Being famous isn’t all glam and endless funds—it also has its drawbacks. Famous people work carefully to tailor their public perception and build their reputation, and one wrong move can cause a media feeding frenzy and outrage fans. Although people often move on to the next big scandal, sometimes, the stench of drama lingers, and the way the public sees a star is changed forever.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lost his titles over the Epstein scandal
After being connected to a pedophile financier in 2019, the former Prince Andrew was forced to give up his royal titles in October 2025 after the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who wrote a memoir on her story as a victim of the Epstein sex-trafficking ring, outed him as her rapist.
Blake Lively’s year was embroiled in lawsuits regarding “It Ends With Us”
The actor filed a lawsuit in 2024 against her former director and co-star Justin Baldoni, alleging harassment on the film’s set. Baldoni responded in January 2025, refuting the allegations and asserting that Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, had ridiculed him. The social media expert, whom Lively accused of orchestrating a smear campaign against her, sued her again in February.
“Snow White” was a box office flop due to Rachel Zegler’s comments
After this actor expressed her political views online and criticized the original “Snow White” film for being problematic, she tanked the movie’s success. Some people were also upset that a Latina was playing Snow White, and when she commented “Free Palestine” under the film’s trailer on X, it led to her Israeli co-star Gal Gadot requiring extra security at the premiere.
Katy Perry was mocked for her trip to space and 2025 tour
After her eight-minute trip to space funded by Jeff Bezos, Perry was ridiculed. It was an attempt to highlight women’s accomplishments in aeronautics but ended up being a bad press movie. Her “143” tour was also a failure, and her awkward dance moves were turned into many memes.
Elon Musk saw Tesla stock plummet and was voted “Most Unpopular Public Figure in America”
Elon Musk’s reputation and bank account took a beating this year when he got this unfortunate moniker from a 2025 Gallup survey. After his feud with Donald Trump, as well as his contributions to Trump’s presidential campaign and his work as the head of DOGE, his car company, and his personal reputation took quite a hit, with many people turning their backs on Tesla.
Jeff Bezos had a multi-million-dollar wedding in Venice that sparked outrage worldwide
Although many celebs attended this billionaire’s wedding in 2025, they were criticized for taking over the city, and locals even protested to decry his unbelievable wealth and the way he booked an entire city, pushing out both tourists and locals for the event. He was also under fire for his connections to Donald Trump.
David Harbour was the subject of Lily Allen’s biting breakup album
Lily Allen’s breakup album “West End Girl” was messy to say the least, chronicling all the dirtiest bits of her divorce in her album, talking about all the women he cheated with and how he broke the rules of their non-monogamous relationship. Additionally, it was revealed that Millie Bobby Brown filed a harassment and bullying claim against him.
Leonardo DiCaprio was under fire for going to Jeff Bezos’s wedding and building a hotel in Israel
This past year, DiCaprio was linked to the construction of a luxury hotel in Tel Aviv. He also faced backlash for going to Jeff Bezos’s wedding, which saw nearly 100 private jets flying to Venice, despite claiming to be a climate activist. Many people thought it was wrong that DiCaprio, who is a United Nations Messenger for Peace, could hold a 10% stake in the Herzliya Marina Hotel, given the ongoing conflict with Palestine.
Sydney Sweeney released an Oscar-bait flop and was cancelled over a denim ad
The infamous American Eagle ad, which controversially stated that “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” faced backlash for promoting a racist agenda. She was also in a biopic of female boxer Christy Salters Martin, where she was slammed by critics for participating in a tone-deaf movie that was Oscar bait, while the public called it ironic that a MAGA celebrity was playing a queer boxer.
JoJo Siwa lost credibility with the LGBTQ+ community for canceling her Pride show and dating Chris Hughes
Once a queer icon, many fans were disappointed when Jojo Siwa announced she was dating “Big Brother” co-star Chris Hughes, with many saying she lied about being gay and was secretly a trad wife supporter. Months later, she canceled her performance at the Chicago Pride Show, saying she felt boxed in by the LGBTQ+ community, which was trying to define her rather than acknowledging that sexuality can be fluid.
