10 Celebrity Controversies

By PettyandPosh | July 29, 2020

Celebrities are far from perfect and unfortunately for them, some of their less wise discretions, are usually public news. Here are ten funny, sad, or just plan odd celebrity controversies:

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY – ARRESTED FOR PLAYING THE BONGOS HIGH

Matthew McConaughey is a hell of a talent popularly known for his free spirit acting on rom-coms, adventure movies, and most importantly, the words “alright alright alright” in Dazed and Confused. However, his acting prowess couldn’t save him from being arrested for allegedly getting high on marijuana, playing bongos and dancing naked in the middle of the night. Crazy right?

It happened on October 25th in 1999 at his apartment in Austin, Texas. His neighbors apparently called the police to report a disturbance at 3 a.m., and he was the culprit caught pants down as another man cheered him on as he danced away while playing drums. He was held in the Travis County jail on suspicion of marijuana possession, possession of drug equipment and resisting transportation. However, he was only charged with resisting transportation- a class A misdemeanor, so he was released on a $1,000 bond. There wasn’t enough evidence to back up the marijuana possession claims, so that case was thrown out. He says he doesn’t regret it, but spending 9 hours in a county jail ought to teach a lesson or two. 

WINONA RYDER – KLEPTOMANIAC

Who would’ve have thought that grand theft wasn’t only for gangsters? American Actress, Winona Ryder was caught stealing goods worth about $5,500 from a department store in Beverly Hills back in 2001. Her shoplifting escapade got her convicted of vandalism and grand theft, and fortunately for her, she dodged the felony charge of commercial burglary. She was sentenced to 480 hours of community service, three years of probation under supervision, and a $2,700 fine. The story was the talk of the town, and she had to take a break from her acting career to mitigate the situation; she basically had to disappear from the silver screen. According to her, the ordeal was a great awakening and she experienced some transformation in her life. 

NATALIE WOOD – ACCIDENTAL DROWNING?

Natalie Wood was one of many bright stars whose light burned out suddenly, and quite mysteriously too. She died drowning in the dark waters of the Pacific Ocean on a starless night, during a weekend getaway with her husband and actor, Robert Wagner. Her body was found floating in the ocean in a nightgown, wool socks, and down jacket. The tragic event took place on November, 29, 1981, and autopsy reports the following day indicated that it was an accidental drowning. However, many inconsistencies in the story raised a lot of questions, and of course, conspiracy theories shoot up like weed on a farm, but they all fell on deaf ears. 

Natalie Wood, 43, was laid to rest at the Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles on December 3, 1981. Her funeral ceremony hosted a lot of stars, but her death still remains a mystery to many who don’t believe the basic theory of accidental drowning. 

VINCE NEIL – DRUNK DRIVING

This event from 35 years ago ended in the tragic death of Nicholas “Razzle,” a fast-rising star in the late 80’s. His death in December 1984 led to the disbandment of Hanoi Rocks, a Finnish Rock band in which he was the star drummer. Razzle had come to party in LA, where he met members from the band Motley Crue, a rising local 80’s hair metal band- and that was where all hell let loose. Before their trip to LA, Razzle had told his band members that he didn’t care if he died, that all he wanted to do was get to LA- be careful what you wish for.

Both rock bands went on a drinking binge, burned through their supply of alcohol, and the need for more drinks arose. Vince Neil, Motely Crue’s vocalist, and Razzle took it upon themselves to head to a liquor store nearby to buy more booze, and even though Vince was obviously drunk, his desire to show off his orange-red 72 Ford Pantera sports car apparently meant more to him then staying alive. Vince lost control of his car on the way to the liquor store and crashed into two cars. Razzle lost his life, but shockingly, Vince escaped with no serious injuries. Vince, however, spent 20 days in jail, served 200 hours of community service, paid $2.6 million in damages to the affected parties, and attended orientation classes on the dangers of alcohol and drugs. 

WESLEY SNIPES – BIZARRE BLADE MOVIE BEHAVIOR

Everyone knows about the half-human, half-vampire role played by Wesley Snipes (Blade) in the Blade series. The late 90’s and early 2000’s saw the evolution of superheroes and cinematic prowess, a growth that Wesley Snipes played a huge part with his silky moves, and vampire charisma. Blade had great cinematography (at the time), amazing actors (Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Purcell, Kris Krisofferson, and Triple H), and a tense, but exciting storyline (one that featured a fierce battle to the death between Blade and the legendary vampire, Dracula). 

However, behind the scenes there was some tension too. This is all hearsay, but apparently Snipes stayed in character at all times and only referred to himself as Blade. He accused the writer, David Goyer, of racism and told him to quit. Goyer replied that Snipes should quit because they had all the shots they needed from him and the rest of the scenes could be accomplished with a stand-in. After that exchange, Snipes would only communicate with Goyer through Post-It notes that were all signed “Blade”.

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND – DUMPING TOUR BUS WASTE

Did someone say a shipwreck is the worst tragedy that could occur at sea? Well, tell that to the crew and passengers on a boat who experienced a big splash of 800 pounds of gross and disgusting human waste while touring the Chicago River. The passengers and crew members described the experience as a horrific one- many of them had the substance in their mouths, hair, and clothes. The victims were in shock of what had just happened, but at that point, they had no idea of the substance that they had just been bathed with. The foul smell that followed brought their worst fears to reality, and the whole scene became a grief-fest.

The event occurred on August 8, 2004- about 15 years ago and at the moment, nobody knew who the culprit was. However, after thorough investigation, a Dave Matthews band tour bus was found guilty of the hideous and filthy offense.

The passengers on the boat wanted a taste of Chicago- and they did, quite literally get that.

TIM ALLEN – DRUG BUST

The drug scheme in the Midwest during the late 80’s took a wild, unexpected turn when Tim Allen was arrested with over 650 grams of cocaine at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International airport. The arrest was made by an undercover cop on October 2, 1978, and it triggered a cascade of events that hit the Midwest drug channel real hard. Tim Allen was 25 years of age at the time, and he is a star actor and comedian, popularly known for his features on “The Last Man Standing” and “Tim the Toolman.” 

Allen pled guilty to the drug trafficking charges levelled against him, but he escaped life imprisonment by providing the names of other individuals involved in the drug chain. He was convicted and he spent two years in a Minnesota prison after parole. Just like many celebrities say after serving time, Allen said that his experience in prison helped him find balance and focus in his life. According to him, it was an experience that humbled him, and made him realize his wrongs. 

DAVID HASSELHOFF – DRUNKEN RECORDING

Sometime in 2007, David Hasselhoff gave an on-camera performance that gained him international recognition once again, only this time, he wasn’t acting. The video that surfaced online was shot by his 16-year-old daughter Taylor Ann in an attempt to show him what he becomes when he gets drunk- and she was right- it was a truly embarrassing sight to behold. In the video, David was trying sluggishly hard to eat a cheeseburger off the floor, with him complaining about how lonely he was as a person, arguing with his daughter, and mumbling words that made no sense. 

Apparently, he was a recovering alcoholic, and he only suffered a relapse due to the separation and divorce issues he was going through. His alcoholism and subsequent abuse was the major reason why his ex-wife filed for divorce and custody of their two daughters. 

NIKOLA TESLA – IN LOVE WITH A PIGEON

Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American engineer and physicist was born in 1856, and he was a true genius. He is known for many inventions and exploits, most commonly the Tesla coil, induction motor, and alternating current equipment. However, he was quite weird in his thoughts, but for an individual with that type of intellect, his eccentric nature didn’t come as a surprise to many. For one, he never got married because he felt the need for equality between men and women was out of place. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, he claimed to have been in love with a white pigeon. If he had claimed to be in love with automobiles or a circuit breaker nobody would bat an eye, but a pigeon? That’s definitely weird. 

He described his relationship with the pigeon with the words “I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me.” 

ARIANA GRANDE – LICKING DONUTS

It’s been 5 years since the 3-time Grammy award winner licked a donut at the counter of a confectionery store in California and said “I hate Americans” – but the internet never forgets. 

The video taken from a surveillance camera showed the “Thank You, Next” crooner and a group of others, including her boyfriend at the time, Ricky Alvarez being goofy with food from the confectionery store. During the course of the video, Ariana takes one of the snacks (a donut), licks it, and declares in her own words, “What the f*ck is that? I hate Americans. I hate America.” 

Ariana Grande faced a lot of criticism on social media, especially from her fans for her outburst against the United States and its citizens. She never expected the video to go viral, but when it did, she apologized on social media, stating that she loves the United States of America, and her words weren’t an attempt to ridicule the United States or its citizens. Her statement also addressed the nature of food consumption in the United States, child obesity, some other societal topics, as well as a promise to become a better public figure.