Stars Whose Dark Secrets Were Exposed In 2019
Celebrities grow accustomed to living their lives in the public eye, and the media can be relentless in its quest to obtain the juiciest information, but sometimes, famous people are able to keep their deepest, darkest secrets off the radar ... at least for a little while. Plenty of shocking truths have been revealed in 2019 about some of our favorite famous faces. We've seen two legendary actresses get accused of being involved in an elaborate college scandal, and a talk show host admitted that she had been secretly living in a sober facility unbeknownst to her many fans. Each revelation was more shocking than the one before, keeping our jaws permanently dropped as we remained on the edge of our seats. As we ponder which celebrities' tea will be spilled next, here are the stars whose dark secrets were exposed so far in 2019.
Lamar Odom spills the tea about ex Khloe Kardashian's fury
Ever since Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian's marriage went belly-up in 2016, bits and pieces of information regarding their failed union have trickled out over the years, but Odom exposed all the secret details in his 2019 memoir, Darkness to Light, including this scandalous incident at the Hotel Roosevelt in 2012:
"I had arranged for two strippers to meet me there for an indefinite stay. I had reached out to my drug contact and had a nice little stash..." he wrote. Kardashian allegedly saw the room charge pop up on his credit card, and she showed up later that night at his room with her mom, Kris Jenner, and their security team. "There were naked girls everywhere, Khloe opened the door and pounced on the first girl she saw," Odom said, claiming his then-wife was "beating the s**t" out of her target, "dropping vicious blows." With Jenner supposedly screaming for security to help corral Kardashian, Odom claimed Kardashian instructed him to pack up his belongings and told security to "remove all traces of the drugs" from the room before they all snuck out "the back door of the Roosevelt."
K-pop stars face charges for secret sex crimes
The K-pop scene was in shambles in 2019, after former 2 Days & 1 Night member Jung Joon-young (pictured) was accused of illegally filming and sharing sex tapes in 2015 and 2016. According to The Korea Times, he allegedly filmed at least ten women and uploaded the footage to a KakaoTalk chat room to share among other entertainers. Those fellow stars supposedly included BIGBANG group member Seung-ri, Choi Jong-hoon of FT Island, and Highlight member Yong Jun-hyung, reported E! News.
In March 2019, Chosun Media claimed authorities were investigating Seung-ri for allegedly "arranging escort services for an investor for his business in a nightclub in the affluent Gangnam area of southern Seoul. He also faces allegations that his own nightclub in the same area was a hotbed of prostitution and drug peddling. In May 2019, Choi Jong-hoon was arrested for allegedly "taking part in a gang rape with three other men in 2016," reported Chosun Media. All four of the aforementioned K-pop stars were charged by South Korean authorities. Jong-hoon reportedly left FT Island and announced his retirement. Junh-yung dropped out of Highlight and lost a bunch of television gigs. Joon-young also announced his retirement, and Seungri followed suit by bidding the industry adieu, reported Billboard.
RHOC Meghan King Edmonds learns her husband's dark secret
The Real Housewives of Orange County star Meghan King Edmonds and her husband, Jim Edmonds, have issues just like the rest of us, but we didn't expect that Jim was a big ol' cheater! This salacious secret was exposed in June 2019, when Jim came clean about a dirty affair. "Regrettably, I had a lapse in judgment. I engaged in an inappropriate conversation with this person," Jim said, per Us Weekly. Flirty messages and nude photos were reportedly exchanged, but Jim insisted he never had physical contact with anyone other than his wife. Meghan was skeptical. "Do I believe him? I don't know. Because I don't trust him anymore," she wrote in a blog post. Then another bomb dropped...
All About The Tea posted screenshots of inappropriate messages between the former baseball player and a woman referred to as the "baseball madame." Jim allegedly cheated on his second wife, Allison Jayne Raski, with the so-called madame and supposedly rekindled the affair when Meghan was pregnant with their twins! If true, it's another heartbreaking blow for a woman already grappling with big challenges.
Following those allegations, Meghan revealed that their son, Hart Edmonds, has "irreversible brain damage" called Periventricular Leukomalacia. "I do not see his diagnosis as anything but a gift: we were chosen to take on this special person," she wrote in her blog. "...This is a heavy challenge as a mother: where do we go from here? This is where: one foot in front of the other.
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro hits rock bottom
The Jersey Shore cast knows how to party. After chugging a bunch of Ron-Ron juice, it's not unusual to see the MTV stars fist-pumping on a dance floor near you. Ronnie Ortiz-Magro can party with the best of them, but fans had no idea he was struggling until he let the cat out the bag during an interview with Us Weekly. Ortiz-Magro revealed that he entered rehab at a treatment center in West Palm Beach, Fla. "I decided to go to treatment because I wanted to be a better person, a better father for my daughter," he said.
The treatment center helped the reality star deal with "depression and alcohol abuse," Us Weekly reported. Ortiz-Magro said he has struggled with substance abuse for a while. "You stop and you start up again, and it's worse than when you stopped. You're just like, 'Wow, I thought I had this under control,' but at the end of the day, it has full control over you," he said. Hopefully, he's acquired the tools needed to stay on the straight and narrow. Now, if only he can get his relationship troubles with baby mama Jen Harley under control.
Sharon Osbourne reveals her secret struggles
We know all about Ozzy Osbourne's decades-long battle with drugs, alcohol, and depression. However, it wasn't until 2019 that we were made aware that his wife, TV personality Sharon Osbourne, was also struggling with personal issues of her own. During an episode of The Talk, Osbourne opened up about her depression and "the third time" she attempted suicide. "But it's like, I'm still here. I still do what I do and you struggle ... I wish everybody could think flowers and daisies and princesses, but you can't," she said.
Osbourne told Access Hollywood (via ABC News) that she took a break from The Talk in 2015 to enter into treatment after suffering a breakdown that was brought on by her depression, she told Access Hollywood (via ABC News). We're glad she took the necessary steps to work on her mental health, and we wish her nothing but the best.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Wendy Williams was living with 'a bunch of smelly boys'
Wendy Williams had a rough 2019. Allegations emerged that her then-husband, Kevin Hunter, was cheating on her with his mistress, Sharina Hudson, and had allegedly fathered a child with the other woman, but there were other secrets surrounding The Wendy Williams Show.
Beginning in December 2018, Williams took a break from her hit TV show, claiming she was experiencing complications from Graves disease, per a post on her Instagram account. Upon her return, during a March 2019 episode of her talk show, Williams revealed she had been secretly living in a sober facility. "You know I've had a struggle with cocaine in my past. I never went to a place to get the treatment," she said. Williams said that at the end of her busy days, her 24-hour sober coach would drive her to the sober house where she would watch TV with her housemates, whom she described as "a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family."
Lori Loughlin was exposed in the 'Varsity Blues' cheating scandal
One of the biggest stories of 2019 that shocked us to the core was the arrest of former Full House star Lori Loughlin. The felony charges against her were so steep, we were starting to reconsider everything we thought we knew about "Aunt Becky." Loughlin and her husband, fashion guru Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters, YouTube star Olivia Jade Giannulli (who goes by the name Olivia Jade) and Bella Giannulli, admitted into the University of Southern California as recruits for the school's crew team. Neither of the girls even participated in the sport.
After getting nabbed, Loughlin and her hubby opted against taking a plea deal and pleaded not guilty to all the charges, according to Entertainment Tonight. In the aftermath of this secret being exposed, the Hallmark Channel gave Loughlin the old heave-ho, and Hewlett Packard ditched an ad that featured Loughlin and Olivia Jade, reported CNN. Olivia Jade lost some deals, too, including lucrative partnerships with makeup giant Sephora and haircare line Tresemmé.
Felicity Huffman also participated in the shady secret college prep
Former Full House star Lori Loughlin wasn't the only celebrity who got caught up in the college admissions scandal known as "Varsity Blues." Actress Felicity Huffman was woken up by federal agents who showed up at her Hollywood Hills, Calif. home in March 2019, according to TMZ. She was arrested, and later pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, acknowledging that she paid $15,000 to arrange for cheating on her daughter's SAT test," reported The New York Times.
According to the Times, after Huffman's daughter left the testing facility, a "proctor corrected her answers" on the SAT test. Huffman reportedly expressed deep remorse for her actions in front of the court, but she'll still have to face the music on her Sept. 13, 2019 sentencing date.
The actress entered a plea agreement in which "federal prosecutors recommended ... a four-month prison sentence," which is much lower than the "maximum 20 years the charges carry," according to USA Today.
Liam Neeson's startling admission sparked backlash
Liam Neeson chatted with the Independent about his movie, Cold Pursuit, in February 2019. During the course of the interview, he spoke about his character dealing with rage — which led the actor to open up about a prior incident involving a good friend of his who was brutally raped. His friend confirmed the suspect was a black man, and Neeson admitted that thoughts of vengeance flooded his mind. He stated he "went up and down areas with a cosh," hoping he'd be approached by a "black bastard" so that he could "kill him."
Though Neeson acknowledged that, in hindsight, his reaction was "horrible," major backlash understandably ensued. 24 hours after his remarks, the celeb appeared on Good Morning America and addressed his "primal urge to lash out." The Taken star said, "I'm not a racist," when speaking about the incident, which occurred "nearly 40 years ago." Neeson added that if the assailant was white, he would've searched for someone who fit that description.
Thankfully, Neeson didn't hurt anyone during that time, because he acknowledged he would've possibly killed a man if confronted. When he finally snapped out of his rage and "came down to Earth," he "went to a priest" to seek help for his negative thoughts. On the bright side, Neeson's GMA interview turned into a teachable moment on racism and hatred.
Demi Moore's memoir shed light on her dark past
Demi Moore spilled the tea on her own traumatic life in her 2019 memoir Inside Out. Part of the shocking tome detailed her messy eight-year marriage to Ashton Kutcher, namely the claim that her much younger then-hubby "expressed his fantasy" of having a threesome, to which she reluctantly agreed. Moore was left with "shame" (via People), while Kutcher was allegedly left with an appetite for more extramarital rendezvous. "Because we had brought in a third party into our relationship, Ashton said, that blurred the lines and, to some extent, justified what he's done," she wrote.
Moore alleged that Kutcher admitted cheating on her a second time with a 21-year-old woman in 2011, which triggered their long, drawn-out divorce that was finalized in 2013. During an interview with Red Table Talk, Moore cited her marriage to Kutcher as the reason she relapsed with alcohol addiction. "The addiction [was] in the codependency," she said, adding, "My addiction to Ashton was probably almost more devastating [than alcohol] because it took me seriously away, emotionally."
Other shocking confessions from Moore's memoir (via Radar Online) include her struggle with an eating disorder, infidelity in a previous marriage, mental health issues, and addiction to hard drugs. As for why she decided to reveal her life's darkest secrets? "I think my desire was to really get to a place where I am OK to really be seen," she told People, adding, "When there isn't anything to protect. That's a great spot."
Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook were living apart, but it was NBD
When Kaley Cuoco made a mad dash to the altar in June 2018 to marry her then-boyfriend, professional equestrian Karl Cook, it raised more than a few eyebrows. The blaring idiosyncrasies of their romance went from cutesy to quirky fairly quickly. And before long, many were questioning whether the former Big Bang Theory star had made a hasty decision to tie the knot — you know, especially after her disastrous marriage with ex-husband Ryan Sweeting. That's a story for another day, though.
Little did we know, Cuoco and Cook's marriage was much stranger than we could've ever imagined. In August 2019, she revealed to E! News (via Harper's Bazaar) that they were still happily married, but she and Cook were living separately until they finished building their dream home. "We have a very unconventional marriage, you know, we have different locations that we are at a lot," the actress said. "We are not together every single day, and I think personally, it's important. It works well for us."
But Cuoco living in Brooklyn and Cook staying back home to tend to his horses was A-okay for the couple, as she said on The View, "By the way, it's been working great and we love it." Hmm ... a number of critics may not be convinced, but we appreciate Cuoco's candor and wish this married pair the best!