Light might be the fastest thing in the world, but the speed at which people change their minds on the internet might as well be a close second.
It’s no surprise—rumors spread online at the speed of a click, and sometimes all it takes is one viral post to make people believe (or un-believe) anything. But let’s not just speculate.
Users on Quora have been sharing surprising discoveries about celebrities that completely changed how they saw them, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Scroll down to see what they found out, and let us know if you already knew or if your opinion just did a complete 180!
#1
Actor Steve Buscemi, a former firefighter, with the New York City Fire Department, returned to his “House”, and volunteered to return to duty on 9/11/2001, when the World Trade Center was hit. He helped fight fires in the area, and comb the wreckage for survivors.
I saw him as a pretty good character actor, now I see him as a hero. He didn't seek any publicity, and never said anything until he was “outed”. He had even asked the FDNY and those he was working with to not say anything. A picture of a group of firefighters taking a break, which he was in, and the FDNY logs, are how he was discovered to have done what he did.
Image credits: Travis Grizzard
#2
Audrey Hepburn Before her movie career, she helped the Dutch resistance against N*zi Germany. She and her mother sheltered a paratrooper in their house, which could have gotten them shot if it had been discovered. She delivered food and messages to other stranded paratroopers. She danced at secretive affairs to raise money for the Resistance. She was a war hero before she was a movie star.
Image credits: Christopher Valdez
#3
When I read what this gal said about LGBT people years ago who was a screen partner and real life wife of one of the biggest b-western and TV cowboy stars of them all.
Dale Evans along with her husband, Roy Rogers “The King of the Cowboys.” Back in the days before there was the “don’t ask, don’t tell” and Anita Bryant was going around saying the gay community were child m*lesters, a reporter asked Dale, who along with Roy, were fundamentalist evangelical Christians and published many books and went on tours espousing their faith, what she thought about gay people. When expecting the usual answer about how practicing homosexuals were hell bound sinners, this was her reply: “I’m too busy loving everybody to have any time to hate anybody.”
Mrs. Roy Rogers, you were one class act!
Image credits: Jesse Spangler
#4
I have to say Gary Sinise. I knew I loved him in Forrest Gump. He was excellent. Then I saw him again in The Stand and Red Planet. I honestly didn't know what it was about him that I liked. Maybe it was the way he talked and just filled his roles so perfectly? Who can say for sure? Years later, I'm on Facebook and saw that he brought 100 families to Disney World where the children's mother or father were deployed and he paid for their trip there and their hotel stay and everything.
I was in such shock and awe, I started crying (as I am now remembering what he did). Everything that wonderful man does for the US military makes me love and adore him even more. Why? Because I also take care of our military, the survivors who came home broken and emotionally wrecked who have to go on 100% disability. Men who served in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. I would give anything in the world to meet Gary Sinise just to shake his hand and to thank him for all he has done. I know he has done a whole lot more than just this, but this stands out more than anything else. It is what I would do had I enough money to do so.
Image credits: Jen Bel
#5
The glamorous, Austrian-born American screen siren, Hedy Lamarr. She was a Louis B. Mayer discovery and one of the most prolific screen stars of her day. What’s not as well known about her is…. lemme change gears.
Do you know how cellphones, bluetooth and wifi achieve their high data speeds? It’s based on a technology called Spread Spectrum . It’s the practice of spreading a transmitted signal to occupy the frequency spectrum available for transmission. One technique is implemented via frequency hopping, FHSS, where a signal is transmitted in short bursts, "hopping" between frequencies in a pseudo-random sequence. Both sides of course need to be synchronized with the frequency sequence. Sounds like a pretty good way to scramble a signal and make it harder for eavesdropping or even jamming, right? That’s what it was initially developed for back in WW2: to prevent German subs from jamming radio-guided torpedoes. It was so advanced that the US Navy didn’t even get around to deploying it until the 1960s.
Guess who invented and got the patent for Spread Spectrum? Hedy Lamarr along with her composer husband, George Antheil. Hedy later consulted on a number of diverse projects, including with Howard Hughes. It was Hedy who introduced Hughes to streamlining his boxy aircraft to make them more aerodynamic. Hughes, who was also movie mogul himself, was so impressed with Lamarr’s inventive mind that he assigned several of his scientists to work on her various ideas, which came from virtually everywhere.
Lamarr also invented the earliest version of Alka-Seltzer and Fizzies — a tablet that when dropped in water created its own effervescence, the glow-in-the-dark dog collar, the modern traffic light, a system to help movement-impaired people get out of the bath tub, and more. She was a brilliant, prolific, self-taught inventor who’s known mostly for her smoldering screen performances. She was the first woman to receive the Invention Convention's BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, known as the "Oscars of inventing" On her 101st birthday she was celebrated by a Google Doodle.
Image credits: S. Harrison
#6
I watched a Ted Talk titled “The price of shame" given by Monica Lewinsky. I was brought to tears by what she had to say about the events that made her famous. I admit I felt ashamed of myself when I heard her side of the story because I had, like so many others, condemned her without question. After listening to what she had to say I gained an immense amount of respect for her and completely changed what I thought of her. I was surprised by the compassion I felt for her when I heard what it was like to be “patient zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously”.
I have a lot of respect for her for speaking out about something that was obviously so painful (then and now) and telling her story in an effort to combat cyber-bullying. She could have stayed silent and in the shadows of yesterday's news and not had to dredge all that up and face the public again but she has chosen to come forward and do what she can to help further a cause she knows and cares about. I think she is one very brave woman.
Image credits: R. Allyn
#7
Daniel Radcliffe - I adore that man. Massive respect for holding back on political opinions until he was out of the Potter spotlight, since the media would have just loved some controversy from him.
Who most people just see as “Potter man” is actually an incredibly kind person and just a huge prankster (he wore the same outfit every day to frustrate the paparazzi) and pushes his limits when it comes to acting. Equus was a brave move.
Image credits: Deactivated
#8
I was surprised when I watched the documentary about Joan Rivers. Folks who worked for her stayed with her for years. And if any employee had children, she routinely paid for their schooling, even private schools.
#9
I grew up hearing Helen Keller jokes like everyone else. Fortunately, my mother was more in the know. She got tired of the jokes and handed me a book about the woman. Helen Keller was a bad*ss.
Blind and deaf from an illness at a very young age, her parents did not know how to teach her. They let her run around like an animal until they hired a new teacher for her. The teacher taught how to feel American Sign Language letters spelled into her hand. At first, Helen didn’t understand what these hand games were. But eventually, it clicked.
After that, Helen could not be stopped. She learned to communicate. She learned Braille. She went to college and graduated with high honors. She used her celebrity to fight for social justice causes long before it was cool to do so. She even put herself at some risk by taking some of the stands she took; for example, speaking out about racism in the early 20th century as a wealthy white woman from the American South. She wrote books. She constantly traveled and gave lectures.
She did learn to speak, although it was hard to understand her. I have worked with deaf kids. I have worked with blind kids. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have neither of those senses. Yet Ms. Keller not only rose above her disabilities, she became world famous for her achievements and still is. Read or watch the movie “The Miracle Worker” to learn the amazing story of her early life. Then, to get a sense of her intelligence and insight, read some of her writings. “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” -Helen Keller Edit: If you are still not convinced, read this list of some of her achievements. One of the original founders of the ACLU? Wow! P.S. If you want to be doubly inspired, read the biography of Louis Braille, who invented Braille. He was also a bad*ss.
Image credits: Audrey Vera Monroe
#10
Steven Tyler from Areosmith went to court to obtain legal guardianship of a 16 year old girl, then got her pregnant. After that, I decided that I’d never buy another Areosmith album again, never watch him on television, or support that kind of behavior in any way, shape, or form.
Image credits: Norman Graham
#11
Emma Watson - I used to think she was annoying. NOPE! She stands for women’s rights and even opened a support hotline for my fellow ladies all over the UK. She turns down huge roles because of her personal opinions and I respect that; some actors and actresses would be thrilled to do some of them without really caring about that aspect, but here we are.
Image credits: Deactivated
#12
Madonna gives millions of dollars away to charity, according to some of her friends. She does it all secretly, seeking no publicity. She has literally kept people alive by providing money to treat people with AIDS who can't afford the treatment. When her friend & mentor Martin Burgoyne died, she was criticized because she wasn't at the funeral. It turns out that she stayed away because she knew that, if she went, all attention would be on her, and she didn't want to distract from Martin. She also paid for the entire thing. She catches a lot of flak, some of it she deserves, but she is a much kinder person than most people will ever know.
Image credits: Jerrod Tibor
#13
Mother Teresa.
As a child, I thought of her as this saint who sacrificed everything for the care of poor people in India. School books described her journey as that of selfless love and care. But as I grew older and on some further digging, I realised she was not the saint as portrayed.
Her health care homes were filled with unhygienic practices, she used the same needles repeatedly on patients. Many people who have worked with her claimed that despite getting funding from rich families, the condition of her Kolkata healthhouse was filthy. In 1991, Robin Fox, editor of the British medical journal The Lancet visited the Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta (now Kolkata ) and described the medical care the patients received as "haphazard".
He observed that sisters and volunteers, some of whom had no medical knowledge, had to make decisions about patient care because of the lack of doctors in the hospice. Fox specifically held Teresa responsible for conditions in this home, and observed that her order did not distinguish between curable and incurable patients, so that people who could otherwise survive would be at risk of dying from infections and lack of treatment. It is also further said that she secretly baptised her patients and even forced some patients to convert to Christianity. Shields, a former member of the Missionaries of Charity, writes that "Sisters were to ask each person in danger of death if he wanted a 'ticket to heaven'.
An affirmative reply was to mean consent to baptism She was even termed as racist by many people. Christian missionaries were on rage at that time and it's no surprise that she might have adopted secret or even forceful ways for the conversion. Yes, she helped the poor but she was not the saint as portrayed in my NCERT books.
Image credits: Kriti Alankar
#14
Alice Cooper. I passed him off as just a run of the mill rock musician out for shock value. Then I found out how long he has been with his wife. In the industry he is in marriages don’t seem to last long but his has lasted for 44 years now. The other thing about his industry is about the amount of d**g and alcohol ab*se. Having struggled himself with it, he is now helping others put that behind them.
#15
Michael Phelps is seen as one of the greatest athletes to embrace the sport of swimming. Some even give him the title of GOAT. His long list of accolades at the Olympics and numerous world records make it difficult to contest that claim.
Now, I used to see Michael Phelps’ success as purely a product of inherited athletic genes, access to the best sports facilities in the US and exposure to world-class coaching. However, when I recently read about his early life and discovered about the struggles he had with mental health, it changed my perception of him. At the age of 13, Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) by his pediatrician. He was found to be excessively “jumpy” at school and would be unable to go through class without fidgeting. He would act out that would make the him the center of ridicule. As a result, he was put on medication to counter the symptoms.
Not only did he bear the humiliation of his classmates, but it got to a point where his teacher had also written him off: Michael's teacher told his mother that her son would never succeed at anything because he couldn't focus on anything for a long enough time. His mother was also concerned about stopping the medication. Ouch. As someone who has seen the challenges of mental illnesses up close, I couldn’t help but think how difficult his initial journey would have been, especially with the fact that he was raised alone by his mother.
When the mind is pulling you down, living a normal life becomes a problem, let alone pursuing an ambition like excelling in professional athletics. That makes his achievements even more impressive to me. He worked on mastering the control of the mind with his coach who gave him a book on relaxation techniques. He re-calibrated his mind to visualize success and train his mind on preparing for all eventualities.
Ultimately, Phelps had mastered mental focus under water. And the rest is history. 28 gold medals, 13 individual medals, several records shattered. Phelps brought an electric energy to swimming never seen before. After he won a series of golds in the Beijing Olympics, he used the $1 million he got as a bonus to kick start a charity organization called the “Michael Phelps Foundation”. Image Credit: Kids Health The charity helps thousands of children live active and healthy lifestyles and it was a way to give back to ensure that kids, regardless of their mental/physical situation, are always well supported and aren’t left behind. Overall, learning about Phelps’ journey catapulted my level of respect for him.
Image credits: Aatir Abdul Rauf
#16
Steve Jobs I used to think that nobody can match Steve Job's Legacy, he was one of the people who inspired me the most (I am sure I am not the only one). In a way, I worshipped him until I read his biography by Walter Isaacson.
I found out that Steve Jobs was no saint. In fact, his success can be attributed to his ruthless behavior. In the book, there were plenty of examples, from firing people at Pixar without notice to even storming out of a five-star hotel he thought wasn't up to his standards. One time, he even berated a Whole Foods employee.
In addition to neglecting his daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs , who he had with an ex-girlfriend, probably his biggest d****e moment was when he cheated his friend and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak out of money. When the two worked together at Atari, Steve asked his partner to build a scaled-down version of Breakout, saying they would split the profits. After four sleepless nights, Wozniak finished the game and got a whopping $350 for it. He later learned that Steve had lied to him about how much money he made from the game and actually pocketed most of the profits for himself. Now, that’s just pure evil.
Image credits: Spoorti Sadarjoshi
#17
As someone who is heavily interested in history and biographies, I have had the opportunity to learn about many famous individuals and their accomplishments. However, there was one discovery that completely changed the way I saw a particular person and their legacy. The person in question was Albert Einstein, one of the most renowned and brilliant minds of the 20th century.
Growing up, I had always heard about Einstein's groundbreaking work in physics and his theory of relativity. However, it wasn't until I read a book about his personal life that I learned about his activism and humanitarian efforts. Before this discovery, I saw Einstein as a brilliant scientist, but I didn't fully understand the extent of his impact on society and the world. I learned that he was a vocal pacifist and an advocate for civil rights, speaking out against racism and discrimination. He even used his fame and influence to help refugees fleeing N*zi persecution during World War II.
Einstein's humanitarian efforts were truly inspiring and it completely changed the way I saw him. Instead of just viewing him as a scientific genius, I now saw him as a compassionate and socially conscious individual who used his platform to make a positive difference in the world. This discovery also made me realize that there is often much more to a person's legacy than what we see on the surface. It's easy to get caught up in the accomplishments and accolades of famous figures, but it's important to also consider their character and values.
Einstein's activism and humanitarian efforts showed that he was not only a brilliant scientist, but also a compassionate and socially conscious individual. I think it's important to remember that people are complex and multifaceted, and it's crucial to not just focus on one aspect of their life or legacy. This discovery about Einstein completely changed the way I saw him and has encouraged me to always strive to learn more about the people I admire, rather than just accepting the surface-level information that is often presented to us. In conclusion, my surprising discovery about Albert Einstein completely changed the way I saw him. Instead of just viewing him as a scientific genius, I now see him as a compassionate and socially conscious individual who used his platform to make a positive impact on the world. This experience has reminded me to always strive to learn more about the people I admire and to consider all aspects of their character and values.
#18
Marilyn Monroe No one would have thought that Norma Jean Mortensen (now, Marilyn Monroe) was a lot more than [her famous] picture: She properly circumscribed the character of Goddess Aphrodite in her teens.
Born during the Great Depression, she was unaware of her parents. Ab*sive childhood, prey to s*xual a*saults, and growing in an orphanage. Everything hit her hard. It was one day when she was getting ready for school and found a sweater to wear which was torn and short. She reached the school and suddenly every eyeball was lurking her elusiveness. And suddenly everything changed for her. One day in 1949, only twenty-three at the time and her career at a standstill, Monroe met someone at a diner who told her that a producer casting a new Groucho Marx movie, Love Happy, was looking for an actress for the part of a blond bombshell. She was cast and became insanely famous for her sultry voice, the body that captured attention, and work that was highly ambitious. But was that all about Marilyn?
I had read a lot about her where I gathered an incident that changed the way I looked at her. Ella Fitzgerald, a black woman, and a famous singer. Her following was enough to do justice to her name brand. But her color and the body type didn’t really match up to the social standards and every denied calling her to their clubs or cafes. It was then when Marilyn Monroe, listened to her plethora of recordings and soon became friends with her and decided to give her a break at Mocambo, a famous cafe in L.A. She approached the owner of the cafe and added ‘If he let Fitzgerald sing, she would appear in all her shows and sit in the front seat along with other celebrities.’ The owner was ecstatic and allowed her to sing. The shows went sold out and Fitzgerald gathered what she wanted! For once the Monroe for me in the white dress suddenly changed for all good and revolutionary.
Image credits: Ankita Tripathi
#19
Mahatma Gandhi I used to admire him, until I learned that this ‘man of peace’ beat his wife.
#20
Marilyn Monroe. Growing up I knew she was that beautiful blonde woman who had that famous picture of her on a street fan with her trying to stop her skirt blowing up: I knew she was gorgeous, but didn't really know much else and assumed she was just another famous person who had the perfect life.
Then when I was about 23/24 I started to research into endometriosis, which had caused me 24/7 pain for 10 years, I realized I needed to self advocate and become as knowledgeable about my condition as I could. I stumbled upon an article about Marilyn Monroe. She always longed to be a normal woman with a family, but most importantly, with a baby.
She struggled massively and had a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy which had to be removed, she became addicted to pain killers and she eventually died of an overdose. I empathize with her massively. I know what it's like to just want the pain to go away so badly, I have never been addicted to medication, but I am always aware of how easy it is to fall into and I am extremely careful.
She means so much more to me now and I genuinely will not hear a bad word about her. It made me realize how little you really know about everyone around you, how everyone has a story and their own struggles.
Image credits: Jessica James
#21
I was blown away to find out the Brad Pitt produces countless great movies and rarely ever publicly involves himself in them or attempts to take any credit for being involved with them. Brad Pitt is this big blockbuster actor with countless amazing movies under his belt, so the last thing you really expect is that he’d be humble about blockbusters he produces: Selma, Moonlight, 12 Years a S***e, The Last Blackman in San Francisco, Kick-A*s, Kick-A*s 2, The Departed, Okja.
All of these varied and amazing films and rarely do you see him step foreword and claim any stardom from them. It’s astounding the various stories he is willing to put his money into and make happen and then not want any credit beyond his name in the credits.
Image credits: Michael Peters
#22
Charlize Theron disclosed on a radio interview that I happened to be listening to on the car radio. Here’s a woman, tremendous talent who has the world by a string. Beautiful, highly intelligent, artistically talented, she has it all. She said growing up in South Africa, she saw her mother, one stressful night m**der her ab*sive father when she was 15. Can you imagine the emotions she carries with her all the time? And yet, she’s rock solid as a caring human being.
#23
I used to admire Elon Musk for creating the Tesla car, then he went and sold “personal flamethrowers” to the average consumer. In most countries, you need a license to buy a gun, but you don't need any kind of permit to buy and operate a “personal flamethrower”. You just need $2,000 (yes, it's expensive), and a deep-rooted desire to set things on fire. Firefighters already have enough work on their plates without a bunch of Youtube “gurus” using flamethrowers in their videos and “accidentally“ starting fires. If you're in the military or need one in a professional capacity, then yes, it makes sense. But John Q Public who bought one to impress his friends? Nope!
Image credits: Wayne Lonsdale
#24
When I watched Clint Eastwood have a delusional, political rant & heard the crazy things that he was saying, I lost any respect and admiration for him that I ever had . Same thing with Roseanne Barr. They’re both nuts!
#25
Well, I was watching a documentary about Martin Luther King Jr. I have always really admired him and I thought he was so intelligent. It was true that he was a genius he skipped two grades in high school and started college at age 15, that’s when I knew he was really a genius and I respected him even more.
#26
Always liked Bill Cosby before learning that he was a serial s*xual a*saulter. Too bad. He was almost the only black public figure who spoke out about the loud cursing ghetto talk that may be doing as much to hold back African Americans as the usual suspects.
#27
The most noted person and would be is Benjamin Franklin, a statement, congressman and inventor and philosopher. He created public libraries to help those that didn’t have time to get educated. In fact, Abraham Lincoln took his books home and self-taught himself to become an attorney. Benjamin created Fire Engine for the community to use in case a house was on fire. Also, Post Office to send mail to and from families, friends, etc. He was the one that penned the phrase “A penny saved is a penny earned!” No wonder I was able to save money from this phase. He also experimented with electricity in the early infancy of electricity. He was given a bad rap about him being illegitimate but did he care? Hell no, he went on to provide and help those that were writing the Constitution and his signature is on it too.
#28
That Kirk Douglas r*ped a young girl named Natalie Wood. I never wanted to believe the rumors about him, but there are too many details from people in the industry and accordingly from Natalie Wood herself. Other actress confirmed their own experiences with him. He isn’t here to defend himself, but he never denied any of the incidents in the taped confrontations I watched.
#29
My first thought as I read this question was of actress Jenny McCarthy. Not that I am a fanboy to any degree; indeed, I had to look up what exactly she is known for. Turns out: nothing of real note.
She is one of those celebrity actors who gets a whole lot of one-off gigs, but seldom any starring roles. But I recognized her name, and knew her as being a leading celebrity who has used her fame in the cause of the anti-vaccination movement, a belief that has been so thoroughly and completely debunked that I will not insult you by providing a link to information. It will take you all of 2.3 seconds to find reams of data showing how foolish and dangerous and wrong this anti-vax movement is. Shame on you, Jenny McCarthy, for promulgating a belief that has already cost the lives of hundreds of Americans, and hundreds more around the world.
As is my usual practice, I like to bring in a link to more information from reliable sources, which I will display shortly. Reading the article, to my surprise and dismay I found that there were--at least for me--far more disappointing celebrities who are also anti-vaxers. Why, Bill Maher? Why, Jim Carrey? No surprise, Donald Trump, but why, Mayim Bialek? You are a neuroscientist, for goddsake! How can you be on board with this?
#30
For me it's Gal Gadot . She was just a typical Hollywood “easy cheesy” actress, at least for me. On the surface, she looks the same. Isn't? But, the former Miss Israel 2004 actually served for two years in the military starting from 20 years old, and during the experience she also had to deal with a three-month boot camp to become a combat trainer. I mean, Wow! No wonder why she is picked as Wonder Woman for the DC movies - A true bad*ss, indeed.
Image credits: Deepak Singh Rajput
#31
I wouldn’t say, “completely,” but it did alert my perception of them. I’ve been a fan of The Rock and Vin Diesel for some time now and still enjoy their movies. It was the feud between them that grew during the filming of the eighth movie of the Fast and Furious franchise.
While there were disagreements in “philosophies,” as they had said in interviews and on social media. The feud grew to a point of hostility on set where neither of the two could work together.
There were multiple scenes where it looked like they were on the same set and talking, but they weren’t. Each one would film their part and then in post-production the scenes would be put together to create the image.
What bothered me most: Both have talked about just handling and dealing with things, but neither of them could. Both refused to work with one another on set. Both are getting paid millions of dollars, but they can’t work together.
Then there is the rest of us. We all go to work. Most of us work with people we don’t care to be around, but we deal with it. We also do this with so little pay in comparison. The money both of them make most likely exceeds that of which most of us will make in multiple lifetimes… but they couldn’t be on set together.
#32
Beyonce: I always thought that she is a nice person, but s.one here on quora said that Beyonce was in a cafe and didn't even bother to look at her *She was working as a waitress* (LIKE COME ON WOMAN THESE FANS MADE YOU!)
Taylor swift: when I was little, I listened to a few of her songs but I was never really interested But since the lover album came out and I have been exploring every area in her life. I was really interested to read the meaning of each lyric of her songs and who was that written about. But what truly made me love her that she always respected her fans. Always defended them and even invited them to her secret sessions in her estates to listen to her albums before it came out FOR FREE. She always says that she succeeded because of her fans. She loves interacting with them. *Remember her stalking her fans unstoppably in 2017?* she always gives credit to her backvocals singers and her guitarists and dancers. I have never seen any celebrity doing that She truely deserves all of this fame and success She is an amazing woman.
#33
Definitely Michael Jackson. I watched Leaving Neverland and it hurt my heart. I adored him and now, after watching that documentary, I'm grossed out. It was very triggering.
#34
Boy, this is a good question! The first person that came to my mind is Tony Robbins. He’s tremendously passionate about addressing hunger in the US and clean water in developing countries. He’s made these issues, particularly hunger, a lifetime commitment starting in his teens.
Another person is Sir Richard Branson. The head of hundreds of individual companies, EVERY ONE OF THEM has social commitment as part of their mission. He is fully committed to the idea that business is part of their community and has a part in making lives better.
The last person I’ll mention here is American footballer Marshawn Lynch. He spends so much time with the kids at Oakland Tech high school as well as donating money and investing in the community. I had the honor of thanking him in person for everything he does to support the community a couple of years ago and as usual, he completely downplayed his role. If only people paid as much attention to his work off the field, they’d see what a real hero he is OFF the gridiron!
#35
Christian Bale. Always thought he was a versatile, good looking actor. After hearing him scream and belittle a crew member after he accidentally walked past the camera, really disgusted me, I will never pay to see any of his movies.
#36
Donald Trump : It was long time before he even entered politics. The year was 2004. “The apprentice” just had the first season. Before that I had heard about him as a good businessman who is known for making good deals. In the show, he talked about his ventures and usually followed by “best in the world” like “Today's reward is flight on Trump helicopter service which is best in the world”. Naively, I was impressed with him thinking that whatever he does is best. It also got me interested in business world.
In between classes I used to stop at library where I would read magazines like Forbes, Fortune etc. I started realising he's nowhere near the businessman he portrays himself to be. But since I was impressed by him, I always thought that he's the biggest real estate developer in New York and specifically Manhattan. That is until I stumbled upon an article about the biggest real estate developer in New York - a recluse guy who was many times richer than Trump. That was really the moment I realised that this guy is a showman and a blowhard and should not be taken at his word.
The later seasons of apprentice also proved it when he took over more role in it's production. Also I read in one of his books that he bought a building in Wall Street for $1 million. Now I'm no real estate expert but even I know that even the land in Manhattan would be worth multi-millions. However, I discovered at first it was $8 million and then discovered it was close to $100 million (which makes sense). That was the time I knew that this guy is a liar and a fraud. He's like the con artist who makes most gullible people believe that he's the best thing ever to walk on earth. I totally lost any respect for him since then. Even the first season of apprentice was mainly the brainchild of Mark Burnett. Later seasons suck because Trump got more involved and made it worse. If anything, he have an anti-midas touch.
#37
You have two kinds of famous people. The a*s hos and the very nice people. If you are famous long enough, chances are you will end up being the a*s-ho at least once in your whole career. I mean imagine coming from a very messed up meeting and you just found out your manager who has been with you since the start has been stealing money from you. Nevertheless the nicest person I didn’t think by a long shot would be nice was Post Malone. This guy must be the nicest hip-hop artist. Very down to earth. He calls women ma’am. I mean how is that even possible. The same dude who sings about f*****g hoes, popping pills, smoking so much he feels like a Rasta. This just made me change my perception on music. Music and celebrities. Just because someone sings about a certain thing doesn’t make that like that in real life.
Image credits: Marco Vernice
#38
This is a very easy one for me - Ian Watkins from the Lostprophets. I’d been a fan of this rock band for several years when the lead singer was sentenced to 29 years in prison for child p**nography and child r*pe. I tried to listen to the band a few times after that, but I could not finish it (if you search their videos on Youtube, you’ll see comments from their fans having the same dilemma). The problem is that I do not believe that the rest of the band didn’t know, as Watkins was doing this even on tour (several female fans of the band even “lent” him their kids so that he could “play” with them).
#39
Muammar Gaddafi.
He had been called a tyrant, a dictator, a terrorist and some other terrible names. He was that popular and controversial African leader that was k**led in a drainage canal in 2011. Colonel Gaddafi led the country of Libya over four decades. He may have been a terrible leader but some articles I stumbled upon changed my perspective about this man. Under his reign : The GDP per capita of Libya in 2010 was 12064.8 USD . It was 7529 USD in 2018. Nursing mother was given 5000 (US dollars) for herself and the child. There were no electric bills as it was completely free. A house, farm land, live stock and seeds were given free of charge to those who wanted to start farming. Education and medical treatment were absolutely free. Generous subsidies were given for weddings, housing and car purchase.
Now Libyans have to pay full price for everything. He built the largest irrigation system in the world recognized as “the eighth wonder of the world” its purpose was to supply water to all Libyans across the country. His last words to his k**lers were “ what did I do to you?” Was he really a terrible leader or were the people tired of him?
#40
Nicki Minaj. Her music made me cringe and I used to think she’s oh-so full of herself. Until I learnt about this: She randomly paid for her fans’ college loans on Twitter. Nicki replied to thirty fans, telling them to send info for her to pay for their tuition, school loans, and needed equipment. Look what she have done. She ended the run of tweets with a promise of another round in a month or so. Therefore, one must never be like her. I hope you understood!
Image credits: Udayeswari
#41
Justin Bieber.
Until 2018 I personally liked and enjoyed his music. (and I shipped him like crazy with Selena). But now I despise him. And all this happened when I discovered what he did to Selena Gomez (and other girls).
He mentally ab**ed her and destroyed her mental health and even her relationship with her family (she did, but for him). He cheated on her multiple times, and yet she still forgave him and was always there when he needed help. Every time she’d try to move on he would just ruin it. Every time he was bad (which happened often) his manager would call Selena even though they were broken up.
And last but not least he threw away 10 years of history (2008–2018) and 2 months after taking a break with Selena he left her and married Hailey Baldwin. (the first time they were seen 1 month after their break up) All in 2 months while she was recovering and was suffering from mental health and also lupus. Justin is a shallow man and whatever he does I will never see him as somebody who deserves respect ever again.
Image credits: Kleja Tabaku
#42
Since the “me too" movement started I've read several accounts , from several women, about being slapped or hit by….Paul McCartney! Say it isn't so ! But apparently it's true. He's admitted that he used to be physically ab*sive to his girlfriends or just fans who had s*x with him and expected more.
It's been well known for years that John Lennon was an ab*ser. He even wrote lyrics about it. His first wife, Cynthia, wrote about the physical ab*se she suffered from John. It's wrong but he admitted it and apologized for his behavior then changed his ways. But sweet faced, doe eyed Paul? I'm just disappointed in him.
Image credits: Selina Turner
#43
Morrissey. I’m a Mancunian. We are programmed to love The Smiths. For a large part of my life, I lived in the same suburb he did. I walked the same streets. While it doesn’t give us the same DNA, I expected it gives us some commonality in perspective. I hear it in his songs. I know he’s an a**e. Everyone in the industry says he’s an a**e. He’s allowed to be. We forgive him that. But his right wing views, which totter on the edge of the extreme, came as a surprise.
Some of his songs hint at it but it was irony, wasn’t it? Or him speaking from someone else’s perspective? Morrissey the animal rights obsessive, the vegan, apparently doesn’t eat vegetables. He only eats beige food that didn’t have a mother. Bread, pasta, nuts, potatoes (technically a vegetable). Is he goading us for believing anything he said in the past? Did he sell himself to us on a ticket he has never believed? Is he the very opposite of what we thought? Is he Simon Cowell in jackboots? I don’t quite believe it. I think he’s being “complicated” as we know he is, but he’s planted enough doubt. Life is easy as a teenager. Here’s the set of things that are good. Here’s the set of things that are bad. As you age, the sets depopulate themselves as complications set in. I went from objective to 7.8 billion subjectives and now there isn’t even clarity in my own personal subjective. You can’t group anything. There are just thoughts, yourselves and everyone else’s, one on hand atomic, on the other a vast ocean. I was always going to come to this conclusion, but Morrissey pushed me towards it more quickly than I would have liked.
#44
Halsey - Oh my God. I find her to be so whiny and the kind of person to make something out of nothing. I see the frustration over not being heard at the Women’s March, but could you not complain about how many people weren’t at your speech? It sounds so bratty and attention-depraved. Don’t even get me started on the racist shampoo Twitter rant. That was just dumb. People are out here dying and here you are in your 5 star hotel complaining about complimentary shampoo.
#45
Meghan Markle - I used to be like oh cute new princess! Nowadays I think she’s obnoxious. Asking to leave the royal family while also wanting to keep your royal brand? What the actual hell. She seems manipulative and I have 0 clue why she wanted to leave the royal family when she damn right knew what she was getting herself into.
#46
Beyonce. I really bought into the God gives me this talent so that I can share yada yada blah blah blah. Then I find that her and JZ Spent a million bucks at a creche just so they can park the kid whilst they watch the game. Really? Then don't give me the God spiel. Could have saved some children with that money. Beyonce splashes $1million on luxury nursery suite for Blue Ivy at the Barclays Center.
#47
Prince Harry. I saw that photo of him in the N*zi costume and made up my mind. Spoiled rich kid who can get away with anything and doesn't care about s**t. But since he's gotten married he's earned my respect 100%.
He's protective of his wife and child and he gave up his privilege to do what, especially in light of his mother's death, he feels needs to be done to keep them safe.
Ashton Kutcher. I thought he was a pretty boy model with no substance. The fact that he started his career playing dumb pretty boys and then married a rich older woman kind of cemented it for me. But the work he's done against s*x trafficking, the speeches he makes to Congress, and how he invests in start ups to help people who don't have the money to become successful see their dreams become a reality, have warmed me to him. He's a great person.
Gene Simmons. I thought he was a money hungry diva who would sell his soul for a dollar. But then I found out why. His parents were h*******t survivors and his mother came alone with him the the US to make a better life. She worked several jobs without complaint and he would wake up in the middle of the night and cry for his mother but no one came. When Kiss made it big, he promised her that she would never have to work again, that he'd take care of her. When he had kids he made the same promise to take care of them. He works hard and takes every promising business opportunity that comes his way so that his family will never have to struggle, will never have to feel the way he felt as a little child. He says that money is the implementation of love, and he lives by that.
Image credits: Charlie Melton
#48
It was Axl Rose and Slash As a teenager, i was REALLY into hard rock and metal. At 13i was head over heels over the guns n’ roses, i had SO much merch, i had an instagram account with over 10000 followers that was just about them, i was a true groupie. This instagram account allowed me to become bilingual in english by the time i was 15 (weird butterfly effect to be honest) and so i decided, once I knew that i could be able to really read and understand a complicated book in another language, i ordered and read the guns n’ roses biography. I was so shocked!! I didn’t expect them to be angels at all, an 80’ rock band, you would expect them to be into d***s of course, alcohol yes and weird s*x, and yes, that was the case.
But there were so many r*pe allegations concerning Axl Rose, racist acts, serious anger problems, my “hero” was, at the end, just an angry white boomer and that pissed me off baaaad. I don’t remember Slash being such a d**k (but i haven’t read this book for years) but i remember that he was married with a women named Pearl, and i thought yeah well he might have been wild but now he’s settled, he has 2 kids and is living i pretty normal life for a 50 yo rockstar. And then he left his wife and his children to be with his former ex gf, which at the time pissed me off, because i was young, dumb and very invested on the thought of them being nice and doing good life choices. Turns out that dating Megan was a good thing for slash at the end, and they all seem to be getting quite along now. Not that it’s my problem. anyway, conclusion is : don’t overthink your favorite bands or artist, if you idealize them, you’re going to be disappointed, and getting WAY too much into their life and be sad. what a weird period that was.
Image credits: Raluca Tapalaga
#49
Hmm of late, Micheal Jordan after watching the hugely entertaining ‘The Last Dance’ docu-series. I used to love me some MJ and I consider him the GOAT. But the way he controlled the narrative of the documentary was pretty objectionable. He did not have to label the 84 Bulls team as ‘The C*caine Circus' , he did not have to call Isiah Thomas an a*****e, why would you throw Horace Grant under the bus now and please cut Scottie some slack for his standoff with the Bulls front office .
The worst of all, to mask his gambling issues as being competitive and him bullying his team and portray it as a method to get his team-mates ready for the rigors of championship basketball is plain wrong. There is no way you punch your team mate and should get away with it. It just looks like his public image is meticulously planned facade and in reality the guy is arrogant and obnoxiously mean. I don’t know if it would be fun hanging out with him. But I must confess, after watching the ‘The Last Dance', the one thing I am certainly convinced about is that Michael Jordan would have dominated today's NBA and tomorrow's NBA just as he did with the Bulls.
#50
I’m watching ESPN’s “The Last Dance” and even though the documentary centers around Michael Jordan I was more surprised about Scottie Pippen’s backstory. I had no idea how underpaid he was on the Bulls, and that he had 11 brothers and sisters and sick parents to support. I always remember Scottie Pippen as a great basketball player with a rather glum, pissy attitude. The documentary really fleshed out Scottie Pippen and his motivations.
#51
Gretchen Carlson.. My god I used to think she was the most beautiful woman on earth. Former Miss America turned news reporter.. Even as far back as when she was on the Saturday Early Show on CBS I had it bad for her. Then she made the move to Fox News and their “Fox and Friends” show and I watched her most every morning.. Then she wrote a book.. Fortunately I picked it up on the shelf in Barnes & Noble and read it there without having to pay for it. I was very excited to read it and learn more about her at first… But as I turned the pages I quickly realized that this was the most nauseating, egotistical woman on earth. In fact I lost count of how many times she wrote how she graduated from Stanford (with honors!). Just ugh… Then she became a central player in the Roger Ailes scandal… Which I found odd because she called him her “mentor” in the book.
#52
Discovering what a mean-spirited, ungrateful, cruel, money-grubbing, worthless, mooching, dim-witted, weak and whipped man-child Prince Harry has turned out to be. I once liked him and thought he was a great asset to the Queen, Prince Charles and especially his brother William and sister-in-law Catherine. My opinion of him has taken a 180 degree turn after discovering just who he “really” is.
Image credits: Ron Genung
#53
An interesting question… For a while, I was completely unaware of Roseanne Barr’s inflammatory comments on race. (I don’t really keep up with all the drama in Hollywood, or really Hollywood itself, for that matter). After the fact? I was… shocked, really. Like, to me, this whole situation was just so surreal. Before this, it sounds like she was actually praised for social advocacy. But then, all of a sudden, this happened and frankly, that’s just surprising. At the end of the day, I’m not really sure what to think. All I know is that that certainly changed how I viewed her.
Image credits: Alejandro Bruce
#54
James Levine, after reading about his alleged m*lestation of teenage boys. He was one of the giants of classical music in the 1980s and ‘90s, and until the scandal broke, I’d admired many of his performances and studio recordings. I haven’t listened to any of them since.
#55
Elvis was a big Monty Python fan, and was particularly fond of the ‘nudge, nudge, know what I mean’ sketch, There is NO WAY I - and I bet nearly ALL of you - saw that coming. Never thought about what the man might find funny, and now we know.
#56
The way Megan Thee Stallion treated Tory Lanez after he shot her. I’m serious. I read in an article on The Source magazine website that Megan lied to hospital staff about the incident and lied to police about what actually happened. Before I read that, I thought Megan Thee Stallion was a wannabe gangsta rapping for clout and I didn’t care if she lived or she died. But after reading that article, I was like “Hold up. This woman is really real. She actually has some substance in her character”. I still don’t rock with her as a rapper but I have a lot more respect for her as a person now, which I had none of before I read that article.
#57
For me, I'd HAVE to say Leonardo DiCaprio. A couple of decades ago, EVERYONE was saying: “ooooohhh, Leo this, and Leo that!” B.F.D. That's what I thought. Then I saw a movie called “The Man In The Iron Mask.” I like the story “The Three Musketeers.” Leonardo DiCaprio, played a dual role. And WAS AMAZING! Then a couple years later, He was hosting some award show, or something, AFTER,He said what he had to, Leonardo DiCaprio, WENT INTO THE AUDIENCE, and began taking selfies, with members of the audience. I knew I liked him from then on. Leonardo DiCaprio, is a REAL person, and a DAMN cool Class act.
#58
Marilyn Manson - As a young Christian child, I used to think that he was dangerous and the devil himself. Nope. He’s just out here making great music exposing hypocrisy and making the most beautiful grotesque music videos out there.
#59
Demi Lovato : I love Demi since Camp Rock and I love her album Demi. I love that she’s vocal about her sobriety and even write a book to encourage people day by day. I used to read her book, it has beautiful quotes about forgiving people and not spreading hate. But lately I saw her going to different direction, she tried to convince people that she’s not friend of Selena Gomez which is truly odd considering they grow up together. I see a lot of hate in Demi, I don’t know why.
For me, her song that she sings recently are full of anger. I always wish her the best, but I think she needs a lot of positive energy from people around her to be happy. She needs to get rid some toxic friends. To know that fun friends are not always good friends. Good friends will be angry if you do bad things because they love you, fun friends just let you do bad things for temporary fun and get rid of you if you’re not that fun anymore.
#60
Definitely Doja Cat. I used to love her music and listen to it all the time due to how catchy it was along with the fact that she was such an open minded person who jus didn’t give a f**k. But after her little mess up with all that racist stuff, I just can’t look at her the same and I can’t listen to her music either, I tried to, but I just can’t.
#61
I have two. The first is Lady Gaga. I never really liked her music and didn’t honestly like her either. I thought she was weird, hence that is why I wanted nothing to do with her. Soon after, I made a discovery. You see, while Lady Gaga is a strong singer on the outside, there are more problems then the eye could see on the inside. She was the only one who knew until she said that she had PTSD and had been suffering anxiety and depression for her entire life.
She is also diagnosed with a disease called fibromyalgia, a disorder ‘characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues’ according to Mayo Clinic. Now I know that she going through more tough times that I would’ve ever thought before. I appreciate who she is now and while her music still isn’t my favourite, I’ve never thought of her as weird ever again. She’s an amazing woman, really :)
The second is none other than Michael Jackson. If you’ve seen my account, or at least my credential, I am always learning everything I can about him and believe me when I say I know the truth apart from the lies! The reason why I started researching him is the answer you, questioner, are looking for.
When I was younger I overheard my parents talking about what they called the “old MJ allegations”. I heard everything the said including what they were about (keep in mind that they never brought up the point on how he was not guilty). Now, I’ve always looked up to Michael as an amazing artist but when I heard this, well, since I had done no research I thought he was in fact guilty (like I said above, my parents never brought up that point, or I must’ve missed it).
I was horrified and disgusted of him, thought he was an absolute creep and didn’t even want to look at him. “How could someone do this?”, I thought. “What kind of an inhumane person would to that to kids?!”. After many days of keeping this all in my head and changing my thoughts (like, I didn’t want to completely forget about him, so maybe I could just defend him and leave it at that?), I decided it was time to start the researching. After many days of finding as many details as possible while picking out the truth and icing out the lies, my view of him took another 180. He. Was. Innocent. On all counts. I knew right then and there that I was totally wrong for just concurring with a belief about something without any evidence to show that it was true. I’ve learned to find out everything I can about the topic before assuming the former or the latter. He was a great guy who constantly motivates and inspires me to become a singer in the music world one day :)
Image credits: Dahlia Beauchamp
#62
Margaret Sanger, though an advocate for birth control, was staunchly against abortion.
#63
Oh wow. I’d have to give you a list. The Kennedy’s - I respect what they did for civil rights and philanthropy, but as a family they have a reputation for being extremely unkind to people, especially “the little people”.
Hilary Clinton - Loved her in my youth. Tried to give her the benefit of the doubt for the longest time. Can no longer deny that she is also a very mean person.
Barbra Streisand - In my early 20s I wasn’t very much aware of her work, but I was aware of her presence as a mega-star. I did not know about her history of activism, so I was enthralled when in 1992 I saw her on TV calling for a boycott of Colorado because of some anti-gay bigot bill. This was what got me interested in Ms. Streisand as an artist, and though I am a fan of her work I am appalled by how nasty she is to people.
JImmy Stewart - Thought he was one of the “good guys” because of the roles he played until I found out he was a raging racist.
Princess Diana - I thought she was a great and kind human being until I read the stories about her and realized she was in fact petulant, manipulative, cunning, and capable of being very unkind to people.
Barbra Stanywck - Found out she was a conservative. She shunned her own adopted son and wasn't even moved when he went to risk his life in the Korean war.
Elizabeth Edwards - I loved her and her husband but then heard the stories about the unpleasant way she treated people around her.
Marlene Dietrich - Part of the reason why Ms. Dietrich left Germany for Hollywood was because she saw Germany drifting towards totalitarianism. She also openly expressed disgust for the way the Nazi’s persecuted Jews at a time when not a lot of (non-Jewish) people took any notice of this. Because of these views I always thought Ms. Dietrich was an exceptionally enlightened person. However, according to her own daughter, Marlene Dietrich was belligerently racist when it came to blacks…so apparently her enlightenment was of a limited variety.
Greta Garbo - In the middle of World War II she refused to sign an autograph for a wounded GI. Who does that in the middle of World War II?
On the positive side: Lady Gaga - Couldn’t stand her when she first came out. Thought she was just another shallow pop star. Then she floored me by performing at a rally to OPPOSE the American Nativist Movement - and now I love her.
Taylor Swift - I really have to hold my nose as I type this. Thought of her as being another shallow millennial nitwit recording artist until she came out opposing Trump. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Now I like her.
Nancy Reagan - Recently found out the late Mrs. Reagan was once a big Hollywood movie star.
Patty Duke - Recently found out that in 1968 she worked for Robert Kennedy’s political campaign. Having seen her in “Valley of the Dolls”, I had previously thought of Patty Duke as being just another Hollywood party girl back in the 60s. I had no idea she had a political conscience - and you had to be really cool to support RFK.
Carole King - I loved her music for years before learning, after having being been told she was a Republican, that she actually has always supported progressive causes. I also saw an interview a few years ago where she mentioned having protested the Vietnam war. I had no idea she was that politically active back then. She also comes across as being a genuinely nice person; I have never heard any bad stories about her. Unfortunately at this point in my life I am only surprised when I hear a famous person is actually nice.
#64
Lebron James, and this happened just recently. Being a huge MJ fan, I thought that for Lebron to claim that he was the GOAT, was just way out of line. If he is indeed the greatest basketball player of all time, let others say it. Mike never claimed to be the greatest, but 75% of his peers believe he is. Former players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Kobe and Shaq all swear his airness is the true GOAT and they were some of his biggest rivals. I think there is no question Mike had done more for the NBA than any other and no one else deserves that tag. Why would Lebron ever need to say that? BUT… recently I watched a YouTube clip where Lebron was interviewed after one of his NBA finals wins, with Cleveland and wow… he was so humble!
He paid complete and utter homage to the great Michael Jordan. He made it clear, he wanted to be like Mike in everything he ever did growing up. He wore Mike’s number. He practiced his moves. He loved Mike. He almost choked up going to great lengths to explain his dream of just being like Mike to a packed out room of press vultures after achieving one of the greatest pinnacles of his career. And you know, it made me think, this man is as close to Mike as anyone has ever been. He so wanted his dream that he dedicated hours and hours of practice and gym time, and shooting time, and play time to realize that dream, and do what millions couldn’t. Lebron deserves every ounce of praise and respect for being one of the game’s true greats who has done what so many of us can’t. Who are we to judge?
#65
I know that most of y’all are tired of hearing her name but Danielle Cohn, at first I thought that she was my age until I did some research and found out that she’s 13–14 years old….then I thought about all of the vids she post and pics.
Any normal parents would not have been okay with their daughter doing those things at such a young age. Danielle Cohn’s mom Everyone else and then remembered the guy she was dating at the time was like 17–18🤭 id he could have gone to jail. and then her singing I get that some people sing to sound better over time you sing but then use autotune…. girl that means you can't sing honey boo boo. She’s racist and lied about her age And what made me loose respect for her is that she lied about being pregnant and then got a tattoo (there's a chance she might be telling the truth but still), and faking a marriage. I realized I'm starting to rant so I'm gonna stop here for now so overall this kid needs the lords, holy spirit, and mental help.
#66
Kobe Bryant. While I long admitted that he was an outstandingly talented basketball player, and one of the greatest NBA players of all time, I’ll admit that I severely condemned him for the “incident” that occurred in a Colorado hotel room in 2003. In fact, to myself if not out loud, I referred to him as “the r*pist.” While neither I nor anyone else knows what exactly happened between Bryant and the young woman, the fact that the case never went to trial after she refused to testify against him, and she withdrew her civil suit against Bryant, after receiving a payment from him rumored to be in the millions of dollars, led me to believe he was just another rich guy buying off someone with a legitimate accusation.
On top of that, I also moralistically judged him for cheating on his pregnant wife, whi was back home with their newborn daughter. And then, in what proved to be an astonishing coincidence, about a month before Bryant was k**led in the helicopter crash, I read a long article about Brant’s life after the “incident.” I learned that Bryant had re-dedicated himself to his wife and young family, had remained a faithful husband and father, and had developed into an outstanding man.
More to the point, I learned that Kobe Bryant had achieved his personal conversion and personal redemption by returning to the Catholic faith in which he was raised. As Bryant explained it: The one thing that really helped me during that process — I'm Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic — was talking to a priest. Bryant’s personal transformation was inspired by his faith, and he re-dedicated himself to his faith. He attended Mass every Sunday, and also at times on weekdays. In fact, and a little-reported fact about the hours before he died tragically is that he came to the airport directly from Our Lady Queen of the Angels Church in Newport Beach. Bryant arose very early that morning so he could attend the 7:00 am Mass before he left on his trip.
#67
I have always been a huge Johnny Depp fan. I can’t even tell you how many times I watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean. When I heard the allegations brought against him by his then wife, Amber Heard, I was super disappointed. However, being the survivor of domestic violence and s*xual a*sault, I know how difficult it is to speak up about violence that feels so personal and private and as such, writing off Johnny Depp as just another powerful man ab*sing his privilege seemed like the easy and obvious choice.
For those of you who follow me on Quora, you may know that my family is in the entertainment business. What I did not know is that my grandparents are good friends of Johnny Depp. Mr.Depp has been a fan and supporter of my grandfather‘s for a while and my grandfather wears a bracelet given to him by Johnny Depp at all times. While I have never met Johnny Depp, those in my family have spoken very highly of him. This was extremely difficult for me to reconcile. I am not unfamiliar with the media spreading untrue information about celebrities, I have seen it first hand, but as a survivor this new information from my family was extremely at odds with my convictions regarding believing women who find themselves in situations like Amber Heard.
Today the world received the tragic news of the untimely death of Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter. I’ve seen countless posts about how Kobe has inspired so many people, been an amazing parent and philanthropist. I also know that he was a r*pist. How painful it must be to see the face of your r*pist plastered all across Instagram, Facebook, and the media, all lauding his accomplishments and positive impact on the world. Does this mean he hasn’t positively impacted the lives of so many others? Absolutely not, but that also doesn’t mean that someone who is a positive public figure can’t be someone else’s monster in private.
My grandparents having a friendship with Johnny Depp does not mean that he is friendly to everyone. Kobe being an inspiration to many does not mean he doesn’t inspire nightmares and cold sweats to one. These juxtapositions have not only changed the way I see these celebrities, but also all the people around me. I chose to believe and support women and know that sometimes that will go against my own personal experience with their ab*sers. What do you choose?
Image credits: Ke'ili Deal
#68
I don't know a whole lot of celebrities but some really famous ones that I do know and have always like have had a way to completely change the way I see them. #1. Brad Pitt -I loved his movies growing up but when I found out that he left his wife for Angelina Jolie that made me change the way I see him and his movies. and it makes it even worse now that he and Angie split he seems to be a player. I didnt know Angelina or Jennifer Aniston until all this Scandal happened. #2: would be Angelina Jolie as I found out she is a seductress and this is not the first time she has taken someone's husband………#3 Ben Affleck he reminds me a lot of Brad Pitt now. I didn't personally know Ben Affleck's name but I remember him and movies and always thought he was quite handsome but after I found out that he left the beautiful sweet Jennifer Garner and the children and was cheating on her with Lindsay shookus that made me change the way I view him also...... By the way speaking of Lindsay shookus I had no idea who she was until all the Scandal came out of her and Ben Affleck's cheating scandal so I immediately had no respect for her as she knew Ben Affleck was married to Jennifer Garner and had no respect or regard for her or the marriage.
#69
Taylor Swift - After “Look What You Made Me Do” came out, I was just praising the heavens because there’s finally an aggressive track from her. May not be the best lyrically, but at least I thought it was a banger, except for her negative portrayal of snakes. I love snakes. Don’t do my boys dirty like that.
#70
I all-out despise and hate Barbra Streisand. She thinks she’s her own goddess. I have yet to hear any of her music, or see her act. Wasn’t it about 3 years ago she was on a Retiring Tour. She seems to have forgotten about that part.
#71
The radicalism of Robert De Nero! I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed any movie star being so unbelievably politically crazy to the point of emotional upheaval.
