Celebrity Confessions That Went Terribly Wrong

Being a celebrity might seem glamorous and like the greatest thing that could happen to someone, and let's face it — it probably is for the most part. Making boatloads of money, getting perks wherever you go, having millions of fans who adore you, that's not too shabby. But there is a downside to that coveted life for many a celebrity, and that's the lack of privacy. The very real fact that you almost can't do anything without the whole world knowing it. And considering celebs are human, just like the rest of us, and therefore make mistakes, we all get a front row seat for whatever faux pas they've committed, thanks to the press. Even though Hollywood still loves Hugh Grant, many can't forget his 1995 mugshot alongside Divine Brown after being arrested for lewd conduct. And nothing could make us forget Kanye's stage-side admission to Taylor Swift.

But even if somehow a star's behavior or inappropriate thoughts or words slip by the general public — or maybe occurred back before they were famous — some celebs throw themselves under the bus, either on purpose or by accident. Celebrity confessions can either make us more endeared to the person, who now seems not that different from ourselves, or bring scrutiny from the masses that the celebrity might not have been prepared for. So, let's take a look at some of those celebrity confessions that went terribly wrong.

From the start of his celebrity status, Matt Damon portrayed a "regular guy vibe" not unlike his street-smart character, Will," from the Oscar-winning film "Good Will Hunting," which put him on the map. As the decades unfolded, he transformed into an A-List actor, garnering roles in blockbuster movies. He married Luciana Barroso in 2005, and the couple has four daughters — one of which called Dad out for inappropriate language, something Damon himself shared in an interview, causing backlash from the general public.

In August 2021, Damon was interviewed by The Times to promote his movie "Stillwater." Part of the focus was how movies and movie-watching has changed. Possibly as another example of change, Damon said, "The word that my daughter calls the 'f-slur for a homosexual' was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application." He went on to say he'd made a joke and his daughter was upset, left the room, and proceeded to write a "very long, beautiful treatise" about the dangers of the word.

Twitter users wasted no time responding. One user wrote, "everyone acting all surprised about Matt Damon using a slur like they never heard about his early days in Boston."Another wrote, "the only thing that's truly surprising about the Matt Damon slur thing is that he might have actually stopped using that word." Others criticized Damon for his follow-up interview in Variety, in which he denied ever using the word in his personal life, claiming he was saying it had been used "constantly and casually."

Going through a divorce when the whole world has a front row seat makes the whole thing exponentially more difficult. For Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, that struggle lasted almost three years since they announced their separation in 2015 but didn't officially divorce until 2018. Before the divorce, in March of 2017, Affleck shared on Facebook that he had completed alcohol addiction treatment, saying, "I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do."

An admirable thing to be open and honest about his downfall and fight to overcome the addiction. But Affleck didn't leave it at that. In December of 2021, he appeared on "The Howard Stern Show" and shared his reasons for drinking as well as his motivation to get sober. "Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped," he said (via Daily Mail). "I was like, 'I can't leave because of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?'" And what he did was drink.

Unfortunately, his admission set off a firestorm of social media comments. One Twitter account posted, "@JLo Hope Ben realizes his kids will see that interview!" Another called him a "disgusting person." Affleck did a follow-up interview with "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to counter the criticism, which he said twisted his words. "I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom," he said.

Liam Neeson might have "a special set of skills," but that doesn't give the "Taken" actor a pass when the general public call him out on potentially dangerous and racist comments. In February of 2019, Neeson met with the Independent as part of the promotion for his current film, "Cold Pursuit." The topic of revenge came up, as his character is seeking revenge for his son's death. Neeson said he had a story from his past to share, something he'd never shared before.

As he told it, someone in his life told him she was raped, and Neeson immediately started asking her for a description, anything to go on to find this person. The woman said it was a Black man. Then Neeson hit the streets each night, scanning faces. But, the chilling part of the story was the actor's mindset. "I did it for maybe a week, hoping some 'Black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know, so that I could kill him," he said. He said it was horrible, but that he learned violence and revenge would only cause more violence.

Of course, those shocked and angered took to social media to condemn the actor, who bounced back in a "GMA" interview, saying, "I'm not a racist." But his apology didn't keep the premiere of "Cold Pursuit" from being canceled, unfortunately.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

"I have a past I can't change we all do," Cardi B wrote in a March 2019 Twitter post after an inflammatory Instagram Live of the rapper's from three years prior resurfaced, prompting shock and outrage. In it, Cardi B confesses that she used to drug and rob men when she was working as a stripper.

In the wake of this admission coming to light not only were people voicing their displeasure on social media but some were comparing her to Bill Cosby and R. Kelly, with a hashtag of #survivingcardiB showing up and at least one alleged victim coming forward. New Yorker Kevin Smith claims to have experienced one of those nights with Cardi B, losing consciousness and waking to personal items missing.

In her Twitter explanation post, Cardi B wrote, "Im [sic] apart of a hip hop culture where you can talk about where you come from talk about the wrong things you had to do to get where you are." The responses to that were mixed between those ready to forgive and those calling it a double-standard. She also wrote, "I always own my s**t." Which seems fitting since in September of 2022, the rapper pleaded guilty to assault charges stemming from a 2018 altercation in a nightclub. This was for two attacks on employees of the Angels nightclub in New York.

In 2020, Sharon Osbourne appeared on the BBC comedy game show "Would I Lie to You?" which features celebrities who tell elaborate, funny, or embarrassing stories about themselves, and the others have to decide if they're true. For Sharon Osbourne's turn, she claimed to have fired her assistant after a traumatic house fire, giving the reason that he had no sense of humor. When the other players questioned her, she recounted the details of the evening.

According to Osbourne, she and husband, Ozzy Osbourne, went to bed and left a giant candle burning, which started a fire in the living room. And when the assistant came into the room, Sharon directed him to first get the dogs, then save all the paintings. The assistant found the dogs but apparently drew the line at collecting the paintings. Sharon said when she found him outside wearing an oxygen mask, "I took the mask, and I put it on my dog." Later when the event was over, she and Ozzy laughed about it while the assistant didn't think it was funny. "'If you don't think that's funny, do you think this is funny?' And he goes, 'What?' I said, 'You're fired,'" Sharon said.

Fans took to Twitter, calling Sharon a "horrible person," with one user saying, "That's some evil right there," and another commenting, "No wonder Ozzy did drugs." And while Sharon had pressed the "truth" button on the show, she later said on The Talk that she was kidding and didn't fire the assistant until years later.

Alicia Silverstone, most known for her 1995 role as Cher in "Clueless," might just be as unique as the character she played. In 2011, she gave birth to a son, Bear Blue, and less than a year later, she sparked controversy in a viral video of herself feeding Bear from her mouth after chewing the food for him. She also posted about it on her website The Kind Life under the parenting section. Subsequently, her blog received thousands of comments with many calling it "gross" and "unhygienic." The actor responded to the criticism, saying it's something that has been done for thousands of years.

In 2022, Silverstone revealed on "The Ellen Fisher Podcast," "Bear and I still sleep together," adding, "and I'll be in trouble for saying that, but I don't really care." And she was right as once again the reaction was not all positive. The hosts of "The View" passed the idea around the table, starting with a grimacing Whoopi Goldberg. When it came to Sara Haines, she said not sleeping with her children was about mental health. "For our mental health and their mental health, because I want them to be self-soothing sleepers." Joy Behar said she had no problem with the concept.

As someone who is both forthcoming about her parenting and often widely criticized, Silverstone simply says, "I'm a natural mama, and I'm a loving mama, and I believe in love, and I believe in nature, and our society is scared of nature and scared of love."