It’s understandable why we admire celebrities. Many use their fame to support important causes, raise awareness, and donate to charity. On the surface, they seem like real-life heroes.
But behind every wholesome image is a team of publicists working hard to keep scandals under wraps and good deeds in the spotlight. So, while some stars appear squeaky clean, the reality is often more complicated.
And strangely enough, nothing seems to clear a celebrity’s reputation quite like their passing. That’s the theme of this viral Reddit thread, where people are naming famous figures whose shady histories were conveniently forgotten once they were no longer around.
Check out the most surprising examples below.
#21
Charlie Chaplin. Married and divorced multiple teenage girls who he abused.
91points
#22
James Brown. Regularly beat his wife over 25 years until she k*lled herself.
89points
#23
Not dead yet but Hulk Hogan would easily fit this category.
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89points
#24
Pretty much ANY Kennedy. They probably have the most sanitized public reputation of any American political family.
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88points
#25
Marlon Brando
Was an a*s on set and people hated working with him. And SA'd the actress on the set of The Last Tango In Paris by using butter which he had discussed with the director on the day of shooting and did not inform Maria Schneider before to discuss it with her. He also suggested to "write his lines on Maria's rear end" instead of memorizing his lines but it was rejected.
Was an a*s on set and people hated working with him. And SA'd the actress on the set of The Last Tango In Paris by using butter which he had discussed with the director on the day of shooting and did not inform Maria Schneider before to discuss it with her. He also suggested to "write his lines on Maria's rear end" instead of memorizing his lines but it was rejected.
85points
#26
All the poineers of America. Henry Ford, Rockefeller, Edison, Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, Vanderbilt, Ray Croc anyone that became successful climbed over a lot of people to get to the top.
83points
#27
Picasso was a woman beater. Dali sold out his friends to the fascists, if I remember correctly he was responsible for Lorca’s death.
82points
#29
I mean mike tyson committed r**e and he's pretty much beloved again now.
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80points
#30
Surprised nobody said Hitchcock. Guy was a total a*****e perv. Genius who made absolutely terrific films and expanded the very vocabulary of visual storytelling, but what a twisto.
Abuse of performers, especially women, used to be expected from directors in pursuit of incredible performances (which frequently worked).
Abuse of performers, especially women, used to be expected from directors in pursuit of incredible performances (which frequently worked).
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74points
#31
Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin and almost everyone remembers him for that other than his music.
When he died, fellow musicians were full of nothing but praise for him and conveniently overlooked this as well as his other misdemeanours.
When he died, fellow musicians were full of nothing but praise for him and conveniently overlooked this as well as his other misdemeanours.
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72points
#32
Jackson Pollack. He lived off his wife’s work and k****d his mistress/gf while driving drunk.
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71points
#33
How is Michael Jackson not top comment lol.
71points
#34
Bing Crosby, known - along with his wife - for terribly abusing his children.
I had a friend whose parents worked as contract background players on the sets, lots and scenes of movies during Hollywood's "Golden Age" when she was a little girl. Every once in a while, they would take her with them and she would be in awe of the various stars she saw, including the ones in the films in which her parents worked and appeared. One of them was one of the "Road" pictures with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Even though her parents usually did not bother those in the main cast, they gave in to their daughter - again, just a little girl, maybe seven, eight or nine years old - who pleaded to meet Hope and Crosby. They took her to Bob Hope first and introduced her. He pulled her onto his lap and immediately treated her as if she was the most important little girl in the world, asking all the usual questions one would of a little girl: what's your favorite school subject?, etc. When he was finished, they - and she later remembered, *very* reluctantly - took her over to Bing Crosby. With their voices shaking, they asked him if their daughter could meet him. He looked at them, looked down at her, and back at them, and then asked with an expression as cold as ice: "Do I have to touch her?".
I had a friend whose parents worked as contract background players on the sets, lots and scenes of movies during Hollywood's "Golden Age" when she was a little girl. Every once in a while, they would take her with them and she would be in awe of the various stars she saw, including the ones in the films in which her parents worked and appeared. One of them was one of the "Road" pictures with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Even though her parents usually did not bother those in the main cast, they gave in to their daughter - again, just a little girl, maybe seven, eight or nine years old - who pleaded to meet Hope and Crosby. They took her to Bob Hope first and introduced her. He pulled her onto his lap and immediately treated her as if she was the most important little girl in the world, asking all the usual questions one would of a little girl: what's your favorite school subject?, etc. When he was finished, they - and she later remembered, *very* reluctantly - took her over to Bing Crosby. With their voices shaking, they asked him if their daughter could meet him. He looked at them, looked down at her, and back at them, and then asked with an expression as cold as ice: "Do I have to touch her?".
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68points
#36
Bob Barker.
Lived to 99, beloved gameshow host who brought lovely memories to millions of television viewers for many decades.
Also fostered a toxic work environment behind the scenes. Very dismissive and demeaning to his female workers. And of course, most of the models known as "Barker's Beauties" all sued him when they left the show. They couldn't keep up and eventually settled, but Holly Hallstrom went the distance. Her legal fight lasted 10 years, she ended up homeless, but then she won and got her payout of several millions. Way to go Holly!
Seems like during his tenure it was the "old boys club" attitude and the women staff couldn't fight for their rights or defend themselves, because they were up against Barker and CBS.
Lived to 99, beloved gameshow host who brought lovely memories to millions of television viewers for many decades.
Also fostered a toxic work environment behind the scenes. Very dismissive and demeaning to his female workers. And of course, most of the models known as "Barker's Beauties" all sued him when they left the show. They couldn't keep up and eventually settled, but Holly Hallstrom went the distance. Her legal fight lasted 10 years, she ended up homeless, but then she won and got her payout of several millions. Way to go Holly!
Seems like during his tenure it was the "old boys club" attitude and the women staff couldn't fight for their rights or defend themselves, because they were up against Barker and CBS.
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65points
#37
Alexander graham bell
Tried to outlaw sign language and thought that Deaf people shouldn't have their native language. EVEN THO HIS WIFE WAS DEAF. AGB even today is an oralist Deaf organization against any use of sign language.
Tried to outlaw sign language and thought that Deaf people shouldn't have their native language. EVEN THO HIS WIFE WAS DEAF. AGB even today is an oralist Deaf organization against any use of sign language.
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63points
#38
Paul Walker dated an actual teenager when he was famous and everyone loves to forget that because of Fast and The Furious.
62points
#39
Tupac - he r***d a woman and was convicted of 1st degree sexual a*****t for it.
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62points
#40
John F Kennedy cheated on Jackie Kennedy repeatedly. His father was a philanderer as well.
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61points