“I’m So In Love With My Brother”: 20 Celebrity Scandals You Totally Forgot About
Celebrity scandals have always fascinated us—especially when they involve shocking breakups, messy feuds, or unexpected arrests. These moments reveal the real, flawed humans behind the red carpet smiles, making even the most untouchable stars seem surprisingly relatable. High-profile controversies like celebrity divorces, legal troubles, and viral award show moments continue to drive massive attention and search traffic online.
Before the days of TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), many jaw-dropping celebrity scandals made headlines and then quietly disappeared. Some were buried by PR teams, while others simply faded from public memory. If they happened today, they’d go viral in seconds—complete with hashtags, apology videos, and trending gossip columns.
In this post, we’re revisiting 20 once-explosive celebrity scandals you probably forgot about. From controversial love triangles to wild confessions and feud-fueled drama, these stories were once the hottest entertainment news. So if you’re into celebrity gossip, pop culture history, or trending stories that shake Hollywood—this list is your guilty pleasure waiting to happen.
#1 Neil Patrick Harris And David Burkta’s Amy Winehouse Food Platter
Just months after Amy Winehouse’s tragic death in 2011, Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, David Burtka, hosted a Halloween party that quietly sparked a disturbing controversy. The couple featured a buffet platter styled to resemble the late singer’s corpse—a detail that shocked many when it eventually came to light.
Though the incident initially went unnoticed, it resurfaced in 2022 when unsettling photos of the platter began circulating on social media. The backlash was swift, with fans and the public calling it disrespectful and insensitive.
In response, Harris issued a public apology, acknowledging the display was in poor taste and expressing sincere regret for any pain it caused. The moment served as a stark reminder of how even private parties can fuel major celebrity controversies when they resurface online.
“It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
“Amy Winehouse was a once-in-a-generation talent, and I’m sorry for any hurt this image caused.”
#2 Sandra Bullock’s Cheating Ex
Right after Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for The Blind Side in 2009, her marriage quickly fell apart. Her husband at the time, Jesse James, was caught cheating when several women came forward saying they had affairs with him. The news caused a lot of drama and led to a very public and heartbreaking breakup.
“Yeah, I did cheat on my wife,” Jesse admitted to The Daily Mail in 2017. “I stood up and took accountability for it and apologized. And that’s the end of the story.
“I think it was having 50 or 60 or paparazzi outside my house for five or six months,” he recalled. “That was not a good feeling.”
Sandra and Jesse had already started the process of adopting their son, Louis, before the cheating scandal came out. After their split, Sandra filed for divorce and went ahead with the adoption on her own. She chose to raise Louis as a single mom and has been devoted to him ever since.
#3 Angelina Jolie Kissing Her Brother On The Lips
Angelina kissed her brother James on the lips after winning her first Oscar for Girl, Interrupted.
“I’m so in love with my brother right now,” she said during her acceptance speech. “He just held me and said he loved me, and I know he’s so happy for me. And, um, thank you for that.”
When asked about the controversial moment during an interview with People, Angelina said, “We’re the best of friends. And it wasn’t some odd open-mouthed kiss. It was disappointing that something so beautiful and pure could be turned into a circus.”
Angelina and her older brother have kissed on other occasions.
#4 Jon Hamm Assaulting A Student In College
In 1991, the Mad Men actor was charged with assault after participating in a violent group attack at the University of Texas-Austin.
The victim, a Sigma Nu pledge named Mark Allen Sanders, claimed that Jon Hamm and six other fraternity members beat him, shoved his face into the dirt, set his pants on fire, and led him around “with the claw of a hammer beneath his genitals.”
Sanders stated that Jon participated “till the very end.”
The lawsuit was ultimately dropped in 1993.
When Jon addressed the incident during an 2018 interview with Esquire, he referred to it as a “bummer” and said it had been “sensationalized.”
#5 Kenneth Branagh Cheating On Emma Thompson With Helena Bonham Carter
Dubbed the “golden couple” by the British press, Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson married in 1989 and starred together in several films, including Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing.
In 1995, they announced their separation, initially blaming hectic work schedules. However, it was later revealed that Kenneth had an affair with Helena Bonham Carter.
Kenneth and Helena met on the set of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1994 and began dating publicly after his divorce from Thompson.
“I was utterly, utterly blind to the fact that he had relationships with other women on set,” Emma said in 2022.
“What I learned was how easy it is to be blinded by your own desire to deceive yourself.”
#6 Alec Baldwin Calling His Daughter A “Little Pig”
In a leaked voicemail, Alec Baldwin called his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, a “rude, thoughtless little pig” after she missed a scheduled phone call.
The outburst happened during his messy divorce and custody battle with Kim Basinger.
In 2019, Ireland addressed the incident with humor while speaking at her father’s Comedy Central Roast.
“Dad, I’m Ireland,” the model introduced herself to the 30 Rock actor. “I almost didn’t even know about it, because I haven’t checked my voicemails for the last 12 years.
“Mission: Impossible is what I call getting my dad to apologize,” she added.
#7 Billy Bob Thornton Dumping Laura Dern For Angelina Jolie
In 1999, Billy Bob Thornton was dating Laura Dern—until he suddenly ghosted her and married his Pushing Tin co-star, Angelina Jolie, shortly after.
“I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again,” Laura said in 2000.
Billy Bob Thornton has been married six times, including to Lara Croft star Angelina Jolie from 2000 to 2003.
The couple was known for their eccentric displays of affection—most notably, wearing clear lockets that held a drop of each other’s blood.
#8 Jussie Smollett’s Hate Crime Hoax
The 42-year-old actor claimed he was the victim of a hate crime, but police later determined he had staged the attack with two acquaintances for publicity.
Jussie Smollett alleged he was assaulted outside his apartment and targeted with racial and homophobic slurs.
He was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on January 29, 2019, and released later that day in good condition.
The Empire star was sentenced to 150 days in county jail and two and a half years of probation for filing false police reports. He has continued to deny staging the attack.
#9 Jennifer Grey And Matthew Broderick’s Car Crash
In 1987, Jennifer Grey and her then-boyfriend, Matthew Broderick, were involved in a tragic car crash in Northern Ireland that killed a mother and daughter.
Matthew, who was driving a rented BMW, veered into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a Volvo. He was later convicted of careless driving and fined $175.
The accident occurred just weeks before the release of Jennifer’s breakout film, Dirty Dancing.
In 2022, the actress described the car accident as the most traumatic experience of her life. “[Matthew] was a great driver, and nobody was drinking. It was just an accident. And it was tragic, and I think about the family in Ireland all the time.”
#10 Johnny Cash Setting A Forest On Fire And Destroying 53 Condors
The singer’s camper erupted into flames in 1965 in Los Padres National Forest in California, “destroying foliage on three mountains and roasting, into near extinction, 49 of the area’s 53 endangered California condors,” as per LA Weekly.
When questioned by a judge, Johnny Cash defiantly responded, “I didn’t do it, my truck did and it’s dead, so you can’t question it.”
When asked about the damage to local wildlife, he snapped, “I don’t care about your d*mn yellow buzzards.”
Cash blamed the incident on sparks from a faulty exhaust system and later settled the case for $82,000.
#11 Vanessa Williams Resigning Her Miss America Title
In 1983, Vanessa Williams made history as the first African American to win the Miss America pageant. But just 10 months later, she was forced to resign after Penthouse published unauthorized nude photos of her.
The photographer had assured the then-21-year-old that the images would never be released.
Despite the scandal, Vanessa bounced back with a successful career in TV, film, and music—earning multiple Grammy nominations for her albums The Comfort Zone and The Sweetest Days.
In 2016, the Miss America Organization formally apologized for how they handled the situation.
“I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be,” expressed Sam Haskell, the former CEO of the Miss America pageant.