Hollywood's Biggest Scandals Of The Last 10 Years Ranked By Shock Value

The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Hollywood provides a plenty of scandal alongside its entertainment. Every day, news breaks out about some event or another shaking the industry's foundation. However, the past decade proved to be particularly salacious, as the seedy side of Hollywood squirmed its way to the surface and exposed itself.

From Roseanne Barr canceling herself in real time to the shocking arrests of Danny Masterson, Diddy, and Harvey Weinstein, it almost feels like a movie jam-packed with unexpected plot twists and heinous crimes. Then, there was the slap heard around the world as Will Smith left a handprint across Chris Rock's face at the Academy Awards, minutes before winning for best actor. We also saw hacks reveal a lot about celebrities — both literally and figuratively.

Decades from now, people may wonder what in the world happened in the period between 2014 and 2024 and why it appears like everyone lost their collective minds. So, let's take a look back at the major Hollywood scandals from the past 10 years and how disgraceful they were. Be warned, though: Some of the incidents could be triggering and not easy to read.

Comedian and actor Ellen DeGeneres presents herself as a jovial and affable personality. The secret to the success of her talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," revolved around how comforting and natural the conversations felt. Think of it as a funnier version of "Oprah." So imagine the surprise when a July 2020 BuzzFeed News exposé revealed what working on the show was allegedly like, as current and former employees lifted the veil to expose a toxic work culture. Accusations ranged from racism to sexual harassment and people being fired for merely attending funerals or taking sick days.

Not too long after the report's release, DeGeneres penned a letter to all the staff members and promised to improve the workplace culture. However, DeGeneres also became one of the actors who delivered terrible public apologies as she decided to address the allegations on the first episode of Season 18 of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." While apologies were made and changes promised, some of the jokes about the matter didn't leave people impressed, considering the seriousness of the complaints and the experiences of the victims.

The scandal resulted in executive departures, but the show's reputation remained tattered, eventually reaching its end two years later in 2022. During a stand-up special in 2024, DeGeneres announced she would be retiring from the entertainment industry, mostly because of how she was viewed after the debacle.

Anyone who has watched "Entourage" — or other similar shows about the entertainment industry — understands the image portrayed of Hollywood. The fictionalized version boasts infinite tantrums, nonstop bickering, and a whole lot of unprofessionalism between all parties. Well, in 2014, an infamous hack of Sony Pictures' emails showcased that the depictions aren't too far off from reality.

The email exchanges between executives, in particular, opened a lot of eyes. As per Variety, a nasty back-and-forth between then-Sony chair Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin ensued over the film "Jobs." According to the emails, Angelina Jolie wasn't pleased that director David Fincher was attached to "Jobs" and wouldn't be available to work on her "Cleopatra" movie. Pascal asked Rudin to speak to Jolie to diffuse the situation, but the producer bit back, calling Jolie a "minimally talented spoiled brat." The pair engaged in a keyboard war that degenerated into nothing short of a mess that would make Reddit proud.

Comic book movie fans discovered "The Amazing Spider-Man 3" was set to happen and be announced at a major gala; however, Andrew Garfield bailed on the event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which upset Kaz Hirai, the former CEO of Sony, and had everyone panicking. These are only two notable examples of the information revealed via the Sony hack, which also included the personal contact details of celebrities, such as Emma Stone, being released.

Roseanne Barr made a name for herself on the sitcom "Roseanne." While the series initially ran from 1988 to 1997, it received a revival in 2018. The Season 10 premiere debuted with an astonishing 27.26 million viewers, and network executives must have had the zoomies in their own homes from all the excitement. The future of the show looked rosy, to say the least, and it received a quick renewal for another season.

Then, a now-deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter, brought it all crashing down for Barr. The actor posted a controversial and racist message about Valerie Jarrett, one of President Barack Obama's senior advisers. While Barr posted an apology for her comment and shut down her X account, she was slammed by peers for her post, including her "Roseanne" co-star Sara Gilbert.

Shortly afterward, ABC reversed the decision to renew "Roseanne" Season 11. Eventually, the story continued in a new series titled "The Conners," with Barr's character, Roseanne Conner, being killed off. In a later interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News (via The Washington Post), Barr said that her tweet was a political statement about Obama's administration, adding, "I was so sad that people thought it was racist."

The Academy Awards recognize the best of the best on a yearly basis. At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, comedian and actor Chris Rock appeared on stage. In typical fashion and sticking to his shtick, he started to tell jokes and poke fun at the people in attendance — including Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock pointed out Jada's shaved head and cracked a joke about her preparing for "GI Jane 2."

All of a sudden, Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped Rock, then uttered, "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth." No one knew what to think, with some presuming it might have been part of the show. However, it soon became clear this was an unplanned event. The capper? Will won best actor for "King Richard" — his first Oscar — just a few minutes later. Talk about awkward timing.

Months later, Will Smith provided an eyebrow-raising explanation for that Oscars slap. Posting a video on his YouTube channel, Will explained how Jada was innocent in the whole ordeal and he apologized to Rock for his behavior. In addition, he also issued a mea culpa to Jada and his family for his actions. Regardless of the apology, Will serves a 10-year ban from Academy events after the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences deemed his conduct to be intolerable.

For years, Kevin Spacey lapped up accolades and praise, becoming revered as one of the greatest actors of his generation with mesmerizing performances in acclaimed films such as "Seven," "The Usual Suspects," and "American Beauty," as well as the critically acclaimed "House of Cards." But in 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making sexual advances toward him when he was underage. On his X account, Spacey claimed he didn't remember the event, but apologized to Rapp for what he deemed to be "deeply inappropriate drunken behavior." Rapp wasn't the only person to accuse Spacey of similar conduct, though, as a number of people came forward to share their controversial stories about the actor, including individuals who worked on "House of Cards."

Spacey's career spiraled after the allegations — he was written off "House of Cards" and had his scenes reshot in Ridley's Scott's "All the Money in the World," replaced at the last minute by Christopher Plummer. Since then, he's struggled to mount any sort of comeback in Hollywood. In 2023, Spacey was acquitted of seven counts of sexual assault and two other sexually related charges.

Leaked intimate photos and videos of celebrities aren't anything new, as stars such as Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson have had their most private moments splashed all over the internet. In 2014, though, a mass release of photos and videos shocked the internet, with celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Kaley Cuoco having their iCloud accounts hacked, their nude photos and videos stolen, and spread around online communities. And as the saying goes, "Once it's on the internet, it's there forever."

After doing an investigation, Apple released a statement explaining how the hackers used specific methods to gain access to the iCloud accounts, denying there was a security breach on its end. In the subsequent years, a number of people were arrested and sentenced for their roles in the compromising crime.

Discussing what happened with Vanity Fair, Lawrence said the following: "It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It's disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change."

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard worked together on the 2011 film "The Rum Diary," the film adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson book of the same name, and they became a couple after Depp and Vanessa Paradis' relationship ended. In 2015, Depp and Heard made it official and married. The romance didn't last too long, though, as they divorced two years later in 2017. But while it looked like the fate of many marriages in Hollywood, it wasn't.

In 2018, a story circulated about how Depp was alleged to be a physical abuser, leading Depp to sue the publication. However, matters reached a boiling point when Heard published an op-ed piece on The Washington Post, alleging to be a victim of abuse — although she didn't name her abuser, it was widely believed to be Depp. This kicked off a series of events that culminated in a highly publicized defamation case between Depp and Heard, which was broadcast to the world in 2022.

During the trial, every sordid detail of their relationship was put on display — from disagreements over text message and eye-popping accusations. Social media buzzed as everyone weighed in on the Depp-Heard trial and dissected every revelation, with even celebrities picking sides over who they supported. The judge ruled that they both had to pay each other damages of varying amounts, though Depp and Heard appealed the judgment. Ultimately, the pair settled the matter privately in December 2022.

The entire "Rust" shooting controversy evokes memories of the tragedy that befell Brandon Lee on the set of "The Crow." In October 2021, Alec Baldwin — who also happened to be a producer on the film "Rust" — discharged a prop gun during a rehearsal. Unfortunately, the prop contained live rounds of ammunition that struck and injured director Joel Souza and resulted in the untimely death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

But what actually happened here? No one may ever know the real answer, as the stories changed several times since the incident. Baldwin said he didn't pull the trigger of the gun, but the evidence suggested otherwise. In March 2024, the court found armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to have been negligent by failing to follow the correct safety protocols in checking the gun for live ammunition, and ultimately charged her with involuntary manslaughter.

In July 2024, involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin were dropped by the court after it was found that the prosecutors withheld crucial evidence. As per People, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said, "The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings."

On "That '70s Show," Danny Masterson played the laid-back but sarcastic Steven Hyde. While it remains his most famous role, he continued to act in other shows and movies after the sitcom came to a close in 2006. But his acting career stopped dead in its tracks in 2017, after serious allegations were made about him.

The Los Angeles Department set its sights on the actor after three women claimed he had sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s. The story took another turn after it was alleged that the Church of Scientology — which Masterson is a notable member of — tried to prevent the victims from speaking out against the actor. Masterson's reps denied the claims, providing his own version and explanation of events, as did the Church of Scientology.

In 2020, Masterson faced charges for the rape of three women. Again, his representatives denied the charges. In 2023, Masterson received the maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars after he was found guilty of the rape of two women. This scandal also made the headlines because Danny Masterson's "That '70s Show" co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis supported him throughout his trial, calling him a "role model" before his rape conviction.

Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy, rode a wave of success to the top of the hip-hop music scene. He achieved global success, receiving countless awards, selling records like hot cakes, and launching his own record label, Bad Boy Records. Diddy also gained notoriety for throwing outlandish events, as celebrities were often snapped indulging in his many extravagent parties.

In September 2024, news broke of 120 lawsuits that Diddy was facing related to sexual assault. The report stated the alleged victims ranged in age, with some as young as nine years old to grown adults, and of all genders. At a press conference (via The Washington Post), prosecuting attorney Tony Buzbee referred to the event as "the biggest secret in the entertainment industry, that really wasn't a secret at all." In addition, a number of these assaults were said to take place at Diddy's White Parties, which were well attended by notable public figures. Buzbee said "the names that we're going to name, assuming our investigators confirm and corroborate what we've been told, are names that will shock you."

Diddy denied the allegations. However, he was arrested and denied bail, as he faces a number of federal charges, including sex trafficking and prostitution. Diddy's trial is set for May 2025, and everyone awaits with bated breath to see who else will be implicated in this scandal. 

Harvey Weinstein established himself as one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood. He helped to make movies like "Pulp Fiction" and "Scream" a reality, while also launching many careers along the way. But in 2017, serious reports surfaced, accusing Weinstein of using his power to sexually harass, assault, and rape various women. It created a domino effect where more people came forward about Weinstein, leading to a larger and much-needed discussion about the abuse that has gone unchecked in many industries. This became known as the #MeToo movement, where people publicized and shared their stories, exposing the companies that protected perpetrators of these crimes. In 2023, for example, Julia Ormond sued Disney and others for allegedly enabling Harvey Weinstein.

The disgraced movie mogul was arrested then sentenced to 23 years for the assault of two women in 2020. This case continues to evolve as appeals take place and more charges are laid. Weinstein received a further 16-year sentence in 2023, but his first sentence was overturned in 2024.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).