Basking in the bright limelight has given many stars wonderful opportunities to shine radiantly in show business and to thrive in their personal endeavors. This is one of the major reasons why many people dream of becoming celebrities. The center stage is like a dreamland that when reached, success is indeed greatly achieved, but what’s saddening is when some crucial things go wrong and take a toll on the stars’ careers.
The life of celebrities is not as perfect as most non celebrities see and think. Just consider the freedom that they have which is obviously restricted and the privacy that they keep which is apparently difficult to protect. Because the popularity they have astoundingly goes nationwide and even worldwide, these public figures cannot simply live like anybody else; they always need to be careful and pleasant on and off cameras and stages.
Unfortunately though, many of them get involved in scandals reported by the media. As you know just by the word itself, scandals occur when certain stars get accused of disgraceful actions in or out of their working periods. These incite anger and disappointment not only from the people directly affected in the scandals but from fans and spectators as well. Stars are still stars anytime of day, so they are prone to rumors and scandals. Some celebrities seem to forget the fact that the public eye is on them and that any offense they do can ruin everything they have been working hard for in their careers.
In every country, there are celebrities, and some of them were reported or have been reported to be involved in crippling scandals. While this piece will not talk specifically of news accounts and of big icons, it will discuss what kinds of issues commonly damage and even shut down stars’ spotlights.
Here are 7 types of heavy-weight scandals that without a doubt devastate the careers of celebrities!
1 - SEXUAL CRIMES
One of the biggest and most destructive celebrity scandals of all involves violation of human rights through sexual crimes. This includes rape, sexual violence and exploitation against women and children, however, men are also victims, and women are also culprits. Even elderly people get abused as well.
It’s maddening that many of these sexual crimes involving celebrities are not immediately divulged because victims experience tremendous trauma that many of them don’t report their situation or are threatened by the offender’s party. Moreover, it’s disgusting how some celebrity management companies tolerate these kinds of wrongdoing by denying to protect their artists’ image which are assets to their companies.
Scandals like these often take a long time before they are resolved, most especially when the celebrities are not admitting but also not denying. Usually, strong proofs include victim statements, witness accounts, chat and text messaging, video recordings and CCTV footages and medical records. When a well-known personality is proven to be a perpetrator of sexual assaults, it’s sure that their reputation and career will be in flames.
2 - ILLEGAL DRUGS
Celebrities apprehended for illegal drug usage suffer the disruptive effects not only of the forbidden substances they abuse but of their wrong doings. Evidence includes actual possession of drugs inside their homes and personal stuff, records of digital transactions, and data gathered from medical examinations. Furthermore, drug-related scandals spread faster and get proven easier after other offenses committed by the guilty celebrities such as public brawls and drunk driving.
3 - RACIST REMARKS
Discrimination is unacceptable, and one of its branches is racism. While many celebrities are advocates fighting against the existence of racism, some stars seem to be careless and irresponsible with their statements online and offline. That leads to scandals involving the racist remarks they make.
Insensitive comments made on live broadcasts or even on overlooked recorded shows stir up anger and upset from the offended races. Even for people outside the displeased group, the inappropriate remarks are not supposed to be aired, not even supposed to be mentioned.
Nowadays, celebrities are more prone to racism scandals through social media. Some voluntarily express their racist remarks through tweeting, updating statuses or uploading photos, especially when there are political issues associated with matters they post about. On the other hand, some celebrities are just reckless and unaware of some remarks that seem fine to them but actually insulting to other cultures.
This type of scandal is actually highly unavoidable. That’s why some celebrity management companies don’t let their artists freely post just whatever on social media, especially in terms of sensitive issues, to prevent the unwanted possibilities.
4 - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic violence is a huge global issue that makes heads ache and hearts break.
Everyone knows that violence is never the answer to resolve any problematic situation. Regrettably, some celebrities are involved in domestic violence scandals where their own intimate partners are the victims. Others’ victims are other family members or people working under them.
Visibly, the physical abuse is proven through bruises, scratches, wounds, blackeyes and other injuries on the victims’ bodies. These are acquired through hitting, beating up, slapping, hair pulling, pushing and more violent actions by the assaulter.
However, domestic violence is not limited to what the eyes can see. It can also be emotional abuse involving neglect, threats, manipulation and coercion to take drugs and alcohol. Verbal abuse includes name calling, threatening to kill or hurt, yelling at and terrorizing the victim. Some resort to economic abuse where the victim is disallowed to access funds and the suspect spends the money unnecessarily.
Sad to say, but this is just a glimpse of the big bad truth of domestic violence which some celebrities commit.
5 - CHEATING AND INFIDELITY ISSUES
It’s sad to know that some celebrities are ideal men or women in their on-screen characters but are the most unlikeable in their real-life infidelity issues.
Some scandals are due to having affairs with non showbiz or showbiz personalities while in a relationship with their partners. What’s more dejecting is when the cheating happens not only once and not only towards one partner.
Some celebrities proven to have cheating scandals still manage to get back on track in their careers. Though most people are dismayed, some people still support their careers despite their issues. However, the scars left by their wrong choices will always be on their image and reputation. It will always be a stumbling block that they must regret.
6 - PUBLIC HUMILIATION
Celebrities are humans, too, and just like anyone else, they have colors which are only revealed when they are not acting on TV and not performing on stage. These colors have both good and bad shades. The public loves to see their off-cam kindness but hates to even know when there is an off-cam rudeness.
A serious celebrity scandal that disappoints everyone is the star being an offender in public humiliation. Scenes like these happen in dramas, but they also do in real life. Often, a scandal like this happens when a celebrity is out on personal errands or vacations, and this spreads fast through bystanders’ video recordings and statements.
How does public shaming by a celebrity typically happen? Take this for an example. A restaurant staff accidentally pours hot soup on the personality’s expensive dress. Celebrity public shaming scandal happens when the celebrity customer speaks ill of the staff, hurts them, degrades them and steps harshly on their self-esteem in public.
Any guest will get shocked and ■■■■■■ off, but the reaction and response can be better than public shaming the staff who caused the accident. Sadly, this is often committed when the offensive party is enraged or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
7 - MURDER
Without question, the worst of all reported scandals some celebrities were involved are murder scandals. Shooting and stabbing were the most common criminal means recorded. The most usual victims were the celebrities’ own significant others and brawl rivals.
These inhuman deeds by popular figures certainly shook not only the entertainment industry but the whole world looking at them. No doubt, following their loss of honor, they ended up behind the bars as they should.
CELEBRITY SCANDALS
Numerous celebrities have been remaining in the entertainment industry because of their timeless talents and skills in their own craft. Many of them even grow old acting, singing, dancing, playing instruments or whatever their career requires. And it’s heartwarming to see that through the years, though many things have changed, they still are active in the field.
But you know what? They have been staying in the entertainment industry for a long time already because aside from their capabilities, they have also not been involved in any scandal or if they were, the issues were very much forgivable or, better, just false rumors.
The above-mentioned types of scandals are totally wrong whoever does them regardless if the offender is a celebrity or not. These are all inappropriate and even immoral, and anybody who commits one or more of these must pay the price.
The only difference when celebrities transgress these is that all people will absolutely know because they are public figures. Their lives are out there seen by the whole world, and the years of effort and hardwork they put in the entertainment industry are bound to be put to waste in the worst cases. The fame they have been receiving will no longer be just because they are great celebrities but because they have been involved in scandals.
This is truly a painful situation to be in. That is why it’s very important for celebrities to value not just protecting their celebrity image but also living genuinely good lives as people. What’s more, when stars are involved in scandals, it’s not only themselves who are affected but also those who support and cherish them. Many people are looking up to them, so in the first place, their goal must not just be to achieve their dreams but to actually be an unpretentious inspiration to the people around them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for The Fordham Company, one of Australia’s leading celebrity talent management agencies located in Sydney. Nicole graduated ■■■ Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.