Celebrities are always in the public eye, so the things they do and say can be scrutinized. Sometimes its warranted and sometimes is a gross over reaction. The following is a list of instances of overblown outrage about a celebrity.
Charlie Chaplin & Communism
Film star Charlie Chaplin, a true star ahead of his time, was labeled as a communist. Although a British subject, he spent most of his life in the USA, where he would become scrutinized for his political views. For this reason, Charlie Chaplin never went back to America. Government officials said they had dirt on him, when in fact they had nothing at all.
“Charlie Chaplin was labelled a Communist and was told his re-entry to the United States would be subject to investigation into his political views. Charlie just decided never to come back to America. Once the documents became unsealed, it was revealed government officials had nothing on him despite publicly stating they did.”
Courtney Love & Harvey Weinstein
About 15 years ago, Courtney Love made some comments about Harvey Weinstein, claiming that he was a rapist and generally horrible person. Nobody believed her at the time and she was shunned by society. Of course, it turns out that she was totally right and Harvey Weinstein actually turned out to be a complete monster.
“What she said was “If Harvey Weinstein invites you to an audition at the Four seasons…don’t go”
Michael Phelps & Smoking Pot
Michael Phelps is of course the most decorated professional swimmer of all time, having won dozens of gold, silver, and bronze medals throughout his career.
After one of his most amazing Olympic runs, a picture of him smoking a bong circulated. Of course, there was an uproar in the sports community over an athlete using pot, even though pot is not a performance enhancing drug.
“I think Seth Meyers said it best: “Dad, dad, Michael Phelps is smoking weed, does that mean I can?” “After you win 8 gold medals, sure.”
Howard Dean Screaming
In 2004, Howard Dean lost the Iowa caucus to John Kerry, and to reassure his supporters, made a loud and rambunctious speech. This was characterized by him screaming YEAH, and was broadcast over 600 times on national news and cable networks.
“The audio used in the airings of the scream was from Dean’s unidirectional microphone, which decreased the volume of the background noise to the point where only Dean’s voice was audible.”
Janet Jackson’s Wardrobe Malfunction
Yes, here we are talking about the infamous Super Bowl halftime show where Janet Jackson had her wardrobe malfunction which resulted in her breast being shown to millions of people around the world. She faced massive amounts of backlash for this, even though it did not appear to be her fault in any way.
“I remember seeing something about the letters that the FCC received complaining about that. It led to regulatory changes on broadcasters so it was a pretty big deal.”
Paul Reubens and the Theater Incident
Paul Rubens, otherwise known as Peewee Herman, was caught doing an indecent act in an adult movie theater in 1991. There was an extreme amount of outrage due to this since he was seen as a beloved family-oriented character. But it was in his private life and in an adult theater where such action may not be uncommon.
“Paul Reubens (caught doing an indecent act) in an (adult) theater in 1991. It was an adult theater and there was no reason for it to affect his career.”
Sinead O’Connor and the Pope
Although it is a well known fact that the Catholic Church abuses its minors, when Sinead O’Connor called them out on it, she faced absolutely massive backlash from the Catholic community and more. This effectively ruined her career.
“Sinead O’Connor calling out the Catholic Church over the abuse of minors. How dare she?”
Britney Spears Meltdown
Everyone mocked Britney Spears for her very public meltdowns, which culminated in her shaving her hair publicly. However, the simple fact of the matter is that she was abused, bullied, and harassed endlessly, which led to her erratic behavior. She in no way deserved this judgment from the great Republic.
“We all mocked the LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE video but.. they were right.”
Dixie Chicks and George Bush
In 2003, the Dixie Chicks heavily criticized George Bush and his decision to invade Iraq. Of course, seeing as this was a very patriotic time in the United states, the comments were heavily criticized, and it more or less ended the Dixie Chicks as we knew them.
“I remember seeing a news program as a kid shortly after that that said “Dixie Chicks: Where are they Now?”
Martha Stewart and Insider Trading
Does everybody remember when the insanely rich Martha Stewart used insider trading to become even richer? She was even put in prison, which was technically deserved, as the accusations were true. A lot of outrage was directed against her for seemingly being another rich celebrity who did not have to follow the rules. But she isn’t the first to take advantage of insider information and certainly isn’t the last.
“No doubt that Martha Stewart was accused of insider trading and put in prison, yet every politician in Washington become millionaires from insider information. The amount she made was minuscule compared.”
Colin Kaepernick Kneeling
There was also a whole lot of overblown outrage directed at football star Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem in protest against police brutality towards black people. Of course, as was to be expected, right wingers did not like this at all. This created a huge divide in the NFL world between those who supported him and those who did not.
Martin Scorsese and Marvel Movies
To round off the list, Martin Scorsese once said that marvel movies were more like a theme park roller coaster than actual cinema, and that he did not believe that they were worth watching. Seeing as marvel was absolutely massive at the time, millions and millions of fans shared their outrage with his comments.
“But that’s not cinema.”
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The Dumbest Things Said by Famous People that Will Make You Cringe
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