on SNL came to mind.
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Dave Matthew’s band tour bus dumping p**p on tourists unsuspectingly.
Is Fabio getting hit in the face with a goose a scandal?
© Photo: RollbahnsAndRotrings
Juicy Smolliet.
Not really a celebrity per se, but the Texas assistant football coach getting sued because a monkey owned by his s******r girlfriend (stage name “Pole Assassin”) bit a kid on Halloween will never not be funny.
