The Most Scandalous Celebrity Confessions Ever
Some might say the words "scandal" and "celebrities" go hand in hand. Think about it, Hollywood has been plagued with scandals since the first film reel was edited. And it's not just people in the film and TV industry either. The political world is filled with famous people who've been involved in crazy situations and sketchy behavior. Of course, being in the social media and paparazzi era, the private lives of famous people get exposed all the time. "Good Morning America"'s Amy Robach and T. J. Holmes know all about that since their relationship was outed by the Daily Mail in November 2022.
As of the writing of this article, the morning show hosts haven't confessed to anything, but that's certainly not always the case with celebs. Some have admitted to behavior that's considered scandalous or just plain old wrong by many, which is the focus of this piece. Plus, we've gathered singers, actors, and sports figures while proving that scandal doesn't discriminate when it comes to person or industry. So, now that we've explained, let's head into the most scandalous celebrity confessions ever.
Milli Vanilli fooled many
Here's something incredibly strange: Former singing Group Milli Vanilli won best new artist at the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990 for their album "Girl You Know It's True," but they didn't sing a solitary note on the LP. How'd that happen? It turns out that other vocalists were brought in to sing the songs and Rob Pilatus, as well as Fab Morvan, who made up the group, pretended it was them. But even before that big reveal came, there were signs that something was amiss, like a performance in Connecticut where Milli Vanilli's backing track skipped, which revealed they weren't really singing at all.
Then after the Grammy win, a man named Charles Shaw said he was one of three singers hired to sing "Girl You Know It's True" songs, as People shows. And Frank Farian, the album's producer, admitted in a press conference that Pilatus and Morvan were actually models hired to market the LP. Pilatus and Morvan confessed as well, and their Grammy was revoked. In short, the group said when they met Farian, he already had a song finished and just needed a couple of faces to promote it. Milli Vanilli was also told they'd sing other songs in the future, but that never happened, according to their explanation.
Kirstie Alley admitted something scandalous about John Travolta
Look, co-stars become attracted to each other. That's nothing new. Just ask David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston, who admitted to having a crush on each other while filming "Friends." But there's a colossal difference between having an attraction and falling completely in love with a co-star, and Kirstie Alley experienced the latter with John Travolta while they were filming 1989's "Look Who's Talking," as well as its two sequels.
But what makes Alley's confession scandalous is that she was married to actor Parker Stevenson when her feelings for Travolta escalated. It was something she talked about during an interview with Barbara Walters in 2012. "John is the greatest love of my life," Alley confessed. "Believe me, it took everything I had inside [and] outside to not run off and marry John."
The "Welcome Back, Kotter" alum was single when he and Alley filmed "Look Who's Talking," so if she wanted to run away with him, she could avoid being called a mistress or homewrecker. But she still refused to give in to her feelings since she wanted her marriage with Stevenson to work. Although Alley confessed that she "worked hard" to make her marriage work, the pair ultimately divorced in 1997 after 14 years of marriage. Notably, Alley also admitted to falling in love with Patrick Swayze when they filmed the 1985 miniseries "North and South," something she also told Walters and spoke about on "Celebrity Big Brother."
Cardi B spoke of a dark past
Cardi B has created many viral moments in her career so far. One of them came in 2017 when her song and video "Bodak Yellow" was released. Another is when she sat down with then-presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders for a conversation. And who could forget when Cardi tried to fight Nicki Minaj at a New York Fashion Week party in 2018? Another viral moment for the Bronx rapper came when she spoke of being an exotic dancer back in the day, who would drug and rob men. The video surfaced in 2019, and Cardi said it was recorded three years before, as Vox specifies.
The backlash was immediate and so was the belief among many that Cardi should be canceled. Some also used Bill Cosby to make their point since the disgraced comedian was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison in 2018 for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman. Although Cosby's conviction was eventually overturned on appeal, he was also accused of doing the same to many other women (via NBC News). As for Cardi, she responded to the drugging and robbing men controversy on Instagram. "I never claim to be a perfect [person] or come from a perfect world ... a perfect past I always speak my truth," she wrote in a now-deleted message published by E! News. "I made the choices that I did at the time because I had very limited options."
Marion Jones pleaded guilty
Former track and field star Marion Jones knows what it's like to be on top of the sports world since she won five Olympic medals. But the Los Angeles native also knows what it's like to have the world come crashing down on her because she quickly went from praise to condemnation. In 2007, Jones pleaded guilty to lying to the feds about taking steroids, a claim that she denied for years. She lied about receiving $25,000 from former track star Tim Montgomery as well, per the Washington Post, who she shares a son with. Less than a year after her confession, Montgomery was sentenced to 46 months in prison for money laundering and check fraud.
"I want to apologize to you all for all of this. I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways," Jones wrote in a letter to her friends and family. She also claimed that her ex-coach Trevor Graham gave her a performance-enhancing drug and told her that it was flaxseed oil when it was really tetrahydrogestrinone, otherwise known as "Clear."
Jones also admitted that she should have known better from the very beginning when Graham told her not to tell anyone about the substance. For his part in the steroid scandal, Graham was sentenced to one year of home confinement and five years of probation. Jones, meanwhile, was sentenced to six months behind bars (via New York Times).
John Mayer opened up during a racy conversation
At one time, it seemed like John Mayer had the same passion for talking about his personal life as he did for singing. For example, in 2008, Mayer admitted to hooking up with groupies after shows. To be fair, the "Daughters" artist was asked the groupie question, but he still could've refused to answer. Either way, Mayer said that being with a groupie became less desirable over time and explained why.
"I might have hooked up with people but as soon as I hooked up, they weren't fans anymore," he said on New York radio station Z100, according to "Today." "The answer is, yes, I have. But not in a really long time ... I'm not trusting enough to open up to anyone I don't really know anymore, which is good for my immune system."
A decade later, Mayer spoke with Larry David's daughter Cazzie David and admitted to bedding less than 500 women after being asked. He didn't give an exact number but talked about how easy it is for him to hook up with someone. "Yes, I could have sex with somebody at any given moment," Mayer explained. "But I think being a famous man is somewhat similar to being a beautiful woman, which means yes there is access, there's very seldom any desire."
Jada Pinkett Smith did an about-face concerning August Alsina
Since its 2018 debut, Jada Pinkett Smith's Facebook show "Red Table Talk" has been the source of substantial amounts of gossip. Of course, combine gossip with celebrity, and you're almost guaranteed to have a hit on your hands. But one could argue that the episode released on July 10, 2020, generated the most talk of the series so far.
On that day, the public learned the "Set It Off" star had a romantic relationship with R&B singer August Alsina while she was married to Will Smith. Her admission came shortly after Alsina spoke about the relationship with radio host Angela Yee. Although Smith and Pinkett Smith denied it at first, the firestorm around the story was difficult to contain. Perhaps most scandalously, Alsina also alleged that Will gave him his blessing to pursue a romantic relationship with his wife.
On her show, Pinkett Smith admitted that Alsina's characterization of their prior relationship was true, but denied that her husband played any role in it, saying she's the only person who has a say in her romantic life. She also explained that she was separated from Smith at that time and going through a world of hurt. "We were over," Pinkett Smith said. "From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August ... I was in a lot of pain and I was very broken."
It took a while for the talk of "entanglement" confession to die down. Once Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022, the general conversation surrounding the Smiths' turbulent marriage was about that shocking moment.
Alicia Silverstone defended a number of unique parenting technique
When it comes to parenting techniques, Hollywood stars certainly have a diverse set of opinions on any given topic. For example, in 2021, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis prompted disgust from the public when the pair admitted to not washing their children every day (via Complex).
Notably, Alicia Silverstone has drawn negative publicity for her own unique approaches to parenting on more than one occasion. People sure had a lot to say in 2012 when she shared a post online showing that she chewed her son's food before giving it to him. Many were appalled at watching the bird-like practice of premastication, but as it turns out, Silverstone was only just warming up.
When the actor was criticized years later for talking about something else she did with her boy Bear, she was probably already prepared for it. During a 2020 interview with the New York Times, the "Clueless" star said she took baths with her then 9-year-old son during the COVID-19 pandemic. And seeing that Bear was far from an infant at that time, many called the act weird.
The mother-of-one also got a big reaction two years after that New York Times interview when she talked about sharing a bed with Bear. "Bear and I still sleep together," said Silverstone on "The Ellen Fisher Podcast." "I'll be in trouble for saying that but I really don't care ... If you were in any kind of wild setting where there are animals, if you put your baby over there, your baby is going to get eaten. It's not ideal for the baby to be over there," she added.
Rob Ford sparked outrage
Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was accused of everything from public intoxication to the purchasing of narcotics and making inappropriate comments while in office. But the initial talk surrounding those allegations was nothing compared to 2013 when Gawker reported that he was smoking crack on video. Ford initially scoffed at the claim but later came clean. Plus, police stormed various homes around the time of the report and said they found footage that showed the drug claim was true.
Ford eventually spoke to reporters about the scandal and said he used the dangerous substance one year earlier while drunk. "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. But ... do I? Am I an addict? No," he seemed eager to specify. "Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors ... I've made mistakes. All I can do now is apologize and move on." There were many calls for Ford to resign from office, but he refused. Instead, Ford briefly became the source of a plethora of jokes from late-night comedians like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert (via CNN).
Ford ran for a second term in 2014 but had to leave the race after developing liposarcoma, which Johns Hopkins defines as "a rare type of cancer that develops in your fatty tissue." Ford sadly passed away on March 22, 2016, at 46 years old.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Rick Ross kept sticking to his story
Deny, Deny, Deny. That's the method that Miami rapper Rick Ross used when he was accused of being a corrections officer in a past job. For most people, admitting to a history in such a profession wouldn't be worthy of much note beyond recognition that he once held an important and difficult job. In fact, such news about most stars would probably prompt "Seinfeld"-levels of indifference from the general public ... "Not that there's anything wrong with that."
However, Ross caught a lot of backlash when this fact came to light because he preferred to portray himself as a kingpin of sorts in the Miami drug trade. In 2008, The Smoking Gun published an old photo of Ross working as a corrections officer. With his decidedly less rebellious past coming to the forefront, Ross quickly attempted to explain to AllHipHop that the picture was actually photoshopped by hackers and was fake. But just like vocalists often do to match the proper note of the backing music, Ross eventually changed his tune about being a corrections officer.
"Me not answering or addressing that situation has nothing to do with my career," he told XXL in 2009. "I've accomplished enough, and I've made enough money for me to be good ... Yes, it was me in those pictures. But I'ma tell you this. Me taking that job, I was doing my job. You understand what I mean?" No, we actually don't, Mr. Ross, and would love for you to expound.
James Franco said that he didn't know better
At the 2018 Golden Globes, actor James Franco was all smiles, because he nabbed a statue in the category of best actor in a comedy or musical for "The Disaster Artist." Plus, his career seemed rock solid, despite making more than a few questionable decisions, like when he tried to hook up with a 17-year-old girl via Instagram in 2014. But a few days after the Golden Globe win, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about five women accusing Franco of sexual misconduct, and the alleged victims were female students of his former film school Studio 4.
On top of that, "The Breakfast Club" actress Ally Sheedy blasted the Golden Globe win and implied that she left the film industry because of the "Why Him?" actor. Other women accused Franco of bad behavior as well, which he denied on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." Franco also said he was confused about why Sheedy was so mad at him.
Later, however, Franco admitted to sleeping with some of his students but didn't think it was wrong back then. "I suppose at the time, my thinking was if it's consensual, okay," he said on the "The Jess Cagle Podcast." "I didn't sleep with anybody in that particular class, but over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students, and that was wrong."