Celebs The Public Never Should've Forgiven
Whether it's because of their good looks, their money, or their media training, celebs sometimes get a free pass from the public. In fact, there are many celebs that the public has inexplicably given a pass to. Remember that time James Franco solicited an underage girl? No...of course you don't, because the public has since forgotten about it. What about the time that Angelina Jolie frenched her own brother? You've probably forgotten about that, too. While some celebs might actually deserve a pass — like Matthew Broderick's unfortunate car accident over 20 years ago — others have had the cards stacked against them so heavily that it should have been impossible for us to forgive their wrongdoing. So without further ado, here are 6 celebs the public inexplicably gave a pass to.
James Franco
Sure, James Franco is a funny dude, but we should've stopped laughing when screenshots of an exchange between Franco and an underage girl on Instagram and through text messages went public. Franco, 35, asked for the 17-year-old girl's phone number, where she's staying, and if she wanted to meet up, even after the young girl revealed she was just 17. In fact, Franco seemed kind of desperate and persistent during the whole exchange. Franco later went on Live with Kelly & Michael and apologized, pretty much blaming the entire situation on the fact that he was new to social media. Although not illegal in New York (which has the age of consent set at 17), Franco's actions were shady. The public surprisingly didn't care, though, and Franco got a freebie.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie may seem like a suburban housewife nowadays, but at one point she was making waves in the media. At the 2000 Oscars ceremony, Jolie made out with her brother James Haven publicly, fueling rumors that the two were in an incestuous relationship. Of course, they were just rumors, and we have no proof of what might have happened behind closed doors. But during her acceptance speech, Jolie spoke about how "in love with" James she really was. There was a brief headline or two over the next week, but no one seemed to be appalled enough to make a stink of it. Both Jolie and Haven defended their tonsil hockey, with Angelina even noting that "friendship between siblings of divorced parents is very close." Close, not gross, Angelina.
Ray Lewis
Following a Super Bowl XXXIV party on January 31, 2000, Ray Lewis and some friends got into a fight with a group of people, resulting in the stabbing deaths of two men, Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. Lewis and his buddies were brought in on murder and aggravated-assault charges. The knife found at the scene didn't have any fingerprints or DNA on it, but the white suit Lewis was wearing that night has never been found, with the District Attorney Paul Howard alleging that it was dumped in a garbage can outside of a fast food restaurant nearby. But Lewis copped a plea agreement which got his murder charges dropped if he testified against his two friends that were with him that night. Lewis only ended up with 12 months probation and a $250,000 fine from the NFL.
Lewis received the MVP the following year, has been on the cover of Madden, and still works with the NFL as a broadcaster. Somehow, the public has forgiven Lewis, even though that legal case certainly didn't paint him in a positive light.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe is widely considered to be one of the best basketball players to ever enter the NBA, and we'll give him that. But, in July 2003, the media began reporting that Bryant had been arrested in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by a 19-year-old woman. The woman accused Bryant of raping her in his hotel room. Bryant admitted to having an affair on his wife, but denied that it was rape. Kobe eventually settled out of court, and offered a half-assed apology to the young woman for "his behavior that night." He also went on to admit that although he believed the encounter was consensual, he recognizes that she does not believe it was. Kobe is still playing in the NBA, and the media frenzy was short-lived. While the rape allegations are brought up in conversation here and there, the majority of the Kobe talk surrounds his basketball career and when he's going to retire.