50 biggest scandals since '82: What'd we forget?

donandmikejerrrrrrrryyuh Thu, May 1, 2008 at 01:14 PM EST

What, no David Hasselhoff?

Eolra Mon, Feb 18, 2008 at 06:06 PM EST

If you are going to include Don Imus and Michael Richards, you would be hard-pressed not to also include the demise of Bill Mahr's carreer after making those unfortunate 9-11 comments too soon after the tragedy.

LG Mon, Feb 11, 2008 at 10:23 AM EST

1. Left Eye burning the house down
2. Aaliyah's plane crash in 2001
3. Left Eyes car crash in 2002.
4. Eminem's performance with Elton John at 2001 grammys

nicw Thu, Dec 20, 2007 at 05:39 PM EST

I disagree with Brad/Jen/Angelina impact. I believe the cloud over their relationship hasn't hurt their charity work. Why should it considering it is charity work? However, I do believe that as for their careers, particularly their box office draw, that cloud still lingers.

P.A. Thu, Sep 6, 2007 at 09:20 PM EST

How about Kanye West?..."George Bush doesn't care about black people."

boredatwork Tue, Sep 4, 2007 at 01:36 PM EST

How about Phil Hartman's death? Wasn't he murdered by his ex wife or something like that?

gigi Sun, Sep 2, 2007 at 06:08 AM EST

You are wrong when you say: "Since the "incident", Cruise has dropped from #1 to #8 on Forbes Celebrity 100 list. Oprah now owns the #1 spot. Ironic."

CRUISE WAS NUMBER 1 THE YEAR AFTER (2006) THE COUCH EPISODE IN 2005.

Amanda Sun, Sep 2, 2007 at 03:32 AM EST

Am I the only one who remembers all the fuss over Kathy Lee Gifford's clothing line and the overseas sweatshops?? Or her husband's infidelity? What about Tara Reid's "Nipplegate" sans anyone's help? Or even, in the category of small scandals, some of the red carpet dresses we see? Was that REALLY a swan? And there' Versace's murder...the weight bru ha ha about the catwalk models last year...and the royal family's attitude when Princess Diana died.

Dave G Sat, Sep 1, 2007 at 02:37 PM EST

What about Jessica Savitch doing the news stoned in '83? It's really eerie to watch.

See it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wYljtbA7hY

josh balvin Sat, Sep 1, 2007 at 12:22 PM EST

THE BIGGEST ONE, what about paula abdul this last winter when she appeared stoned or hammered or whatever for her interview on fox in seattle. it was CRAZY. you've never seen her like that before. find it, it's a trip.

Gay Bri Tue, Aug 28, 2007 at 05:41 PM EST

How about Amy Grant divorcing her husband amid rumors of an affair with Vince Gill (whose wife had cited the alleged affair in her own divorce papers) -- and then marrying Vince shortly thereafter?

Athenawise Tue, Aug 28, 2007 at 05:09 PM EST

I agree with others: the O.J. book and not the trial? Biggest scandal of the past 25 years.

Zach Dionne Tue, Aug 28, 2007 at 01:41 PM EST

"But that did little to stop the ensuing tempest in a C-cup..."

Hilarious. What a pun.

Great list.

Harry Tue, Aug 28, 2007 at 11:18 AM EST

I am quite surprised that George Michael's Lewd Conduct arrest was not mentioned. Then again, as a fan, maybe its a good thing.

Christine D Tue, Aug 28, 2007 at 10:19 AM EST

I think that Kobe Bryants Rape Charge is a Huge scandal. He was married and his just finished giving birth to their daughter when he has a woman in his room that he raped/had sex with depending on who you believe. The he has to go through grand jury. Plus he bought his wife that purple diamond ring. He also was a whistle blower on Shaquille O'Neal, talking about how Shaq cheats on his wife. He lost all endorsements,and almost went to jail

Tue, Aug 28, 2007 at 09:38 AM EST

To Anna, the list is "Celebrity Scandals" NOT "Hollywood Scandals" so I think athletes (in this case Michael Vick) count

Lee Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 10:38 PM EST

OJ's trial was a bigger scandal than his book. And Michael Jackson's child molestation trial(s) was HUGE! And what about the Pam and Tommy Lee sex tape?

Anan Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 09:50 PM EST

How is it possible that Nipplegate is number one?! Weak!
Michael jackson and his "jesus juice" should be up there... and th OJ trial should have been number one.
LAME list!

Ronald Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 09:17 PM EST

Madonna should have been no.1 and the Nipplegate should be no.25. Madonna remains scandalous and famous and her new ALBUM will rock!

daryl Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 08:53 PM EST

Oprah - $200 million. Cruise - $60 million. Couch - $100. 3 minutes of "Couch Jumping" - Priceless.

Since the "incident", Cruise has dropped from #1 to #8 on Forbes Celebrity 100 list. Oprah now owns the #1 spot. Ironic.

Michael Sinkler Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 07:34 PM EST

How about the helicopter deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two illegally hired children on the set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" in 1982? The deaths were an accident but the circumstances in which those two young Vietnamese children were hired sent shockwaves rolling through Hollywood.

Bradley Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 06:50 PM EST

Is it just me or most of those scandals involving black people were major setbacks in their lives while the whites were able to fix their problems with some PR. Check out those list; each one of those scandals involving a black was considered 'major' and a scandal involivng a white was considered 'minor' with the topper being Janet and Justin at the Super Bowl. WHO pulled Janet's wrap off and exposed the nipple, the nipple fairy?

BJohnson Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 05:14 PM EST

Living here in Atlanta, nothing burns (pun fully intended) in my brain than seeing Andre' Rison's house burn down and them looking for Lisa. It had so many titles in the news, Woman's Fury, Burning Down the House. Then there was that shot of Andre' sitting with a reporter under a tree, declaring that even though Lisa had "problems" he still loved her. Their relationship was always Bobby & Whitneyish. Fighting, making up, camera hounds. Then the VIBE cover when TLC dressed as Firemen. What a statement.

Snarf Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 05:04 PM EST

RuPaul dissing Milton Berle at the 1993 MTV video awards. Priceless.

Spider-Pigg Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 04:56 PM EST

NO Robert "O.J. 2: The OTHER Wife Killer" Blake or Chris "O.J. 3: The Family Killer" Benoit in the Top 50????? Un-believable...

t3hdow Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 04:53 PM EST

Actually PJ, EW listed the Vanessa Williams scandal through #26-50. And Anna, I don't think Vick exactly counts either. At least OJ had acting accolodes prior to the trial.

PJ Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 04:21 PM EST

This feature story was really weak! Too many of the so-called biggest scandals happend in the past YEAR. It's like EW's writers, who used to know pop culture going way back, have acquired a shallow, Star magazine outlook.

My pick for ignored scandal: Vanessa Williams being stripped of the Miss America crown when nude photos of her surfaced.

chapres Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 04:17 PM EST

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon here...how can you not mention OJ's trial? Nipplegate #1? Can we give Janet a break?...

al Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 04:02 PM EST

Are you nuts? You list OJ's creepy book and book deal about the murder but not the murder itself?

OJ going to trial for and getting away with double murder is THE celebrity scandal of all time.

Ant928 Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 03:15 PM EST

Let's see...ALL of Hollywood and we can only come up with 50? Let's add a bit more:

- Mariah Carey saying she and Derek Jeter had broken up when Jeter stated they went for coffee...ONCE.

- Charlie Sheen trashing his hotel room(s)

I'm sure we have others. :)

Maria Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 02:57 PM EST

How about Rock Hudson....I can still remember the look on my Mom's face when that story broke. I wouldn't necessarily call it a scandal now, but back then ... Whoa,Nelly

Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 02:30 PM EST

David Hasselhoff

Lesley Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 02:25 PM EST

When I started reading the article about the top 25 scandals, I was pretty certain I knew what number 1 was; what was bigger than the O.J. trial in the 90s? I can't believe that it wasn't included! I agree with everyone else, murdering your wife is a tad bit worse than writing a book about it.

Anna Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 01:44 PM EST

Oops, I'd forgotten that OJ was an "actor," wasn't he? I guess his trial would count but I still don't think Michael Vick does.

Anna Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 01:42 PM EST

I don't think athletic scandals would count since their not really "Hollywood" scandals so OJ's trial and Michael Vick don't really fit.

I also wouldn't count Karen Carpenter. That's more of a tragedy than a scandal.

Jilly Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 01:10 PM EST

How about Karen Carpenter's death with it's relation to anorexia? That was the first time I had really heard of "eating disorders" and that you could die from them.

Debbie Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 12:55 PM EST

I know this is recent, but no one has mentioned Michael Vick's dog fighting mess. I am sure his NFL career is shot.

Katy Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 12:34 PM EST

Sure, it's ongoing, but what about Phil Spector?

t3hdow Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 12:32 PM EST

Yes, OJ's trial should've been on the list instead of his book, because that was the big subject of 1995 (even though I was only seven at the time it happened). Also, no Paris Hilton? Before Janet Jackson's nip slip months later, that's all everyone talked about, even in spam email (which is saying a lot). Sure the Superbowl fiasco should rank higher than Paris's sex tape, since it occurred on the biggest televised event of the year. Still, considering how little I heard Paris Hilton before that incident, it's impossible to ignore.

Anonymous Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 12:28 PM EST

What about Taylor Hicks winning A.I. over the 4th place Chris Daughtry???? There's a scandal in its own right.

Janice Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:47 AM EST

Robert Blake?? I was so sick of hearing about that... frankly I still am so I'm sorry I brought it up.

Razor Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:32 AM EST

Oooh, good one Alison.

Ceballos Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:31 AM EST

Two things:

Nathaniel's right about the sheer silliness of including OJ's book, but not his trial, which was dubbed the "Trial of the Century." (hello!)

Also, I don't know if "scandal" is the right word, but what about Ellen DeGeneres coming out on her sitcom. It seems like no big deal now, but it was HUGE back then (wasn't she on the cover of Time?) and is certainly a bigger deal than some other random Hollywood young twit getting pulled over for driving drunk or shaving her head (which is happening WAY too often these days)

Z Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:25 AM EST

Destiny's Child's Revolving Door.

LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson tried to break from manager Matthew Knowles, Beyonce's Dad. At the "Say My Name" video, the public was surprised to see two new girls in the group. Luckett and Roberson took legal action against the group and the press had a field day comparing the group to the show "Survivor". Soon after, one of the two new girls left the group.

Career Impact: Positive
"Say My Name" became one of their biggest hits and the new trio went on to release two more successful studio albums, with their hit song "Survivor" referencing the situation. The now all are solo artists, with Beyonce being one of the most successful artists today.

Alison Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:23 AM EST

How about Lisa "left eye" Lopez setting fire to Andre Rison's home.

Stephen Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:20 AM EST

First, whoops on Marilyn...
1. Anna Nicole Smith???
2. And how about Pam Anderson's sex tape?

Razor Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 11:20 AM EST

Whitney Houston gets ranked "minor?" Are you people insane? And why Lohan's latest skirmish even ranked is beyond me. I would think the whole "Paris-in-jail, Paris-out-of-jail" debacle would have rated a little higher than her. And what about her sex tape? What about Tim Sizemore's drug use and explicit porn tape with two hookers?

Craig Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 10:11 AM EST

It seems like nothing now, but remember what a huge scandal it was when Roseanne shared a girl on girl kiss on her show? Along the same lines, Ellen coming out on her show was huge at the time... and almost ended her career.

Valerie Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 10:00 AM EST

Definitely Michael Jackson accepting the "artist of the millenium" trophy that was finally just a happy birthday gift. Priceless !

Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 09:28 AM EST

How is the OJ Simpson trial not mentioned at all, let alone #1?

Joe C Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 09:23 AM EST

Hmmmmm, I missed Ashlee Simpson's lip-synching SNL appearance on your list. This is one of those moments that I enjoy because no one suffered, ya know; that picture of Whitney Houston made me sad. But Ashlee breaking into that dance; I'll never forget it.

Joyce Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 09:19 AM EST

No Eddie Murphy and Scary Spice?! Considering he dumped her and claimed the baby was not his all in one fine swoop on dutch tv!
How about jumping the couch for Tom Cruise.
Rock Hudson being gay, HIV + then the kiss on Dynasty that amplified it all

wraith808 Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 09:04 AM EST

@stephen-

The Kennedy-Monroe pseudo-scandal was quite a few years before '82...

Nick Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 08:54 AM EST

How about this: wars are going on, congress is in session, major natural catastrophes occur, people become impoverished by cruel dictatorships, third-world women are sold into prostitution rings, the Supreme Court passes new judgments... and all I hear from the news media is all about the latest controversies with ParisBritneyLindseyAshleyBarryDogFightingHughTomMelJanetMichael...

I mean, did saxophonist Bill Clinton even make the list?

Nathaniel Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 08:36 AM EST

You included O.J. Simpson's book but not his trial?

GingerCat Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 08:33 AM EST

How about when Jude Law cheated on Sienna Miller with the nanny? Magazines certainly spilled a lot of ink over it at the time.

Ana Maria Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 08:14 AM EST

...the Cruise-Kidman divorce...

Stephen Mon, Aug 27, 2007 at 07:00 AM EST

The (alleged) affair between Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy brothers is the first to come to mind.