Talent often blinds us. When someone captivates us on screen, stage, or court, we tend to focus on the range of their voice, the smoothness of their movements, or the precision of their jump shot. We cheer, admire, and even idolize—often forgetting that behind the performance is a human being, flawed just like us.
To remind ourselves of that, let’s dive into an online discussion where people are sharing names of celebrities who seem nice — at least as far as their public image goes — but have, nonetheless, done some pretty questionable things.
#1
A lot of people still love Mike Tyson and think because he talks kind of funny he must be a nice guy. People think he is a nice guy who had a rough life growing up.
He is a convicted r**ist, he has admitted to beating women, and has been accused of SA by multiple other women.
Dude's a piece of s**t.
Yingking:
He also basically admitted to r**e, he only denies the case that got him into jail. It’s pretty fascinating, he said that he should have been in jail for a lot of terrible s**t he did to women, but still denies the r**e case that got him convicted.
Image credits: iamacannibal
#2
That's easy: John Lennon. He was a petulant demon who managed to convince the world he was a humble pacifist.
Just read up on him, you'll see what a violent, arrogant liar he was.
hurrypotta:
He was a horrible horrible father to his first son and wife Julia. He let his first wife walk in on him and Yoko naked in their living room as she came back from vacation. Thats how he decided to ask for a divorce. He ignored Julian, for years while using his son with Yoko as a prop for songs. He was a drunk angry a**hole.
Image credits: Ganes21
#3
Bill Cosby, is a monster. Though kept an image alive to hide the fact. I fell for the facade with his comedy albums from the 60’s.. Which I feel horrible about.
WyndWoman:
Bill Cosby. It was shocking when his r**es came out.
Image credits: Graehaus
#4
Tom Cruise. Everybody likes him but he is estranged from his daughter due to Scientology.
Image credits: LoudNoises89
#5
Kobe r***d a woman but no one likes to talk about that, or the fact that he had cheated on Vanessa with a ridiculous amount of women and she stayed for the money.
Image credits: Sea_Accident_6138
#6
Dr. Dre beat his girlfriend so badly that she had to get plastic surgery.
gingerzombie2:
Damn, Beats by Dre has a whole new meaning
Image credits: osama_bin_guapin
#7
Elvis and his interest in 15-year-olds.
Image credits: OddlySpecificAd
#8
Although some parts of social media might not like her, Oprah would fit the bill. She promoted some awful people like 'Dr.' Phil and Dr Oz. Plus, her friendships with Diddy, Weinstein and Cosby surely doesn't look good. Granted nothing major hasn't come out regarding her like Ellen, but it's just a matter of time.
Image credits: tango1857
#9
Naomi Campbell, great model, terrible person, despite having millions of dollars of her own, stole from a charity she set up.
Image credits: Norwood5006
#10
Coco Chanel. Most famous for her perfume, Chanel No. 5. Although a majority of people don't know about her collaboration with the Nazis during World War II. It's speculated that she used the outbreak of WWII to punish employees who had gone on strike in 1936 (thousands of women lost their jobs), while living it up with her N**i boyfriend. She tried to use the fact that she was an A***n and the owners of *Parfums Chanel* were Jewish to get the Nazis to hand over control of the business to her. It didn't work, because they had already given the company to someone else, who returned it to them after the war. She still managed to receive all the profit from Chanel No. 5 during wartime, as well as having the Wertheimers (the owners) pay for all of her expenses for the rest of her life.
As for actually working for the Nazis, she worked for Walter Schnellenberg, who head the German's Security Service in Berlin. He was later tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to six years, but released early due to health problems. Chanel paid for his treatments and living expenses, financially supported his wife, and even paid for his funeral. She had fled to Switzerland to avoid retribution for collaboration, and wasn't punished at all. Documents released in the 2010s revealed that she directly worked with the Abwehr, including plans to take control of Madrid, and other operations to try and acquire favorable terms for surrender after it became obvious Germany would lose.
But what most people remember her for is her perfume and revolutionizing fashion.
Image credits: NobodyofGreatImport
#11
Jerry Seinfeld did gross things in the 90s.
Cultural_Elephant_73:
Now this fits the prompt. Generally regarded as a nice guy (although more of an a*****e in recent years) and he dated a high schooler when he was almost 40.
Her parents were fine with it. Yow.
Image credits: Ok_Development_2006
#12
I'm not sure if anyone viewed him as "nice", but Steven Seagal is a much, much worse human than you'd imagine.
He's not just your regular male actor with a few SA accusations, he's had credible cases against him for human trafficking and so many actresses accuses him of a*****t he was pushed out of Hollywood.
#13
Bill Murray.
Ambitious_Hold_5435:
His ex-wife says he beat her and then said, "You're lucky I didn't k**l you!"
Ootguitarist2:
He was so sh**ty to Lucy Liu when making Charlie’s Angels that she punched him and they didn’t bring him back for the sequel
Image credits: JacksonLightBrown
#14
Marlon Brando forced Rita Moreno to have an abortion in the 1960s. The procedure was botched, she went home with the fetus DYING INSIDE OF HER BODY, and she had to return to the hospital for a surgical removal. she almost died.
And then there’s the brutal sodomy scene in Last Tango in Paris. Maria Schneider was not informed of the scene until it was being shot. It was an incredibly traumatic experience for her. She was only nineteen years old.
Brando was a talented actor and he deserves to be credited as such, but I believe that it’s necessary that we cast light on his horrific treatment of women. talented people are capable of monstrous things. We need to condemn those actions, not enable them.
#15
Mark Whalberg. He's committed 3 rather violent racially motivated assaults. That's just the ones that are public knowledge.
OkTelephone496:
A surprising number of people think Mark Wahlberg is a good guy, and he very much is not.
egyptiantouristt:
He would also marry himself if he could.
Image credits: IncomeMuch863
#16
Jack Nicholson, pretty sure he beat a woman so badly she got brain damage.
FoodForTh0ts:
He also forced women he'd slept with to have abortions and sign NDAs saying they'd never met him
Image credits: rentinghappiness
#17
Anthony Kiedis.
I learned about what he did in his book, basically getting away with "having relations" with a 14 year-old girl.
Image credits: TieDense7051
#18
John Stamos is generally perceived as a nice guy who elicits a sense of nostalgia in millennials. He once joked about orchestrating the sexual a*****t of a women. She had agreed to sexual activity with him. They began with the lights off and he says he left and sent a friend in to the room to take his place. That's a story he told on a podcast, not sure if he thought it was funny or something?
Image credits: Violetmints
#19
It was said in another one of these on reddit.... Jimmy Saville. Scum of the earth when it all got uncovered.
#20
Paul Walker was dating a 15 yr old.
But the entire world talked of another of the Jenner dating a rapper at 16.
Dont_tell_my_friends:
This is the first answer I've seen that actually meets the question. Everyone has had a strangely high view of Paul Walker since his death. I hadn't heard of this and I doubt I'm alone in that. Makes me think of The Chaser's Eulogy song. "Even groomers turn into top blokes after death".
Image credits: Bennevada
#21
Ozzy Osbourne. He got high and k**led all of Sharon's cats. If he k**led a bunch of dogs he'd be a pariah, and rightfully so. It's no different. I cringed seeing him turn up in one of the Trolls movies.
#22
Eric Clapton. He is a self admitted r**ist and total racist.
#23
Stephen Collins. He played a family man preacher on 7th Heaven and then it came out in 2014 he had molested pre-pubescent girls. Hollywood Demons on HBO Max did their first episode on him.
Weirdly enough, he wrote an erotic thriller that incorporated a similar story to what he did and he starred in that made for TV movie ‘The Babysitter’s Seduction’. Maybe acting out a fantasy?
#24
Julia Roberts wearing that 'a low Vera' shirt in an interview, while having an affair with Vera’s husband.
Phoeoeoe:
Julia Roberts literally denied access from her sister to her dying mother, even though the sister was the one who took care of her for long years while she was sick. She committed s*****e afterwards.
Image credits: billiemarie
#25
Jim Carrey was a HUGE anti-vaxxer.
georgialucy:
He is a massive a**hole on set, but hides it behind "method" acting. A makeup artist from the Grinch said Carrey but him through so much s**t that he had to take a break from work to get therapy. The murky waters around his girlfriend's s*****e note also didn't paint a great picture of him.
Image credits: Talisign
#26
Ariana Grande maybe? I remember when she licked a random donut.
sanantoniogirl71:
Or the fact that she started a relationship with her current boyfriend knowing he was married and had a baby at home. Then went on a campaign making herself the victim.
Image credits: Background-Arm-8491
#27
Boy George falsely imprisoning a male escort by handcuffing him to a wall and beating him with a metal chain.
Might be more for UK redditors this one. He seems to be forgiven mind you.
#28
Actor Anthony Anderson from Black-ish.
From his Wikipedia page:
“Anderson was accused of r**ing a 25-year-old extra in a trailer on the film set of Hustle & Flow on July 27, 2004. The alleged victim accused Anderson and assistant director Wayne Witherspoon of forcibly removing her clothing, photographing her naked body, and sexually assaulting her. A witness claimed to have heard the alleged victim's screams and to have seen her run naked from the trailer, and she was treated at St. Francis Hospital.[48] The charges were dropped on October 6, 2004, because the judge ruled that there was no probable cause to try the case.
Anderson was sued for sexual a*****t in September 2004 by another woman who claimed that Anderson made sexually suggestive remarks and then assaulted her in his dressing room on the set of All About the Andersons.
On July 20, 2018, it was revealed that he was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for another sexual a*****t allegation.[49] Due to lack of evidence on September 4, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office decided not to press charges against Anderson.”.
#29
John Hamm did horrific things in college during fraternity hazing including dragging around a pledge by his testicles in the claw end of a hammer. That is not normal under any circumstances.
#30
Cristiano Ronaldo. That guy r***d a girl in a hotel room in LA, then swept it under the rug out of court.
Image credits: Praise__Allah
#31
I don't think anyone has been able to clean up their image as perfectly as Tim Allen, who has found a new virginity playing the "nice relatable middle class" guy on TV (basically the same part show after show), not to mention Santa. He's the epitome of the Conservative white dude now !
Not bad for a guy who pleaded guilty to trafficking c*****e, and would have gotten a life sentence if he hadn't thrown other d**g dealers under the bus.
Image credits: ladyteruki
#32
Snoop Dogg: had admitted to being a pimp (human trafficking).
Image credits: Additional-Software4
#33
Jackie Chan had an affair back in the 90s with a woman who was 19 years younger than him which resulted in a daughter. Allegedly he has never supported her and they’ve been estranged her whole life. He also has had an off and on estranged relationship with his son.
Image credits: ColorfulConspiracy
#34
Oh man, this one always messes with men, you'd be surprised how often the "nice" image is just solid PR.
One that always stuck with me was Ellen DeGeneres. For years she had the reputation of being super kind, fun, and all about spreading positivity, but then all those stories from former staffers started coming out about how toxic her show's environment was, and how she treated people behind the scenes. It was pretty eye-opening.
Image credits: Winmagin
#35
Mr Beast. I know several people who had no idea about the lawsuits and the allegations until I told them. So many people only see him on his YouTube videos, and don't see anything about him outside of the platform. On the topic of YouTubers though, people tend to forget that Joey Graceffa did content in blackface back in the day, and that Prestonplayz (allegedly) ran an illegal gambling operation targeting children through his Minecraft server.
#36
Chrissy Teigen (John Legend’s wife).
fattybuttz:
She talked super grossly about underage boys too. Really creeped me out and then I could never look at her the same again.
WealthTop3428:
Not just boys. Female TODDLERS. Someone really needs to do a welfare check on her kids. :(
Image credits: SecretAd8928
#37
Haven't seen this one - Jimmy Page is pretty revered for a guy who kept a minor he was sleeping with imprisoned for two years while on tour. Not to mention the whole thing where Zep made millions without crediting or paying the black artists they ripped off. We won't talk about the fish thing because that may have been consensual depending on who tells the story, but it doesn't mean it wasn't weird.
Clapton was an a****r and quite vocally racist somewhat recently for another guy who made bank ripping off black artists.
Pete Townshend ALSO did that, plus was caught with a bunch of CP on his computer for "research" purposes.
That's just off the top of my head, but a lot of respected classic rock artists that still get airplay and sell out stadiums were sleazebags. Don't tell your dad.
#38
Hulk Hogan. After the 90’s everyone knew he was a sh**bag but in the 80’s he had a PERFECT image.
#39
Sean Connery. Felt ok to hit a woman with an open hand.
Ambitious_Hold_5435:
His 1965 interview with Playboy is still online; just google it. So is his '87 TV interview with Barbara Walters. The '65 interview is the most horrifying; he sounded like he enjoyed smacking women around and being mean in general. He allegedly left a woman unconscious in a hotel room. I don't think he was limiting it to an "open hand" back then. The man was about 6'2" or 6'3" and towered over most women.
#40
The Rock, he is nice to his fans but absolutely cocky and s****y and rude to crew members on set.
#41
James Marsden.
Supported and defended convicted p***phile and child r**ist in the children’s film industry, Brian Peck. Including being among many who wrote a letter of support during his trial defending his actions, and has not shown any kind of remorse or apologised to the victim.
#42
Michael Fassbender beat his ex bloody, even breaking a chair over her.
#43
Anna Kendrick is apparently horrible on set and mean to fans.
Lea Michelle is an actual nightmare on set with receipts to prove it. She straight up terrorized her cast mates on Glee.
#44
Halle Berry got into a car accident and fled the scene.
Image credits: talixxo
#45
Cybill Shepherd.
She started an affair with Peter Bogdanovich on the set of "The Last Picture Show" (1971), while his wife was THERE and was also pregnant with their second child. The POS left his pregnant wife to be with her.
There's a pretty *interesting* quote from Cybill herself on the topic (source: IMDB):
[on her film debut in The Last Picture Show (1971) and her romance with its director. Peter Bogdanovich] "When a film wraps, the actors often like to keep some of their props or wardrobe as mementos. I wanted the heart-shaped locket and brown and white saddle shoes that Jacy wore, but his wife Polly [Polly Platt] was in charge of costumes and wouldn't give them to me. I guess she figured I had enough of a souvenir: her husband."
Imagine the audacity, the entitlement and the complete lack of conscience.
There are also multiple cases of her being an insufferable brat on movie sets, TV shows, social gatherings, etc.
Many of her co-stars and staff complained over the years that she was in fact a nightmare to work with.
#46
Mike Myers. Had a guy fired on set for looking at him.
#47
Luther Vandross k**led a man while driving like a maniac in LA. Got off with a slap on the wrist.
#48
Claire Danes had an affair with Billy Crudup while his wife (Mary Louise Parker) was eight months' pregnant.
#49
Leann Rimes, while hardly comparable to a lot of what’s in this thread, cheated on her husband with Eddie Cibrian (also married at the time), so they split up two marriages.
#50
Niel Gaiman was thought to be a nice guy until relatively recently.
Sir_Lemming:
I was so disappointed when I heard about Gaiman, he had to be one of my favourite authors, his mastery of the written word was amazing imo, now I’ll probably never be able to read any of his books.
#51
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS and the absolutely f*****g vile cake or meat platter he made of Amy Winehouse shortly after her death. DON’T LOOK IT UP. It is so beyond disturbing. I’m upset I ever saw it. And for that reason I always answer this question when it comes up on reddit. Everyone should know what a despicable, sick f**k NPH is.
Image credits: scootiescoo
#52
Michelle Wie West… 1 of my friends worked nights at a hotel.. she wanted everyone staying there to be kicked out because she deserved the place to herself. When told no she assaulted my friend, his boss, and got off with no consequences because of who she is.
The stories I’ve heard about her… are either the same or worse.
#53
I loved Shaq but the stories of what he’s done to rookies (hazing) painted him in an entirely different light. It was a massive heartbreak.
Image credits: RawDogEntertainment
#54
Ashton Kutcher.
jammerpammerslammer:
He created company to combat CSAM called Thorn. That’s cool.
What’s not cool… is him openly dating a 14 year old mila kunis when he was like in his 20s. Gets married to Demi Moore when he was 25, she was 40. He was very close friends with P. Diddy and those letters written on behalf of matterson.
Listen, this is all alleged and there’s no proof of these following statements but I have such a strong feeling that he is into very sketchy stuff. Like similar how to “pdofile hunters” actually turn out to be the pdos, they project to be saviors and hero’s but really it just allows them to continue abusing under people’s noses.
Idk, the mf is sketch.
#55
I was really disappointed when I read about Rik Mayall leaving his pregnant long-term partner for another woman (also pregnant) 😥.
#56
Matthew Broderick.
Crashed his car and k**led a mother and daughter. He was fined £100 for it.
#57
Taylor Swift dated a 17 year old at 23.
Image credits: Flat_Statistician_43
#58
Brad Pitt.
Sail-to-the-Moon:
Angelina Jolie has filed court papers accusing ex-husband Brad Pitt of drunkenly attacking her and their children during a private plane flight, prompting her to file for divorce.
In a lawsuit over a French winery that the stars bought, Ms Jolie says Mr Pitt grabbed her by the head and attacked two of their children on the 2016 trip.
Mr Pitt also verbally abused and poured alcohol on his family during the flight from France to Los Angeles, she says.
He denies the allegations.
Ms Jolie’s claim of abusive behaviour by Mr Pitt on the 14 September 2016 flight have emerged in previous court papers, including the Oscar-winning former couple’s divorce settlement.
The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2016. Authorities decided not to press charges.
But new details were alleged in Tuesday’s filing in Los Angeles by Ms Jolie’s legal team. It is part of an ongoing lawsuit over Chateau Miraval SA, a home and vineyard in the south of France that the former Hollywood couple acquired together.
Mr Pitt argues that he and his former wife had agreed not to sell their stakes in the venue without the permission of the other.
Ms Jolie disputes this, and blames Mr Pitt for ending negotiations over purchasing her shares of the property.
Her cross-complaint on Tuesday says the actor was physically and emotionally abusive towards her and their six children - aged 8 to 15 at the time - during the private plane flight.
Her lawyers allege the Fight Club star began shouting, accusing her of being “too deferential to the children”.
Shortly into the flight, Mr Pitt “pulled her into the bathroom” in the back of the plane, says the lawsuit.
“Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall,” the filing adds.
“Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
After one child verbally intervened, Mr Pitt “lunged at his own child”, says the filing.
Ms Jolie then “grabbed him from behind to stop him”, according to the court papers.
“To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow,” the legal filing continues.
“The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.”
Ms Jolie’s lawyers say she and her children “sat still and silent under blankets” for the remainder of the flight.
“Pitt periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them. At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children,” says the filing.
A source close to the actor told the BBC that Ms Jolie’s claims were false.
“She continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants,” said the source. “Her story is constantly evolving.”
Last year, a judge awarded joint custody of the children to both parents.
The Miraval estate is located in the village of Correns in south-eastern France, and was bought by the couple for around €25m (£21.3m; $25m) in 2008.
The stars got married there six years later.
Pitt says Jolie sought to harm him with vineyard sale Mr Pitt has sued Ms Jolie, claiming that her decision to sell her stake in the estate to a Russian oligarch amounted to an attempt to “undermine” his investment and cause “gratuitous harm” to Mr Pitt, who had “poured money and sweat equity into the wine business”.
Ms Jolie’s lawyers say in their filing that the actress “has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day”.
They add that her decision to sell her stake in the venture was in part due to her “growing increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to participate in an alcohol-related business, given the impact of Pitt’s acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse on their family”. Mr Pitt told the New York Times in 2019 that he had joined Alcoholics Anonymous following his split from Ms Jolie.
Ms Jolie’s court filing lays bare the tension between the couple over their plans for the winery.
Mr Pitt, who has previously spoken of his love for architecture and design, decided the chateau needed a fifth pool at a cost of €1m and wanted a staircase to be rebuilt four times, according to Ms Jolie.
Image credits: gwennj
#59
Tom Hanks had his kid kidnapped in the middle of the night and d**g to some camp in the woods.
#60
Tobey Maguire.
triton2toro:
Maguire is a high stakes poker player. In the book and movie, “Molly’s Game”, he’s a central figure. He comes off as a douche, belittling lesser players and Molly (the game organizer) as well.
Because the legality of running an underground poker game is questionable, by only relying on tips (rather than a house rake), Molly was able to skirt the legal issue. But, it also meant that her income relied on being able to make tips by running and organizing the game. At one point, the players decide to change venues, thus leaving Molly out of the game, and without income. In the book, she recounts how he calls her to gloat (to what point but other than be cruel) about the venue change. Even throwing in a, “You’re f-ed” for good measure.
Holland is a better Spider-man by miles anyway.
#61
It was quite a long time ago now, but not many people seem to remember that Steven Fry spent time in prison.
#62
Mark Hamill either coerced his son's girlfriend into an abortion, or tried mightily. I forget which.
