Tori Spelling's Most Cringe-Worthy Moments
Tori Spelling has been in the spotlight for years through both her acting roles and many reality TV gigs. Since finding fame on "Beverly Hills, 90210" in the '90s, Spelling has gone on to make headlines for some pretty interesting reasons. Perhaps this is why the star is a perfect fit for reality TV –- her life is anything but dull. Fans of Spelling may already be familiar with her ability to land one reality TV gig after the next. From "True Tori" to "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood," much of the actor's colorful life has been documented for the world to see.
Spelling doesn't seem to mind that her flaws and struggles are put on display. The star spoke about her passion for reality TV during an interview with Us Weekly in 2021. "I like being able to be myself and be authentic," she told the magazine. "I feel like [being on reality TV] ties me closer to people and to the public. So I like having fun with [it]." Luckily for viewers, Spelling's openness means that they'll likely be entertained by the ups and downs of her life for years to come. This also means that we can easily revisit Tori Spelling's most cringe-worthy moments.
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott had a messy start
Tori Spelling's relationship with Dean McDermott is known to be ... eventful. The husband and wife have had to work through numerous challenges, including McDermott's infidelity and the seemingly endless divorce rumors that followed. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that this marriage got off to a rough start. Spelling and McDermott met in 2005 on the set of the movie "Mind Over Murder." Both were married to other people at the time, but that didn't stop them from seeing each other.
Spelling wrote about the affairs in her 2009 tell-all "sTORI Telling." She recalled the moment when she confessed to her then-husband Charlie Shanian. "Charlie didn't want to hear it or believe it," the reality TV star penned. "He kept saying, 'Where's all this coming from? We have a perfect relationship.' Then he turned to me. 'Did you cheat on me?' I said yes. He said, 'It was with Dean, wasn't it?' I said yes. He said, 'I should have known.'"
As for McDermott, he was married to Canadian actor Mary Jo Eustace at the time. Both Spelling and McDermott divorced their partners following the scandal and later got married in 2006. While Spelling's book revealed that Shanian didn't respond well to her cheating, Eustace eventually became cordial with McDermott and his new wife in 2019.
She relived her husband's alleged infidelity in excruciating detail
Divorce rumors have followed Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott for years, although both stars continue to adamantly deny having intentions to part ways. In 2010, a leaked clip from the couple's reality TV show "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" suggested that their marriage was on the rocks, per New York Daily News. Fans speculated that McDermott and Spelling would move forward with a divorce, but they shut those rumors down.
It was McDermott's alleged affair with another woman in 2013 that ramped up speculation again that they would split. Spelling had to relive the traumatic event on their reality show "True Tori." The other woman told Us Weekly, "He told me he and Tori had a sexless marriage." As for Spelling, she found out about the infidelity from her publicist. McDermott's reason for cheating? Sex addiction. "I could never give him enough sex," Spelling cried on one episode. "He's never going to be happy with just me."
In 2020, Spelling's Instagram Christmas family photo was missing one person — her husband. Instead, she held up a photograph of him. And they fought off divorce rumors again in 2021 after they were both spotted without their wedding rings. McDermott addressed the speculation during an appearance on the "Feminine Warrior" podcast. He explained that he lost his ring while golfing. Interestingly, he decided against replacing it. When Spelling was interviewed by Jeff Lewis, she revealed, "Right now, my kids and dogs sleep in my bed." As for McDermott? Spelling said, "He's in a room."
Brian Austin Green denies dating Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green starred in "Beverly Hills, 90210" together, and it turns out that a romance between the two unfolded behind the scenes ... but only Spelling believes she and Green dated. "Brian Austin Green, I mean David and Donna, we were on camera together and we are off camera, something," the actor said on the "Women on Top" podcast. "Brian] and I have different perspectives of what that was. There's the young girl version and the young boy version, so two different versions."
Spelling went on to share that she had a conversation with Green about their fling. "It's so funny, because to me, I was like, 'Remember that summer we were together? You said 'I love you' and I said 'I love you,'" she shared. "And he remembers none of that. He was like, 'No, we hooked up. We were friends.' And I was like, 'Cool, OK.' Even now I'm like, 'OK, cool.'" Green spoke about his relationship with his former co-star during an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Just like Spelling shared, it seems that the actor didn't exactly see the fling ending in marriage. He explained that the two only "hooked up."
Her pregnancy prank wasn't well received
An April Fool's Day prank went left after Tori Spelling took to Instagram to share what appeared to be a pregnancy announcement. The since-deleted post featured a photo of Spelling holding her stomach. She captioned the post "No. 6," seemingly hinting that she was pregnant with her sixth child. Some social media users congratulated the star, but others suspected that Spelling wasn't actually pregnant. Criticism rolled in after fans realized that the mother of five's pregnancy announcement was actually an April Fool's Day prank. "Better not be a joke," one user wrote (via Scary Mommy). "Joking about pregnancy on April Fools is beyond tacky."
Spelling eventually came clean in a separate Instagram post in which she revealed that she intended to confuse media outlets with her prank. "I know that pregnancy is an extreme blessing," she wrote in part in a now-deleted post. "And I would never intentionally poke fun at losing a child or not being able to carry one. I myself have miscarried. My post was simply to turn the tables for once on the press. They constantly create wild and often hurtful stories about me, my body, and my family."
Her alter-ego 'pees anywhere'
Some might say that Tori Spelling is an open book. This is great for fans who want to know all about the star's life, but Spelling sometimes shares details that are a little too personal. The actor held nothing back during a 2016 appearance on Khloe Kardashian's "Kocktails with Khloe." Kardashian asked the star, "Where is the strangest place you've ever peed?" and her answer was ... interesting.
Spelling shared that her alter-ego "Teri" comes out when she's drunk, and her bathroom habits are a bit shocking. "When Teri comes to visit, she is cray-cray, and one of her things is, she likes to pee, and she pees anywhere," the reality TV star said. "Like, she will piss under the table — everyone raise your legs! — she will pee in a potted plant, yeah." The actor continued, "She doesn't come out that often now that I'm a mother, but there's Teri. Teri is super fun." Luckily for Kardashian, it seems that Spelling was able to tame Teri for the duration of the interview.
TMI on the family's bathroom habits
Tori Spelling's 2013 book "Spelling It Like It Is" revealed shocking details about her family life. Some might say that one of the most questionable revelations in the book is the excerpt on Spelling and Dean McDermott's bathroom habits. "When I met Dean I went from sharing nothing with my partner to telling Dean everything," the "Scream 2" actor penned. "TMI is the story of our lives. We regularly share the size, color and length of our s***s. We beckon each other to the toilet to lean in and get a good look. Unfortunately, our kids have picked up on this habit too. There are photos on my phone of the most impressive McDermott family s***s."
The couple's poop fascination doesn't end there. In 2021, Spelling took to Instagram Stories to reveal that she gifted her kids a poop-themed Elf on a Shelf surprise for the holidays. "The kiddos and I have been sick and when we woke up this morning we found that our messy elves got even messier today," the reality TV star said while filming a bathroom staged to appear destroyed with covered chocolate "poop." "Wouldn't life be more fun if everyone pooped chocolate, peanut butter, and chocolate chips?" Spelling said in the clip.
The reality TV star's kids put her in some awkward situations
It is perhaps no surprise that Tori Spelling has opened up about a few frustrating parenting moments given that she's a mom of five. The reality TV star recalled a time when her son, Liam, unknowingly created an awkward moment between her and another parent in her book, "Spelling It Like It Is." "The mom had asked, 'How do you like your new little sister?' Liam responded, 'I like her, but I don't like when her [genitals get] red.' He started pulling me toward our car," Spelling penned. "The mom looked up at me, shocked. I just shrugged and said, 'Vagina is so clinical.'"
The mom of five spoke about the difficulties of parenting once again during an appearance on the "People Every Day" podcast in October 2022. She admitted that raising teens can be difficult. "I have two teenagers now and I'm gonna tell everyone out there: If you don't have teenagers yet, oh, just wait," Spelling said. "Just when we thought the toddler phase was hard — the teen years, the angst!" The star went on to reveal that she's intrigued by the differences between her younger kids and their teenage siblings.
Spelling wrote about her most private moments with McDermott
It seems that there is little fans don't know about Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott's relationship. Spelling shared even more private details with the public in "Spelling It Like It Is." The book revisits the couple's risky decision to make a sex tape. "Dean said, 'We should tape ourselves having sex.' He had a little portable tripod, and he set up his video camera on it," Spelling wrote. "Afterward, I checked my angles and they were good, so I allowed him to keep it." She went on to share that one of McDermott's friend's found the tape and shared it with others. The couple issued a cease and desist letter, and never heard back from the unnamed thief.
Spelling seemed shocking by the responses she received after readers found out about the tape. "I told the story in the book and I never in a million years thought that people would pull out, 'Oh my gosh, Tori Spelling made a sex tape!'" the actor said in an interview with E! News. The star went on to address rumors that she was considering negotiating a deal to film another tape to release to the public for cash. She shut down this speculation and explained that she didn't appreciate these allegations given that she's a mother.
She made an interview super awkward
Tori Spelling has made headlines on more than one occasion for her reported financial troubles. In January 2022, The Sun reported that the reality TV star owed over $38,000 in credit card debt after American Express Bank first ordered her and Dean McDermott to pay over $87,000 back in 2012. The company even attempted to have WEtv withhold a portion of the couple's earnings, but they were unsuccessful because court documents reveal that the network was not Spelling's employer. In a separate lawsuit involving Citibank, the actor was ordered to pay $5,054.32 and interest for an unpaid credit card bill. The stars' money troubles don't end there. She and McDermott got in trouble with the IRS in 2017 when they were hit with a tax lien of more than $700,000.
While Spelling usually seems to be all about transparency, she had little to say about her alleged financial struggles during an interview with "Good Day New York." The conversation quickly became awkward after the interviewer asked, "Are you experiencing financial troubles? Are you, you know, able to pay your bills?" Later on, the interviewer suggested that Spelling use her time on the show to explain her side of things, but she simply giggled in response.
Tori Spelling was left out of a tribute to her late father
Tori Spelling's late father, Aaron Spelling, was the famed TV producer behind hit shows like "Charlie's Angels," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Charmed," and more. Hollywood mourned his death when he passed away in 2006 and he was even honored during a tribute at the Emmys that year. While Tori starred in "Beverly Hills, 90210" — a show produced by her father — she was not featured in the tribute. This was reportedly due to a feud between the reality TV star and her mother, Candy Spelling. However, Candy's spokesperson, Kevin Sasaki, claimed this wasn't the case. "Everyone is giving Candy Spelling too much credit," he said, per The Denver Post. "She's been accused of running the network, producing the Emmys and deciding who can and can't come."
Regardless of whether or not Candy had any involvement in snubbing Tori, the mother and daughter have a long history of conflict. In 2009, the mom opened up to People about the strained relationship. "I don't see Tori and Dean anymore. I used to see Liam, but no longer. And I've never met Stella," she said, also revealing that she was no longer in contact with her grandchildren. Despite all the ups and downs, Tori Spelling and her mom still have moments when they're on the same page.