Home » Entertainment » Celebrities » 14 Scandals Celebrities Tried To Cover Up

14 Scandals Celebrities Tried To Cover Up

James Sheldon

September 10, 2015

Photo by Lionel Hahn/Abaca.

7 Celebrities Who Were Victims Of Extortion And Blackmail

It’s a heavy weight to bear, living life as a celebrity. We won’t boo-hoo over celebrities having it tougher than any other person who wakes up and goes to work daily, but when it comes to enduring scandal, celeb status makes everything more difficult. There is great freedom in anonymity on the grand scale. Screw up as a celeb, and you’re placed in front of a figurative firing squad. It’s not surprising that the following celebrities did their best to keep some of these skeletons in the closet.

14. Britney Spears

2007: It was known as the “Breakdown Era.” The girl we knew as Britney had become a woman, and a mother… then completely lost her gourd. The news of Britney’s breakdown started with rumors of rampant drug use, a poor circle of friends and acquaintances, violent outbursts and inconsistent, erratic emotional behavior. All the variables pointed to a lack of self-control, and growing pains stemming from the loss of her life as a pop sensation. Britney went from a celebrity with no responsibilities to an adult with dependents with no transitional phase. Brit did her best to hide it for as long as she could, then — in a presumed bout of severe paranoia — she scored a pair of clippers, and took her hair off. Shortly thereafter, she attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella. At that point, there was no more hiding the “Britney has lost her mind…” headlines.

X17

14 Biggest Talk Show Controversies And Feuds

13. Jamie Lynn Spears

We’ll keep it in the family at #13. Britney’s little sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, was one of the stars of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, as well as a regular fixture on red carpets, at awards shows and in all the “it” places you might find in Los Angeles that would allow a teenager entrance. In 2007 — yes, the same year Britney flipped upside down — rumors began to matriculate: the-16-year old Jamie Lynn was pregnant. At first, rumors were denied. Many attributed the story to Britney’s issues, and suggested people were just being mean to the family. Then, without explanation, Jamie Lynn Spears disappeared from the public eye. In an effort to clear the air, Jamie Lynn did an interview with OK Magazine to reveal her pregnancy, and crush the tabloid rumors that suggested everything from miscarriages to her desire at glorifying teen pregnancy.

Luis Martinez/ABACAUSA.COM

8 Celebrities Who Were Sued By Their Employees

12. Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom

How many scandals did Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom attempt to cover up? Let’s pick one, and reminisce, shall we? How about the time Lamar disappeared from everywhere, and left Khloe, his fans and every NBA and sports news outlet confused as to whether he were dead or alive. Khloe and Lamar always seemed to have a very loving, yet very tumultuous relationship. They probably could have disappeared together from the spotlight, and been A-OK for years to come. Alas, we’re talking two lifestyle addicts who need enough spotlight to afford the things they most admire. Khloe did her best to cover the scandal, “Lamar is fine…” for day one and two, but when day three rolled around and Lamar was still missing, there was no covering the drama. It turned out to be drug related, and the beginning of the end for the Khloe and Lamar.

Photo by Erik Pendzich/Rex / Rex Features

Celebrity Casting Couch Horror Stories

11. Winona Ryder

Does Winona suffer from kleptomania? It was during a 2002 shopping trip at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills that Winona made off with some $5,000 worth of merchandise. Unfortunately, for Winona, they caught her red handed. There was really no way to spin it, though she claimed that she was preparing for a role, and lifted the merchandise as part of her research process. Was the excuse valid? Possibly. But would it matter? The judge didn’t buy her story, and sentenced her to probation and 480 hours of community service. A few years later, Winona tripped a security alarm at CVS after purchasing several items. Within her bags, the employees also found makeup that hadn’t been paid for. Winona suggested it wasn’t hers, and after giving the items back, she left the store.

Rex Features

5 Fake Celebrity Scandals That Everyone Thought Were Real

10. Simon Cowell

No, Simon is not on this list for something mean he said to a contestant on a competition reality show. Simon made this list for knocking up the wife of one of his besties. Yes, Simon now shares a life with the mother of his child, Lauren Silverman, who still boasts the last name of her former husband, Andrew Silverman, who she cheated on with Simon. So strange. Simon regretted the act that hurt his friend, and offered the excuse that it was something that “just happened.” Regarding the other side of the story, Andrew Silverman has never taken cheap shots at Simon in the press. He referred to it as eye-opening, making it sound like the whole ordeal is more complex than we’ll ever know. That said, everyone did their best to keep this as hush-hush as possible, but when a woman starts to show, she starts to show…

Photo by Broadimage/REX

8 Real Life Scandals That Got Actors/Actresses Kicked Off Their Shows

9. Reese Witherspoon

“Do you know my name, sir?” This was quite entertaining. Before we ever heard those inebriated words from the mouth of Reese Witherspoon, the story of Reese’s arrest made headlines across the country. It was easier to chalk up to a misunderstanding before police video of the incident was released. At that point, Reese could accurately claim that she didn’t do anything wrong, other than act the fool, and interfere in police business when her husband, Jim Toth, was being arrested for DUI. But, she was arrested for that very reason, and after she sobered up from a night of good-timing, she was able to look in the mirror, roll her eyes, then sit down with media outlets and eat crow. This was one of those things where the holier-than-thou, faceless, Internet assassins offered their best shots at Reese, but she walked away unscathed.

Photo by Broadimage/REX

9 Celebrities Who Sued Their Managers

8. Josh Duggar

The Duggars are officially oddballs. We don’t want to insult the word weird by calling them weirdos. They most certainly are not. And when it comes to Josh Duggar, whose scandalous living has kept him in the press for months at this point, nobody was really all that surprised when the poo hit the fan. First, we learned of Josh’s improprieties as a member of the Duggar family when it was revealed he had molested underage girls, some of them his own sisters, when he was a teenager. The cover of such a scandal came with the family never really saying anything about his behavior and pawning him off on the rest of humanity as some example of Jesus Christ. Of course, he was then forced to label himself a hypocrite after admitting he had used the infidelity website Ashley Madison and had been unfaithful to his wife. Sadly, this book was as easy to judge as its cover, because the cover was pretty much missing and you could read the first page.

Photo by Patsy Lynch/REX Shutterstock

8 Celebrities Who Cheated For Lame Reasons

7. Emma Roberts

Remember when the daughter of Eric Roberts, and niece of Julia Roberts, got into a domestic squabble with her boyfriend, Evan Peters? They were in a Montreal hotel room, and a few guests called to the front desk to report an argument getting out of hand. Regardless of what sparked the argument, these two young celebrities lacked the wisdom to separate and walk away. Instead, they engaged one another physically, and Emma put a whoppin’ on Evan to the extent he was left battered and bloody. Emma was taken in for questioning, but Evan refused to press charges, so she was released. We imagine the next several hours were marked with many tears, and the word “sorry.” Of course, this one slipped through the cracks, but would it have been the same if Emma would have been the party displaying bruises and blood?

Photo by Erik Pendzich/Rex / Rex Features

10 Shocking Celebrity Scandals That Flew Under The Radar

6. Vince Neil

Vince Neil, the front man of Motley Crue, once caused a car accident that killed another person. It occurred in 1984, when Vince, and his buddy, Razzle, the drummer for Hanoi Rocks, were cruising to a liquor store for more goodies. Vince had been drinking, and lost control of his car, smashing into another car. All parties were injured, but the 24-year-old Razzle, known to his family as Nicholas Dingley, was pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital. Thirty years later, Vince Neil openly admits he was able to cover up this scandal with fat cash. He wrote a check for $2.5 million dollars, and the whole thing kind of went away. He did serve a 30 day jail stint, shortened to 20 for good behavior, and suffered lost driving privileges, but he knows he should have done serious time for involuntary manslaughter.

Photo by Olly Stabler/REX Shutterstock

9 Celebrities Who Ruined Their Careers

5. Rob Lowe

When people tell celebrities to avoid all things political, there’s good reason. Consider Rob Lowe. The Democratic National Convention was taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1988, and Rob was there offering his support to Michael Dukakis. Yes, the trip would eventually prove to be in vain, but for Rob there was something that sucked more than supporting the eventual, losing candidate. He met some ladies at a night club, went back to the hotel with the ladies, then proceeded to do some naughty deeds with the ladies, and capture it all on videotape. Sadly, one of the ladies wasn’t a lady, rather a 16 year-old-girl. And the two women stole the tape from the premises after the act. Rob avoided legal trouble, because 16 was the age of consent in Georgia. Rob combated his poor choice, by spoofing it on Saturday Night Live.

Photo by Michael Buckner/REX Shutterstock

Leah Remini’s 7 Most Shocking Claims From Her Tell All Book

4. Charlize Theron

Who would have guessed that Charlize Theron was prone to such a troubled upbringing? The South African native was the child of two loving parents, sadly, one of them — her father — suffered from terrible bouts with alcohol. This led to violent outbursts, and arguments between her parents. Charlize maintains that her father never physically abused her, but was quite abusive with his language. One night, her father came home a drunken mess with his brother, and he began firing a shotgun, allegedly making threats that he was going to kill Charlize and her mother. According to the official report, her father fired shots into the home, including Charlize’s room, before her mother grabbed a handgun and killed him. She also shot, and wounded her brother-in-law, and Charlize was witness to the entire ordeal. Something she didn’t speak about until she was well-established in her career.

Featureflash /

Shutterstock.com

10 Famous Families With Big Secrets

3. Woody Harrelson

There are a lot of celebrities whose parents have left their own indelible mark on history, but few can say that their parents worked as a hit man. Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles Harrelson, was tied to organized crime from an early age, and bailed from home life when Woody was around seven years old. There have been conspiracy theorists, and historians that tied Charles to the assassination of the President John F. Kennedy, his ties running strong into government organizations, and individuals like Jack Ruby. Whether there is any truth to such a story, Charles was charged with killing several individuals, but nothing stuck until he was convicted of killing Judge John H. Wood, Jr. It was alleged that Charles was paid by drug dealer, Jamiel Chagra, to do the deed. Harrelson claimed he didn’t do it, rather took credit for the job in order to collect the money.

s_bukley /

Shutterstock.com

8 Celebrities Who Left Their Wives For Younger Women

2. Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page is widely respected as one of the greatest guitarists to ever throw six (or twelve) strings over his shoulder. He’s also widely known as a rock star who played and partied during drug and alcohol fueled sessions that induced some really poor decision making. One such decision: Jimmy instructed a roadie, Richard Cole (yeah, everyone is getting named in this one), to snag 14-year-old Lori Maddox from her perched position in a club. No, Jimmy wasn’t aware Lori was 14, but according to legend, Richard told her that Jimmy was going to have her whether she liked it or not. Apparently the two had a torrid affair for years, but Page did everything in his rockstar power to keep her or at the least her age hidden to avoid jail. Yes, it really happened, and yes, few people still realize it.

Source: Rolling Stone

10 Biggest Disney Star Scandals

1. Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan

All-American Tom. This guy. He’s gotta be related to Bill and Hillary Clinton. They’re all made of Teflon — nothing sticks. How is that possible? Regarding Bridget Moynahan, Tom Brady used to have a very serious relationship with the actress. Many believed it was moving toward marriage. Then, the pair suddenly and unexpectedly agreed to part ways. Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that Bridget was three months pregnant with Tom’s child, and that she was absolving Tom from any responsibility in helping her raise the baby. That doesn’t sound like mutually parting ways, does it? At that time, she also said she was prepared to raise the child as a single mother. When he was born, the name Brady was nowhere on the birth certificate. Time has healed wounds, and Tom is involved in his son’s life, but this was the first visible chink in the armor of All-American Tom.

Photo by Lionel Hahn/Abaca.