Celebrity Text Messages That Stunned The World
The following article mentions allegations of rape, domestic abuse, and drug use.
Celebrities are no strangers to scandals. Of course, that's particularly true in the digital age, where just about anything can be found and shared online. Even when a famous person thinks they are having a private exchange with someone, there's always a possibility that what they shared will make headlines, especially when they put it in writing. Suffice it to say, there have been quite a few celebrities whose fingers have gotten them in a bit of hot water for what they once typed in a text message.
One example is former First Lady, Melania Trump, who managed to shock people by just texting a single word. In June 2022, her former Chief of Staff, Stephanie Grisham, took to Twitter to post screenshots of a text exchange between her and Trump on January 6, 2021, the day of the Capitol Building riots. In the message, Grisham wrote, "Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence?," to which Trump responded, "No." She later defended herself, telling Fox News, "I was fulfilling one of my duties as First Lady of the United States of America, and accordingly, I was unaware of what was simultaneously transpiring at the U.S. Capitol Building."
Still, she's not the only celebrity whose text messages have stunned the world. Put your phone on silent, as we break down other famous folks who probably wished they'd never hit send.
Shia LaBeouf's exchanges with Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde probably shouldn't have claimed that she fired Shia LaBeouf from her film, "Don't Worry Darling." After all, he had messages that seemingly suggested this wasn't necessarily the case. The actor and filmmaker had told Variety that she let LaBeouf go because she thought that his approach to acting was too hostile. "His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions," she said. "... My responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them."
LaBeouf already had a damaged reputation, particularly following allegations from his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, that he had been repeatedly physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive toward her. Unwilling to take another blow to his career, he released emails and text messages between him and Wilde that suggested he had in fact quit the film due to the cast being given inadequate rehearsal time. In the exchanges, Wilde appeared to acknowledge the situation. In a video message, she even tried to convince him to change his mind, saying, "I'm not ready to give up on this yet." In reference to his co-star, Florence Pugh, she added, "... I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo" — potentially confirming rumors there was drama between the two.
Still, Wilde tried to downplay the situation on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," dishing, "There were private messages that were released without context to try to make a situation look like something that it wasn't."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Jason Sudeikis' texts to his nanny
Olivia Wilde found herself involved in another infamous texting scandal after a nanny that worked for her and her ex, Jason Sudeikis, leaked some of their private messages. Wilde had previously told Vanity Fair that she didn't leave her husband for Harry Styles. However, the unidentified nanny had shared text exchanges with the Daily Mail in an attempt to prove otherwise.
The nanny shared alleged screenshots of Sudeikis' texts to her, where he accused Wilde of abandoning him and their children. "She just left ... She left them ... I'm in shock. This is crazy" he wrote. Later, he added the crucial detail, "Took her salad, and dressing and left them," which had apparently been an additional blow. Those texts not only resulted in Wilde's salad recipe going viral but also suggested that Sudeikis didn't handle the breakup well. The nanny even shared a text where she wrote to him, "You've been drinking and really angry. I'm very afraid of you right now." And while she may have felt bad for him, she also alleged that Sudeikis had involved her in their relationship drama only to fire her because of it, and without severance pay.
Ironically, that texting scandal did bring the former couple together since they went on to release a joint statement to denounce the nanny, stating, "It is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly."
Armie Hammer's violent messages to women
In 2021, some shocking text messages seemingly contributed to the end of Armie Hammer's Hollywood career, after multiple women shared graphic messages he had allegedly sent them that detailed his violent rape and cannibal fantasies. In one of his most infamous alleged messages, he wrote, per Variety, "I am 100 percent a cannibal. I want to eat you." In other messages, he'd write things like, "I want to bite you ... Brand you, tattoo you, mark you, shave your head and keep your hair with me, cut a piece of your skin off and make you cook it for me."
The texts destroyed the actor's career and inspired the documentary, "House of Hammer," about his family's reportedly abusive past. Even more notably, they apparently led to a police investigation since one woman accused Hammer of rape – she claimed that he'd later texted her about how the violent assault had excited him. "You crying and crawling away while I stalked you down your hallway was so exhilarating," he allegedly wrote.
The star denied any claims of rape and abuse through his lawyer, who told Us Weekly, "From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions ... have been completely consensual, discussed, and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory." Meanwhile, a source claimed to Daily Mail that following the initial accusations against him, Hammer had allegedly texted her to gripe, "It's very invasive and sh***ty to get kink shamed by the internet ha."
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).
Johnny Depp's texts about Amber Heard
If you followed the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial in 2022, then you know that it involved a lot of scandalous and appalling allegations about both stars. One of Depp's most memorable and graphic text exchanges about Heard was with fellow actor, Paul Bettany. According to CBS News, Depp wrote, "Let's drown her before we burn her! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she's dead."
His texts to the star were also used in an attempt to prove he had a problem with drug and alcohol use. In one text, he listed what he'd consumed prior to taking a flight with his then-wife, writing, "Powders ... Half a bottle of Whiskey, a thousand red bull and vodkas, pills, 2 bottles of Champers on plane ..." Heard had accused him of assaulting her during the journey in question, and of being so intoxicated he blacked out. Bettany, of course, wasn't pleased to have their private messages released, telling The Guardian, "It was an unpleasant feeling."
In court, text exchanges between Depp and other friends were also read out in which he seemingly wished death upon her. In one, he simply unloaded a barrage of vulgar insults against his ex-wife, writing, "I have no mercy ... or what I once thought was love for this gold-digging, low level, dime a dozen, mushy ... overused flappy fish market." Depp apologized for his texts, admitting, "In the heat of the pain I was feeling, I went to dark places."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Tiger Woods' texts to his mistresses
You could say that Tiger Woods was one of the first celebrities who really shocked the world with his text messages since it's what exposed the clean-cut, family-oriented athlete as a serial cheater back in 2009. According to The New York Post, Woods' then-wife Elin Nordegren was the first to be stunned by what was on the former pro-golfer's phone after a tabloid headline raised her suspicions about his infidelity.
The scandal quickly exploded from there with several women coming forward claiming to be Woods' mistresses, with many sharing text messages he had allegedly sent them as proof. Per Radar, he reportedly wrote to former reality TV star, Jaimee Grubbs, "Send me something very naughty ... go to the bathroom and take it." In another exchange, the Daily Mail reported that he wrote to the porn star, Joslyn James, "I want to treat you rough. Throw you around, spank and slap you." Later that day, he added, "I would like to have a threesome with you and another girl."
Woods' texts to former nightclub manager, Rachel Uchitel appeared to be more emotional, with him reportedly once writing to her, "You were the only one I ever loved," per Daily Mail. The golf star did eventually own up to his extramarital affairs and issued a public apology, saying, per CNN, "I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in."
Britney Spears' pleas for help
If you've been following the Free Britney movement then you know that Britney Spears spent years under a very strict conservatorship that was controlled by her father until 2021, when it was terminated. Since then, Britney has called out her family for forcing her to live under abusive conditions, including her mother, Lynne Spears, despite their once close relationship.
One way Britney expressed her pain was by sharing screenshots of her alleged texts with her mother in a since-deleted Instagram post (via BuzzFeed News), seemingly to prove that Lynne had ignored her pleas for help in 2019. The "Baby One More Time" singer had texted her about not wanting to increase her antipsychotic medication, writing, "I literally feel all the sick medicine in my stomach." Referring to her doctor, she added, "I feel like he's trying to kill me."
In the same post, Britney shared other texts to a friend, Jansen, who she says also ignored her when she shared her concerns about her medication. She posted screenshots of texts to her court-appointed lawyer where she asked for her medical rights. She even wrote, "I've been in [the conservatorship] for 12 years. I want it over ... I want to live for me.
However, on their respective Instagram Stories feeds, Lynne and Jansen claimed they did respond to her. Both responded by alleging that what Britney posted wasn't the whole conversation, and suggested that someone may have deleted their texts to her.
James Franco's creepy messages to a teen
James Franco is another celebrity who experienced extreme career fallout after he was accused of sexual misconduct by five women in 2021 (he denied the allegations but supported the rights of his accusers, per People). It didn't help that seven years earlier, he was caught sending some creepy text messages to a teenage fan.
Franco reportedly met 17-year-old Lucy Clode after she was leaving his Broadway performance in "Of Mice and Men." According to Gawker, the two took an Instagram video together. When she later tagged him in it, he apparently began flirting with her in her DMs, asking if she had a boyfriend. Despite Clode telling Franco that she was not yet 18, they switched over to texting where Franco continued to pursue her. He fired off multiple texts in a row writing, "Can I see you? You're single? What's the hotel? Should I rent a room?" The actor even reportedly sent her two selfies to prove it was actually him. Regardless, she still rejected his advances, writing, "I'll come back when I'm 18" — she went on to post the conversation on Imgur and it went viral.
During an appearance on "Live With Kelly and Michael," Franco shared his embarrassment and blamed his lack of social media acumen for the scandal, stating, "I used bad judgment and learned my lesson." On "The Howard Stern Show," he further discussed how he failed to see the issue. "I was a gentlemen," he insisted. Later adding, "... I was like anybody, just trying to meet somebody."
Adam Levine's cringey messages to women
Adam Levine was another celebrity whose flirty messages got him into trouble. Especially since he had sent them to women who were not his wife, Behati Prinsloo, who happened to be pregnant with their third baby when they surfaced. The rocker's inappropriate behavior had come to light when Instagram model, Sumner Stroh made a TikTok video alleging that they'd had an affair that began over Instagram DMs. From there, multiple other women came forward, claiming they too received flirtatious messages from Levine, which weren't only disheartening because he is married, but also very, very, cringey. According to Daily Mail, Levine wrote things like, ”It is unreal how f***ing hot you are" as well as, "I may need to see the booty."
The internet had a field day with Levine's awkward messages, which of course became memes. And while most of his communication seemed to be through social media, his former yoga teacher, Alanna Zabel, revealed on her Instagram (via Page Six), "One day he texted me saying, 'I want to spend the day with you naked.'" On his Instagram Stories (via CNN), Levine owned up to some of his inappropriate behavior but denied ever having an affair, writing, "I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner."
Pete Davidson's texts to Kanye West
You're probably aware that Kanye West has posted some wild things on social media in recent years, which has included attacks on his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, as well as her family. But perhaps the person who got it the worst was Kardashian's first post-divorce boyfriend, Pete Davidson. West would not only criticize the comedian online but also went as far as to threaten him through his music.
In March 2022, West posted a since-deleted lengthy video to his Instagram (via Today) suggesting that Davidson had been sending him hostile messages about being with Kardashian. "The boyfriend texts me, antagonizing me ... I'm like, well, who's watching my children if he's texting me, bragging about being in bed with my wife?" In response, on behalf of the comedian, his friend, Dave Sirus, posted screenshots of the text messages referenced by West, to his Instagram feed (via Today).
In the exchange, Davidson defended Kardashian and called her a great mom. He also attempted to put an end to West's campaign of harassment against them, "I've decided I'm not gonna let you treat us this way anymore and I'm done being quiet. Grow the f*** up." When the rapper reportedly asked about where the actor was at that time, he responded, "In bed with your wife." Perhaps surprisingly, Davidson appeared to sincerely offer West some advice too, texting him, "Let me help you man. I struggle with mental stuff too ... you don't have to feel this way anymore."